Karaoke Forums

Ok, I highly doubt anyone has asked this, but then again I could be wrong.

I have a 95 Chevy Van Conversion that we like to take to beach, and other outings. I thought it would be cool to have karaoke on board. I already have a tv on board. I was wondering if and how I could add a good set of speakers...not too big, mixer and karaoke system to Van and power it all via the van.

I just want nice sound, in a small package. No magic mic stuff.

I figure if I'm gonna pay $100.00 plus for a tank of gas. might as well be comfy.

Thanks

_________________
If you don't love what you're doing for a living, then you're making a killing. (YOURS)

In this situation is where I might recommend the Fender Passport. It can be battery operated & may be able to run off the car batts - don't know. Could always get a power converter as well to push 120 volt ac from 12 volt dc. I use one for camping, works great - just be sure you have a good strong battery & alternator.

http://www.zzounds.com/item--FEN0692001000

Or maybe the Yamaha Stage Pass - have heard it's pretty lacking for club use, but in a small van should kick a$$.

http://www.zzounds.com/item--YAMSTAGEPAS300

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

honda has some sweet quiet generators too, they are pretty small I think. and I think there are some powerful battery packs you could get....

you probably already know all this though. i looked at the 1000w honda quiet generator and it looked like the perfect thing for quiet mobile high performance.

http://www.mayberrys.com/honda/generator/models/eu1000i.htm

I think this thing could run a 15" sub and a couple 10" speakers, which is what I have! not sure though. maybe I'll find out someday.

_________________
[glow=red]Yo sucka, we need this hea CHOPTER, and we need it now![/glow]

I own the Passort. If you're trying to set something up inside a vehicle, the Passport is not the answer. It is too big physically and too powerful for such an application. If nothing else, it'll vibrate everything in the van while sitting on the van's floor. If you plan to use it outside, by all means the Passport is a fabulous unit, but it's not cheap. Furthermore, I don't know how any equipment would hold up after being exposed to beach conditions?

If you plan to use the equipment in the vehicle, I would suggest you get a karaoke system/machine for home use. Singing Machine offers a veriety of models. I don't camp, so I don't know anything about power supplies in this regard. It is correct that the Passport will run on a battery that Fender offers as an option.

I have done this in the past.

I used a power inverter from my cigarette lighter to power a small mixer, lcd monitor and wireless microphons. I had a amp for my car stereo it was connected to the battery so I just used that to power my speakers. I took the output of the mixer to the in on the amp and just ran speaker wire out to my speakers on stands beside my truck. We used the portable karaoke setup for tailgating. When I was done I packed up and returned my car stereo to normal.

I own a stage pass 300 and while I would not use it for a bar gig, I find it powerful enough for my monthly private gig. You will need a convertor to run it off of car battery though.

_________________
The Line Array Experiment is over. Nothing to see here. Move along.

I did a side by side comparison in a music store with the Fender Passport and the Yamaha Stagepas 300. They are both good but my ears picked the Yamaha so I bought it. For small partys and my dining room it is perfect. Did one outside party and it did ok. Go check it out before you buy it, you may want more volume.

Jim_n_TN

_________________
Don't burn your old house before you build a new one.

I think I saw this one day on Pimp My Ride.

_________________
IN HEAVEN THERE IS NO BEER, THAT'S WHY I DRINK IT HERE!

JimnTn

I'm not sure what you meant when you mentioned using the Yamaha "outside". I wouldn't recommend the Passport for outdoors use, if that's what you meant.

I'm sorry that the Yamaha doesn't meet your professional needs. I've been recommending the Passport for quite awhile now for professional use. There are five working KJ's in this area using the 250! And, if the 250 is not powerful enough, the 500 surely is!

And again, I wouldn't try using the Passport in a van anymore than I would try using any other professional system in such a confined area. A $99 Singing Machine piece of equipment should more than suffice!

he doesn't want it for inside the van I don't think. does he? i figured he wanted it for outside use when he goes somewhere.

_________________
[glow=red]Yo sucka, we need this hea CHOPTER, and we need it now![/glow]

Jim (Ham)

Actually, this is getting confusing and I never heard back from "Ificould..." whether he was intending to use the equipment outside or inside of the van.

On one hand, while I recommended the Passport for (personal use) outside of the van, in my response to Jim_n_tn I suggested it was not for outside use professionally.

Meanhwhile, Jim, I'm confused about how the equipment discussed in this thread will be/was used.

The way he described it in the OP it sounded like he wanted something that he could keep in his van, maybe permnantly or to where they could pull it outside - he did mention 'outings' like the beach. Surely you wouldn't want to sit inside the van at the beach, you'd open up the back doors, maybe have the speakers mounted on each door so when they open, the speakers now face outside with the tv that folds down in the middle - that's how I envisioned my van at one time anyway .

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

Lon

I can visualize what you're saying and it sounds nice, but...
to mount the speakers on a door would require that either rods be mounted onto the doors to attach the speakers to, or a fairly large base with some type of strapping device would have to be installed on the doors
if ever used inside the closed van, the output would be way too much

Again, why not recommend a Singing Machine product? Such a unit would be easier to deal with in all circumstances related to such casual use, it's self-contained and would cost considerably less! While I realize that he did ask for "good speakers", even in my ignorance I know that question covers a lot of possible criteria which he didn't define.

, output too much? My car stereo pushes close to 1200 watts.
I'm still thinking he wants it portable to use outside the van - although with him not responding since the first time, only he would know & we can all just speculate.

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

Sorry to dig this up....

But...

The Fender P150, PD150, P250 and PD250 are all capable of running off the DC-DC convertor that Fender has. I use a Fender PD250 for wedding ceremonies on the beach quite often.

The 'Built-in' mics for the Fender are 'ok' but marginal at best. Suitable for the beach, but not for a 'pro' karaoke event. Throw in a small DC power TV, and a small player and you're ready to sing your heart out at the beach!

The sound would be more than suitable for most beach type events. Sound quality is pretty good on the PD series as the speakers were designed by Bose.

The Plus like of products and the PD-500 are NOT compatible with the DC-DC convertor that Fender has out.

If you wanted to mount the equipment in the van, I'd consider using wall mount speaker stands bolted or welded to the back doors. The Fender has a dual speaker mount that allows you to put both speakers on a single stand and its a great bit of kit.

The price on the PD250 recently dropped from over $800 to the $600 range (and cheaper if you shop around).

I wouldn't suggest anyone rush out to buy the FenderPD250 believing there has been a recent price drop. I bought mine almost two years back. With the speaker stands included (usually purchased separately) I only paid $700.

The price drop happened with the Plus line was released which was a while back.

I can now find the PD250 for under $600 at a number of places on the Internet.

And, for full disclosure, I bought mine about 4 1/2 years ago in Fairbanks, Alaska for $809.

If this is for IN the van, then go for the VocoPro DuetII. I won't use VocoPro for professional work, but it is a dandy home all in one system.

Digital Key change, EQ,Digital Echo, Music/Vocal balance, 2 mics, separate volume controls. Includes 2 tapedecks ( internal recording- you can tape yourself mixed with the music regardless of outside noise, and make copies) AM/FM, 90 watts, with audio out if you want to amp it up. AND it comes with a 12v connector. Just add monitor ( or hook up to video in of a portable DVD player) and you're good to go. Low power consumption, great quality, portability, and all the bells and whistles.

Stay away from Singing Machine, GTX, or Colby. NO DURABILITY. A couple of bouncy rides on the beach will do them in, plus they lack the speaker output and some functions.

_________________
"No Contests, No Divas, Just A Good Time!"

" Disc based and loving it..."