Karaoke Forums

Hello All,

I've just recently discovered that we use laptops for home karaoke. I've already found a software to play the karaoke songs but I have no sound equipment. I'm planning on purchasing the equipment via an online retailer. This system will be used in a fairly small living room in a condo. Therefore I'm looking for speakers that give better SQ than loudness. Any advice will be appreciated. Thanks everyone!

That budget is pretty low for SQ. I'm not particuarly fond of this but for a home use it would suffice & sound ok. It's portable so can be put away easily as it all connects together to 1 unit that you can carry with the built in handle.
http://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i- ... 5-000-LIST

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LIKE Lonman on Facebook - Lonman Productions Karaoke & my main site via my profile!

I am going to tell you for a small place, and very good sound quality with great feedback rejection, you absolutely cannot go wrong with a Fender Passport PD150.

I have one and I use it for home parties and very small indoor gigs. It is 75 watts per channel, with effects. It only weighs 35 lbs and packs up like a suitcase. It is very well-built.

I would suggest you go to www.zzzounds.com to buy it. They have it listed for $499.
Call them and they will match any online advertised price. Have them match the price of $399 from B&H Photo here:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/2 ... table.html

Finally, ZZOUNDS will let you pay in 4 payments if you like, so you can break it up into 4 $100 payments on your card.

You will not be dissapointed. Although I haven't used the microphone myself, the package even includes a fender mic and mic cable.

You might consider one of the portables. If you later want better speakers, then you will have something you can pack in the car and use for a portable PA.

I personally don't like the sound of the portables -- an 8" speaker is an 8" speaker. If I was forced to pick one, I would go with the Yamaha Stagepas.

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[color=#ffff55]Mickey J.[/color]
Alas for those who never sing, but die with all their music in them.
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

Honestly, if sound quality is your goal and you're looking at a small room like that, you might consider looking at reference monitors. You can get some pretty respectable powered studio monitors for around $400-500 (pair) and then use the rest to get a small format console. Also don't forget to look at the used market and maybe get a little more for your money.

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DJ Tony
Let It Rip Karaoke

Good suggestion. I think a sub would be nice as well, but with budget & portability concerns, maybe that is not practical. Some music isn't worth listening to unless you can feel the kick drum in your gut!

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Jeff Wheeler, moonlight DJ/KJ

Sorry Tony, I can't agree with you on this one. As reference monitors are designed for a flat response I'm thinking that it probably would be a less than an effective match for this particular application. Especially when you consider the kind of money you spend just to achieve that flat response. On a cost factor vs effectiveness, I think the guys pretty much have it. five or six hundred will only get you so far. I have no experience with either the Fender or the Yamaha version so I'll stay out of that debate.

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Quickness of mind will deceive the eye

Thank you everyone for all the quick replies. I will indeed take a look into the Fender PD150 PA system.

But let's say if the money is not an issue, approximately how much would it cost to purchase a set of decent HQ speakers + mixer? I just want to make sure that I will be getting something similar, or even better sound quality from my home karaoke than those karaoke places in the public.

If money were NOT an issue for home use i'd opt for a couple of QSC powered 12" cabs with a small mixer with built in effects. I'm one of the few that still like Mackie boards, but there are other high quality options in small board formats.

http://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i-QSC-HPR122I-LIST
This small setup would definitely rival (and in some cases surpass) what you would hear at a club, however the cost is another thing. Pushing around $2000 give or take.

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LIKE Lonman on Facebook - Lonman Productions Karaoke & my main site via my profile!

Big thanks to everyone's tips. I think I'm going to purchase the Fender PD-150 for my first home karaoke system. I now need to shop for an extra micrphone. I've looked around on the forum and it seems like most people have good experiences with the Shure SM58. I found the following products on B&H.

SM58 ($99)
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/68463-REG/Shure_SM58_LC_SM58_LC_Cardioid_Dynamic.html

SM58 with Canare Star-Quad Cable ($109)
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/68461-REG/Shure_SM58_CN_SM58_CN_Cardioid_Dynamic.html

SM58 with Canare Star-Quad Cable & Windscreen ($140)
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/488688-REG/Shure__SM58_Cardioid_Microphone_Kit.html

Is the Canare Star-Quad cable any good? Should I just purchase the $99 SM58 and buy a different cable? Is the windscreen useful at all?

That cable is fine. I prefer cables that have lifetime warranties, but that's because they are being used nightly & eventually go bad. In a home setting you shouldn't run into that problem very often.
The windscreen is primarily what it says, for when you are outside & it's windy it will help to block out some of the wind noise. Not a necessity for indoors & definitely not worth anything for hygene.

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LIKE Lonman on Facebook - Lonman Productions Karaoke & my main site via my profile!

Cables can go bad.

Although I buy most equipment online, I buy my cables locally, and I make sure they are lifetime cables. I happen to have a Guitar Center nearby. If my cables EVER go bad, I bring back the cable and the receipt and they give me a new one.

Even if you get lifetime cables online, it is more complicated with return shipping and all.

I use foam windscreens for my gigs, but most on here do not. Windscreens are generally used only for high wind conditions or studio recording.

So I guess I'll just go without the windscreens. I happen to have a Guitar Center near my work too. How much $ should I be looking at when purchasing a decent microphone cable? Which brand/model is better?

Those foam windscreens are like a dollar or two if you buy them separately. Don't go from a $110 SM58 package to a $140 one just to get a piece of foam. Also, like others said, mic cables are a dime a dozen and you shouldn't over-pay for them. I have never tried returning a mic cable but I guess if GC will let you do that with Monster or whatever ones that have a guarantee, you might as well do that.

If there are good music stores near you, I suggest you try out some vocal microphones before you buy one. Some people swear by the SM58, but honestly I think that's because they own them for others' use and don't want to replace broken mics a lot. At home, you will take good care of your mics, so buy whatever sounds best to you. SM58 is the standard-bearer for durability, and I really don't think anyone will argue against that; but there are plenty of people who like the sound of other mics much better than the Shure products.

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Jeff Wheeler, moonlight DJ/KJ

I believe the ones I get from Guitar Center are Live Wire brand. I usually get 20 foot cables and they run about $20 or so each. You want a standard mic cable, which is XLR to XLR connector.

That will get it from your SM58 to the XLR input on the mixer.

To plug your PC into the mixer you will need one of those 1/8" stereo micro connectors to dual RCA (the red and white RCA jacks). It will go from the headphone out on your PC to the stereo input on the mixer. You might already have this type of cable.

Thank you so much! This is very helpful!

I use the 25' from LiveWire, but they are closer to $35 each. Guitar Center will exchange them if they go bad (provided you bought them from them), most of the time I don't even bring in my reciept for exchange. I am in the system & show id.

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LIKE Lonman on Facebook - Lonman Productions Karaoke & my main site via my profile!

Actually Canare builds very good cables, the Star-Quad series included. Especially if it's only costing you an extra ten dollars with the purchase of the SM58. That would be an excellent deal, however the package with the windscreen is ridicules.
It's hard to go wrong with an SM58, they are a standard in the industry and I don't believe I've ever seen a professional rider that doesn't list the SM58, usually with the word "preferred" after it.

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Quickness of mind will deceive the eye

You don't necessarily have to connect your laptop to RCA inputs on your mixer. Sometimes that is the easiest way, sometimes not. Often if there are RCA jacks, they will just have a gain knob and nothing else, no EQ or routing options to AUXes.

If you have a stereo channel strip available, use that with a 1/8" to dual 1/4" TS cable instead. Then your karaoke backing tracks will be on a channel strip with full routing options, EQ, and a fader.

I even do this when I DJ during band breaks and plug into other peoples' mixers. I someone just said, here's some RCA jacks, I do have the cable for that; but I would not hook in that way unless there were no channel strips available for me to use.

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Jeff Wheeler, moonlight DJ/KJ

So if I'm connecting the laptop to the PD-150 via a RCA cable, I won't be able to adjust EQ for the karaoke songs?