A year ago, I researched such things rather extensively, in order to buy two kits, one for a church sanctuary and the other for a youth center. In the process, I talked with probably 15 fine drummers. They all preferred acoustic drums, when possible, but when not, preferred the Rolands over others in that price range.
I purchased the Roland TD-15KV V-Drums V-Tour Series Electronic Drum Set DRUM ESSENTIALS BUNDLE from Kraft Music, which was having a decent sale. In buying two kits at a time, I got an even sweeter deal.
http://www.kraftmusic.com/roland-td-...ls-bundle.html We've been very happy with it. If we could have afforded it, I'd have gone with the TD30, but we really don't miss the differences.
For the youth center, I got a Roland TD-9KX2. Here it is with a double kick option bundle, which we didn't need.
http://www.kraftmusic.com/roland-td-...ls-bundle.html The TD-9 is perfect for their needs.
Some drummers I talked with liked the Yamahas OK, but none liked the Alesis at all. Only a couple liked the kits from Pearl, which surprised me. As with guitars, I'm sure there are lots of different preferences out there, but this is what I found, and my experience in buying electric drum kits in recent months.
cotten