They sound 'ok' as in not terrible but not overly impressive either. Having said that, the only comparison I've got is with the Yamaha DXR15As and Peavy Hisys H12 which both sounded really good (but then for the money they cost you would expect them to sound good). I heard the bad reviews of the Thumps before I bought them (as strange as that sounds). I picked them up as part of a bundle with some lights and other gear that I wanted and always thought that I'd sell them on and put the money towards something better.