Category: Portable karaoke

Memorex MKS-SS2 SingStand 2 Home Karaoke System

The Memorex MKS-SS2 SingStand 2 is the latest version of this mic-on-a-stand Karaoke system. It’s designed far differently than other machines because it is a stand, with the base holding the push button controls and the microphone in a mic holder at the top.

There’s a speaker with a useful amplifier in the base unit to blast out your songs as you sing them. Two 5-watt speakers in the base provide the sound. Thankfully, there are a few free songs included too.

A microphone is provided. The unit has two microphone jacks to allow two microphones for a duo, however, there’s only one stand to hold one microphone at a time.

Below the microphone holder is a slot to fit an iPhone. Once slotted into place, there are LEDs to confirm it’s connected up. The karaoke player can then use the songs on the iPhone and play them, including the lyrics.

The iPhone is held in portrait orientation, not sideways in the landscape which makes it a little more difficult to read the lyrics. However, there is a shelf right below the iPhone holder, to have a tablet sitting in landscape orientation providing more lyrics and a bigger screen to read them off.

Auto Voice Controls here help to sound better. When singing over an existing singer’s voice, the AVC will dampen their voice to let yours shine through. There are various adjustments to voice and sound available in the base unit.

For practice band sessions, there are input jacks for a guitar and electronic keyboard.

Pros

Pros

• Newer version
• One microphone
• Mic jack to add a second microphone
• Jacks for guitar and keywords
• Karaoke machine in a stand with mic at the top and speaker with controls in the base
• Two 5-watt speakers in the base
• 59-inch base fully extended
• Hold an iPhone but also tablets on a convenient stand
• AVC for better sound vocals and minimization of existing vocals
• Neat cord control
• 90-day warranty

Cons

Cons

• Occasional static on the microphone line
• The speaker quality is not fantastic

Singtrix Party Bundle Premium Edition Home Karaoke System – #SGTX1

The Singtrix Party Bundle Premium Edition (SGTX1) is another karaoke system on a stand, but this time it’s perhaps a little better designed. The company has been previously featured on Ellen, SharkTank, and The View, so it’s certainly done the media rounds.

The tri-stand is sturdy. It has to be because it holds the mic in a holder at the top, a metal shelf for a smartphone or tablet attached on the left side, and a colorful control panel in the center, within arm’s reach. The mic boom arm extends out in front of the unit some distance, so it’s not necessary to stand immediately in front of the stand and the equipment.

There’s a separate speaker on the floor. It has several controls to adjust its sound. The speaker is Dolby 2.1 for good sound separation; it’s not fully 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound, but that would require a multi-speaker arrangement beyond the scope of this product. There’s a sub-woofer in there to deliver some deeper bass sounds that is pleasing.

The orange console is situated at waist height and provides effects controls for echo, HardTune (auto-tune system), pitch adjustments, and other settings. There are over 300 effects to pick. The pitch-correct system helps to gradually improve your voice on the mic.

The supplied microphone works with harmonies and the system can accept a second microphone too.

Pros

Pros

• Karaoke machine on a stand design
• Separate Dolby 2.1 stereo speaker outputting 40 watts
• Microphone with pre-programmed effect activation
• One mic stand
• Smartphone/tablet stand to access MP3 and CDG tracks
• Play lyrics on digital devices for CDG tracks
• Separate effects console with 300+ voice effects
• HardTune auto-tune system to gradually improve the voice
• Multiple effects face-plate color choices
• Works with iOS and Android devices
• Can connect to a receiver and play on external speakers too

Cons

Cons

• Occasional missing remote controls in the box
• Customer Service sometimes surprisingly difficult to reach

Singing Machine SMC HOME Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Home Karaoke System

The Singing Machine SMC HOME Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Home Karaoke System looks more like a Google Mini device than a traditional karaoke machine. We suspect this was exactly what Singing Machine was going for here. It’s certainly a beautiful aesthetic.

The machine works on a Wi-Fi connection or Bluetooth and in so doing, it links up to a smartphone, tablet or TV that’s Wi-Fi enabled which most are these days. It can play as many as 10,000 Karaoke videos in Full HD quality, along with YouTube videos and CDG tracks. Most will come with the lyrics showing on the screen too. The device can play songs on Spotify and Pandora.

There’s an HMDI out to connect from the device to the TV.

There does admittedly seem to be a problem with this model. Connecting via Bluetooth seems to be highly problematic. Accessing and using YouTube videos to sing along doesn’t work as well as one might hope.

The quality of the supplied microphone isn’t as good as some customers would have liked either. And getting the system to hook up and function as intended is rather hit-and-miss.

Pros

Pros

• Slick-looking Google Mini-like karaoke device
• Own microphone
• Hooks up to HDMI, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi
• 10,000 Karaoke audio and video tracks
• Plays YouTube videos, CDG tracks and more
• Access songs on Pandora or Spotify

Cons

Cons

• The separate mobile app isn’t that great
• The microphone doesn’t produce the highest-quality sound

TJ Taijin Media TKR-365HK Home Party Korea Korean Karaoke Singing Machine

The TJ Taijin Media TKR-365HK Home Party Korean Karaoke Singing Machine is a serious machine for people who love their Karaoke.

The unit comes with its base and two microphones, but no speaker or amplifier.

All information and instructions are in Korean, making this a challenge for some buyers unless they have a friend who reads Korean.

The two supplied microphones come in a separate upright stand with controls and power for charging.

There’s a 500GB hard disk drive ready to play HD video tracks. Included in the package are around 33,000+ songs from a range of Filipino, Korean, Japanese, K-Pop, and Japanese singers and groups.

The control system includes the ability to remove feedback, an echo/revert feature, and a 7-band equalizer to adjust the sound quality and levels. A remote control is also included to change settings from a distance.

Connection to other devices is primarily made via a Wi-Fi connection. The device can stream via a USB-connected device like a computer or an Android phone. It’s incompatible with the iPhone and iOS devices or wireless streaming.

Pros

Pros

• Korean karaoke machine
• ALL in Korean including instructions and controls
• Ships out from Korea, SE Asia
• Two wireless microphones
• 7-band equalizer
• Feedback adjustment and echo/reverb controls
• The bigger remote has more features than the smaller one
• Stream content via USB to a computer or Android device
• 500GB hard drive storing up to 10,000 songs and videos
• Record your singing on the hard drive

Cons

Cons

• Incompatible with iOS and iPhone
• No wireless streaming
• Korean language with no translation
• Ships from abroad
• Hard drive, not SSD

VocoPro DVD-SOUNDMAN Basic Home Karaoke System

The VocoPro DVD-SOUNDMAN Basic Home Karaoke System looks more like a traditional old-school karaoke machine. It is a sophisticated all-in-one system with an 80-watt, 4-speaker system setup that should be plenty for home use.

There are 2 x Mark 6 corded microphones included in the package. However, the instructions thoughtfully advise how to add a wireless mic to the system and ways to make it compatible with that too.

Controls on the top front of the unit control gain levels on each channel. Effects like echo/reverb are controllable from the capable remote control.

The machine can play DVDs, CDs, CDG and MP3 tracks. It will work anywhere in the world and plays on the American NTSC TV system and the widely used PAL system format in the rest of the world.

There’s a 5-band graphics equalizer to adjust the sound output and get the balance right.

A 1/8th input socket for connecting up MP3 players.

Pros

Pros

• Chunky traditional karaoke all-in-one machine
• 5-band graphics equalizer to adjust channel levels
• Control individual channels
• Two wired Mark 6 microphones
• Plays DVDs, CDs, CDG and MP3 tracks
• Displays on TVs with NTSC or PAL (Worldwide) picture format
• Remote control
• 120- and 240-volt power options

Cons

Cons

• No XLR connection is used in professional systems, but it’s for home.
• The unit sometimes comes with two wireless mics instead of wired ones.

Features of The Best Home Karaoke System

Not every karaoke system has the same features. It depends on how professional-oriented the system is and where adjustments were made.

For instance, sometimes a user is expected to hook their smartphone, tablet, or TV to the device to act as a portable screen. Other times, external speakers can be added on.

Here are some features to look out for:

• Screen:- Most karaoke machines will connect to a TV. Sometimes this is via an HDMI port and other times is an HDMI mini port or wirelessly. The wireless options may include Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. A few may broadcast like Chromecast, but that’s unusual and not expected in cheaper units. The larger benefit of using a screen – smartphone or TV – is to see the lyrics being shown on the screen in time to the track. Without this facility, singers are running blind or have to sing over a track with vocals which will mess up their performance.
• Speakers:- Most home systems come with speakers. However, as systems hook into a smartphone or tablet, or a TV in many cases, these devices have their speakers built-in. With Bluetooth connectivity, they can also connect to wireless Bluetooth speakers in some cases. External speakers might be connectable too. With internal speakers, verify the wattage and quality of the sound.
• Age Suitability:- What is the karaoke system designed for? Is it for small children to flex their vocal muscles or for adults to get together for a karaoke session at home? There are different needs for different users. For kids, lighter models with some portability are best but for adults, a stay-in-place model might be fine.
• Formats:- Karaoke machines play a variety of formats for music and video. These might be a DVD or CDG disc or connect through a multimedia device or smartphone to access MP3 tracks on there too. There’ll be some kind of audio input option and/or wireless connectivity to access digital tracks. Some devices allow for USB flash drives to be plugged in with favorite tracks too.
• Effects:- The more professional the unit, the more effects are provided. An echo is often provided to expand the voice at the end of a track. Some are accessed by remote control. The better machines have upwards of 200-300 effects to choose from, but most of these are for fun rather than serious ones.
• Auto-Tune:- Most karaoke machines these days include some form of auto-tune. This adjusts the singer’s vocals to make them sound better. They often have other options like muting or reducing the vocals on a recorded track and overlaying the karaoke singer’s voice to make it more prominent.
• Microphones:- One or two microphones will usually be included. They could be wired and occasionally wireless. No XLR microphone (a professional connection) is usually found on home systems other than high-grade models. It depends on the model and how good the mics are; there’s always the option to upgrade them later.
• Connectivity:- Most units now come with some wireless capability. Wi-Fi and usually Bluetooth. USB connections also allow connecting to iOS and Android devices. A USB port for access to a USB stick is sometimes provided, but not always.
• Quality Audio:- Audio quality comes from the microphones, the internals, the speaker(s), and other output options. The more professional the unit, the higher the audio quality, in most cases. Some speakers are Dolby 2.1 channel ones or have sub-woofers that provide a deeper sound quality.
• Graphical Equalizers:- Multi-band equalizers are becoming more commonplace. Usually 5-band or 7-band. They allow subtle adjustments to different channels of sound to balance tracks out better.