Lets share some opinions about the newest pedal in the ultra-expensive direct drive space!

Relevant details;
Retail Price (USD via Sweetwater pre-order): Single $499.99, Double $1,129.99
Direct Drive
Longboard - Machined aluminum design
'Extreme High-Tension Spring' (Normal-weight spring included)
Ships with brand new 'X-treme Impact Beaters' with memory locks
Hoop clamp wing-bolt swappable with included drum-key bolt
"Result of a two-year research and development project with drummer George Kollias"
"Streamlined machine shop design"

Many features/designs reused from the Demon Drive- Base plate, hoop clamp, tension adjustment click-lock, Ninja bearings, 'Z-Link' drive shaft. Other DD features such as link adjustment (Axis VDL), independent footboard height & beater angle adjustment, shortboard-longboard conversion are absent.

Sources (Not enough forum posts to use links);
Demon XR Single/Double - PearlDrums Info Page
Demon XR Single/Double - Sweetwater Listing
Pearl Drums DEMON XR PEDAL - Showcase on Pearl Drums YouTube channel

I'm lost for words about how much Pearl is charging for so little; both on the feature set and the innovation-front from their previous flagship (in the Demon Drive). It boils down to simply being a Demon Drive with a 'streamlined' design (removing all adjustment options) and a more modern looking footboard- all for only a $200 USD upcharge on the now-gouged retail Demon Drive double ($929 USD on Sweetwater as of May 27, 2023). The small issues add up quickly and are inexcusable when you're spending $1100+ on a pair of pedals; Cannot easily switch from a double to two singles (remove driveshaft, move beater to second pedal, done) due to slave-spring placement and missing a second cam, not a 'true' longboard due to reused Demon Drive heel-plate hinge design, removal of all independent beater/board angle adjustment & VDL in the name of 'streamlined design' marketing (aka "we know what's best for you") and even set-weight beaters with no additional surfaces or angle adjustment.

Getting to the "Designed in cooperation with George Kollias" marketing now, the way I see it is these are just 'George's preferred settings - the pedal'. None of my gripes even matter to him anyway- always uses two singles, his own settings literally locked in, extremely heavy springs by default, light and flat beaters, etc. Pearl was obviously very committed to matching the feel he needs in order to bring him over from Axis, but were not concerned or aware enough to make any other meaningful improvements. At this point they may as well have called them the "Demon Drive X - George Kollias Signature" and I'd at least have not expected potentially major redesigning and improvement on all fronts. Another angle could have been coming in at a lower price point due to the pedal specifically not being overloaded with features (and reusing plenty of Demon Drive designs). I could see an already established and consistent producer undercutting Trick/Axis direct drive offerings being a very tempting offer.

In showcases about the pedal there's a lot of talk about tuning the feel of factory settings, streamlining the design and removing adjustment options to not confuse the drummer with too many options. The issue is that this is an $1100 professional pedal, likely being bought by drummers who know how to set up a pedal to their preference (when allowed to). I personally know that the default feel of many direct drive pedals (including ACDs) doesn't work with my technique, but luckily my pedals allow the me option to drastically change the feel and dial it in to my preference. I'm very interested to try a pair of these out to get the true Kollias-experience (I expect a dramatic Axis-throw, super tight springs, really light feel, etc) as George is one of my biggest influences, but have a feeling that it just won't be the feel for me.

This is an Axis pedal designed by Pearl with the same 15 year old design issues that every major manufacturer can't seem to figure out.

Ok so at first glance, I thought, "Hey, that kind of looks like a cooler more modern version of the Demon Drives". After a closer look, it lacks anything that would make it an interesting pedal. There are no innovations or improvements over the demon drive. Even the machined parts probably dont make a significant difference. And it actually angers me that they removed the adjustments for the direct drive and the beater distance that the Demon Drive has. It is like making a new type of Vanilla icecream and the selling point is that it doesnt taste like vanilla. It is just so meh. I seriously dont see how they are justifying the price... Both Axis and Trick double pedals are cheaper...

When the Phantom comes out... It should be illegal to purchase this pearl pedal.

Inventor211: Perfect summary.

As I wrote on Facebook, "There's a reason why I'd rather use a rooted Android device over an IPhone. Maximum options for configuration mean maximum chance for a perfect fit to your body and feet, and leaves space for your preferences to change."

Maybe "perfect settings" would be very awesome for me, but it's just my personality that during my development in drumming I sometimes kind of feel that I need a bit of a change. Seat height, spring tension, movement-to-force-ratio development, beater angle, cymbal height, snare stand angle and so on. I just feel that I need to be able to change it.
That's the number one reason why I bought a darwin even though my shitty skill would by far not even be limited by a normal pearl eliminator or an equal pedal.
Now I have it all.
Every possibility.
Why should I limit myself to a single set of settings, setup and feeling?

...and why should I limit myself for 1050 euros?

First of all , as a technician I have seen enough parts of ACD to know how precise and nice everything is made …. With love and passion.

I've disassembled 2 different brands of pedals, and as a tech it's disappointing to see how poorly made they were.
Actually there should be no standard brands of threads here at all. every acd upgrade on such a pedal is already an improvement for this kind of pedals. Actually quite crazy, if you look at the costs.

That’s why we like the nice products of Dennis
And waited for ……

Ok I stumbled across this Roger pedal...
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/...bass-drum-pedal

It's $225, has an adjustable pedal leverage (like Pearl powerShifter), beater angle, beater height (the entire pedal changes height), and it even hasa similar clamp to the Phantom with the lever closure...

Everywhere I look, I find better pedals with more interesting features. Pearl should be ashamed haha

Zitat von Dennis im Beitrag #6

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...it’s a bit sad and honestly frustrating considering the costs, time, and effort ... it’s literally printing money.

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The only thing I can say : if you buy a Darwin, and I guess also for the Phantom ( awesome name) , you are playing this pedal for a long time.
Maybe for the rest of your life.

We are still paitient ….. almost half June …. 😂

Zitat von Dennis im Beitrag #10

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Zitat von BaerndME im Beitrag #9

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What I want so say: It's capitalism, and I think you consciously choose not to play by it's rules, wich is somehow cool as fuck. But please, don't feel sad and frustrated if other companies do. Feel superior.

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Appreciate the input and the kind words

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sorry for my bad english.
I currently use Yamaha DFP-9D pedals. This is the company's flagship product. And my first pedals. But I'm very dissatisfied with them. Therefore, I looking for pedals that would not bring me disappointment and would not have unpleasant compromises. I'm not looking for a cheap product. I dug through tons of information and came to the conclusion that the only brand that won my heart and justified its high cost is ACD. I've looked at the Demon XR and the Czarcie Kopyto. But I didn't find enough information to justify the price.
But I would like to stand up for Pearl. There are several reasons for this.
1. This is their best product. I don't think they are any worse in quality or performance than the previous ones. But there are still improvements, albeit minor ones. Yes, there are fewer settings, but with more settings the price would be much higher.
2. This is a mass market product. Even though it's premium.
3. Customers are very different. People often underestimate the power of marketing and think it's just a scam. But actually it is not. I had 6 businesses. And every time I was expected to fail, simply because I was not good at marketing. My first business was related to online trading. I traded goods on forums. And when I was the first to import new goods, no one wanted to buy them. Although they were excellent and different from the others. But people only bought popular models. Then I fully felt it. Without advertising, people won’t even put a spoon in their mouth. People hate marketing. But they love popular products. Most people cannot understand that marketing is a way to make a product popular. Now I work in marketing. And I will say that this is not a way to deceive people. This is a way to solve someone's problem. And also a way to draw people’s attention to your brand, which offers a solution to your problem. Yes, it's expensive to buy famous drummers. But this is the only way to make a product popular

Denis took a different path. If he had gone the same way, his products would have been cheaper, but much worse. Or the same, but much more expensive.
But not everyone needs a Rolls Royce. This is why Rolls Royce does not have huge sales. But he gave himself to the world.

In conclusion, I want to say. If I didn't know there were custom brands like ACD and CK, I would have bought the Demon XR

If you are unsatisfied with your current pedals , you’ re on the right place here

Dennis makes some great upgrades for different pedals,( …ask yourself why …)

But he makes also a lot better pedals
If you want a lot of different settings : Darwin
A bit cheaper, a little less settings ,but same quality and play-fun : Phantoms.

Good luck