What equipment upgrades or tweaks will improve the sound of drums?

Udog ...

The lower you get the noise floor, the better the percussion will become.

Better wall outlets. SR Blues perhaps?
SR Blue fuses.
Herbie’s tube dampeners
PPT Total Contact paste.
PPT Omega E Mats
PPT "Stop It" devises.
PPT "The Gate." 

If you do the above, you’ll be able to hear the springs rattling on snare drums and you’ll be able to discern in which direction the brushes are moving on the snares and cymbals. You will be able to hear the difference between vintage drums with animal-skin heads and modern drums with acrylic heads.

If you like rim shots, hard whacks, very defined bass drums, kettle drums, and percussion with dynamics to die for ... take heed in what I’ve posted above. Combined, these items will take your system to levels you have never dreamed possible ... without changing or upgrading any equipment at all.

Frank

Excellent advice above.

At T.H.E. Show in Long Beach in early June, I was walking around a large open space called The Market Place. It was where the less deep-pocketed vendors were hawking their wares.

Amazingly, realistic drum sounds were coming from the end of one row. I was in shock and disbelief when I discovered that these incredible sounds were coming from little bookshelf speakers. I just stood there - gawking in astonishment. Eventually, I saw that they were being driven by an old funky HT integrated. How could this phenomenal percussion be coming from this extremely modest rig? It didn’t make any sense. But, it was definitely happening. A subwoofer would be needed to fill out the bottom.

The bookshelves were Tonian Labs F6 speakers. MSRP $2500
The music was a CD: Drum & Bells.
http://www.tonianlabs.com/

Nothing like vibration isolation of the turntable and electronics to tighten up the bass and extend the frequencies another octave lower. Snap, crackle, pop!

udog:

Having just purchased a few quality vinyl recordings of Elton John after watching Rocketman ignore his band, I’m looking for ways to improve the sound of Nigel Olsson’s drumming.

Most of the above is all good. Especially oregonpapa with the Synergistic Research Blue Quantum Fuses, etc. SR PHT, ECT and HFT are some more that will give you a lot for the money.

But seriously, and this is coming from a guy who has been listening to Elton and Nigel from the beginning, the biggest difference will be if you can get your hands on a really good copy. Which I am sorry to say none of the reissues, MoFi or otherwise, are very good. What the industry hypes as audiophile is really the same old stuff only sometimes on quieter vinyl. And not always that, even. And believe me, having multiple copies, including even multiple copies of MoFi, reissues, and original pressings purchased both new and used, I know.

The situation is so bad that I had just decided Elton was like Springsteen: great music, no good recordings.

That was until I tried Better Records. My White Hot Stamper of Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only The Piano Player is a game-changer. Honky Chateau is genuine demo quality! Not cheap, but worth every penny https://www.better-records.com/search_adv.aspx?sp=elton+john&option=s_name&min_price=1&m...

All the punch and drive of Nigel’s unique kick drum you are ever gonna get is on there. Super articulate bass. Elton palpably, eerily present. His piano, everything, rendered leagues better than any of my other pressings. Seemed insanely spendy at first. But they sound so good the way I look at it now is I finally have records worthy of the system.