Budget-conscious DIYers may have noticed some drop-in trigger plates on Alibaba with a tempting price tag—under $45, including shipping. Even factoring in a 100% US tariff, the final cost is still significantly lower than the better-known alternatives like the Diamond Electronic Drums Easyfit 14″ multi-trigger plate (£139/US$185) or the Jobeky Fast-Fit Premium 14” system (£99.17/US$135).
So how do these no-name (Dongguan Feiming Musical Instrument Co) Chinese trigger plates measure up?
What’s in the Box
My 14″ trigger plate arrived in Australia just over a week after ordering. It was wrapped in heavy-duty plastic, in a box oddly labelled “CYM 15”—a confusing moment until I opened it and confirmed the contents.
Available in 10″, 12″, 14″, and 16″ sizes, the plate I tested matched the others in our review series and is typical for most DIY conversions.
The unit features an ABS base, six foam-topped sensors mounted on alloy risers, a rim sensor, and a small PCB with a jack assembly. There were no printed specs or instructions, and the Alibaba listing only included a few images — so you’re flying blind until you receive it.
The seller told me:
“The 6 trigger points provide a superior level of sensitivity compared to many other plates that offer only 1, 2, or 4 triggers. This advanced setup ensures a highly accurate response to every strike, eliminating issues like hot spots and providing consistent performance across the entire playing surface.”
Useful information — but only if you ask.
Installation
The design is a derivative of the Roland PD-125 trigger plate, similar to those used in many Medeli- and Ringway-based Chinese e-drums.
The plate is designed to sit on the bearing edge, with the foam columns sized to sit flush under a mesh head. There’s no adjustability, so you’re dependent on the manufacturer’s R&D getting it right.
One issue became immediately obvious: the jack assembly. Threading it through the shell’s air vent was tricky. I used a 6 mm shell, and even then, the jack didn’t clear the hole enough to secure it with the nut. For thicker shells, you may need to notch the vent with a spade bit. I opted for hot glue to hold it in place. Ideally, if you’re drilling your own hole, go slightly smaller than the jack so it threads into the wood and stays secure — but be sure the TRS jack can fully insert. The short shaft is a definite design flaw.
Once the plate is positioned, it’s a simple matter of fitting a mesh head and hoop and tightening it all up. Install time should be under five minutes – unless you run into the jack issue, which took most of my time.
In Action
I tested the plate across a range of modules using typical snare presets.
I was able to get good-to-excellent triggering with decent dynamic range, even triggering across the head, and good rim response with almost every module I plugged the snare into. Of course, triggering response depends as much on the module and the ability of the operator as on the trigger itself, so if you don’t get the response you’re looking for, chances are you haven’t spent enough time digging into the parameters.
Roland TD-27:
Best results were with the PD128 preset. I boosted sensitivity, added rim gain, and changed the curve to Spline. Performance was decent but showed a hotspot above the sensor.
Roland TD-30:
Minimal tweaks needed using the PD128 preset. Positional sensing was detected but unpredictable. Hotspotting near the jack persisted.
Yamaha DTX Pro:
Triggering was hot. I had to reduce head gain to 1, cut sensitivity, and tweak maximum level. Rim response was weak until rim gain was added.
ATV aD5:
The ATV 13″ snare preset didn’t work at all, but PD128 setting worked brilliantly — great response with no adjustment.
Alesis Strike:
Required a slight sensitivity increase and curve adjustment. Surprisingly good rim response.
2Box DrumIt Five:
PadPP preset gave solid head response with minor gain reduction. Rim needed a more significant gain boost.
GEWA G5:
PD128 preset needed a gain bump, high-level reduction, and aggressive curve for head. Rim required big gain and curve tweaks.
Medeli MZ 928:
No trigger presets available, but the stock snare setting worked well with slight boosts to head/rim sensitivity and H/R Adjust.
ddrum4SE:
Plug-and-play in pad mode. Head response was good at mid-sensitivity; rim needed max gain.
Final Verdict
For around $45, the Alibaba multi-trigger plate delivers surprisingly solid performance — especially considering it includes six head sensors and a rim piezo. My sample had the rim piezo near the jack, which may create a rim hotspot. Repositioning it to the centre could improve consistency.
While the head sensors were quite sensitive — sometimes too much so —the plate performed well across all modules tested. That said, it doesn’t match the accuracy and polish of Diamond’s Easyfit, reviewed here, or likely the Jobeky alternative (which we haven’t reviewed yet).
Recommended?
✅ For toms: absolutely
⚠️ For snares: only with non-Roland modules. Hotspots were evident with both TD-27 and TD-30.
The jack issue is my biggest gripe — it just doesn’t quite fit most shells cleanly. Still, it’s functional and tweakable, and for tinkerers and tom conversions, it’s hard to beat at this price.
See our installation video here.
