Drum Thrones and Hearing Protection: The Gear Beginners Skip (and Shouldn’t)
Two pieces of drumming gear protect the two things you cannot replace: your hearing and your back. Beginners skip both and regret it. Here is what to buy so you can play hard, comfortably, for decades.
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- Drumming is loud enough to damage hearing over time — musician earplugs are cheap, essential, and do not muffle the music.
- A proper drum throne protects your back and sets the posture for everything else. A folding chair does not.
- For electronic kits, closed-back monitoring headphones make practice clearer and protect your ears at lower volume.
- The Etymotic ER20 earplugs lower volume evenly — music stays clear, just quieter.
- These are the items beginners skip first and regret most. Build them into your starting budget.
Protect your hearing from the first session
Drums are loud — an acoustic kit easily exceeds safe sustained levels, and even on an electronic kit people crank their headphones. Hearing damage is cumulative and permanent, and it is the one injury in drumming you cannot recover from.
The fix costs about fifteen dollars. Unlike foam plugs, musician earplugs like the Etymotic ER20 lower the volume evenly across frequencies, so the music stays clear and balanced — just quieter. You still hear everything you need to play; you just stop slowly damaging your ears. Wear them from your very first session and the habit will protect you for life.
A throne is not a chair
Drumming happens from the core, and where you sit determines your posture, your reach, and how long you can play without back pain. A proper drum throne is height-adjustable, stable on a double-braced base, and shaped to let your legs move freely for the pedals. A dining chair or stool puts you at the wrong height with no support and will give you back trouble fast.
Set the throne so your thighs slope slightly down from hip to knee — this is the foundation every other technique is built on. It is the least glamorous purchase in drumming and one of the most important.
Etymotic ER20 Earplugs
$15The single most important fifteen dollars a drummer spends. Unlike foam plugs that muffle everything, the ER20 lowers volume evenly across the spectrum, so the kit still sounds balanced — just quieter and safe. Reusable, with a cord and case. Wear them from day one.
What's good
- Even reduction — music stays clear
- Cheap and reusable
- Protects the one thing you cannot replace
What's not
- Eartips wear out over months of use
- Fit takes a moment to get right
Gibraltar 6608 Drum Throne
$80A proper throne at a beginner price. The double-braced base is rock-solid, the height locks in with a memory feature, and the motorcycle-style seat with thigh cutouts keeps you comfortable and lets your legs move freely for the pedals. Sets the posture every other technique depends on.
What's good
- Stable double-braced base
- Comfortable, ergonomic seat
- Reliable height adjustment with memory lock
What's not
- Heavier than a basic stool
- A real (worthwhile) cost vs using a chair
Audio-Technica ATH-M40x Headphones
$99The headphones that make electronic-kit practice both clearer and safer. The closed-back design isolates outside sound, so you hear the kit cleanly at lower, safer volume, and the flat, accurate tuning means you practise to an honest sound. Detachable cables and folding earcups make them durable and portable.
What's good
- Strong isolation — practise loud-feeling but safe
- Accurate, flat sound for honest monitoring
- Durable with detachable cables
What's not
- Over-ear bulk during long sessions
- More than a casual beginner strictly needs
There is no cure for noise-induced hearing loss or tinnitus — only prevention. Drummers are among the most affected musicians precisely because they sit inside the loudest instrument in the room. A $15 pair of musician earplugs removes the risk while keeping the music clear. Make wearing them automatic from your first session.
Before you buy
Wear musician earplugs from your very first session — hearing damage is cumulative and permanent.
Set throne height so your thighs slope slightly downward from hip to knee.
Choose a throne with a double-braced base for stability, not a flat stool.
On an electronic kit, closed-back headphones let you practise clearly at safer volume.
Keep earplugs in your stick bag so you are never tempted to skip them.
Throne and hearing questions
Do drummers really need hearing protection?
What is the difference between musician earplugs and foam plugs?
Can I use a normal chair instead of a drum throne?
What headphones should I use with an electronic drum kit?
How high should my drum throne be?
These are the purchases beginners skip and regret. Buy musician earplugs (the ER20) before anything else and wear them every session — your hearing does not grow back. Add a proper throne like the Gibraltar 6608 to protect your back and set your posture, and if you are on an electronic kit, closed-back headphones like the ATH-M40x make practice clearer and safer.
The HobbyStack editorial team researches each guide using practitioner communities, published resources, and direct input from active hobbyists. Every guide is reviewed for accuracy before publication and updated when practices change.
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