Karaoke Forums

The problem with audio sytems is that there is a nearly limitless amount of money one can spend on them. To some extent that money spent can improve sound quality. However at some point it is always going to be overkill.

The problem is that the person that spent $2000 on component X will insist that they are getting better sound than the person that spent $500 on a cheaper version of the same component.

The difference in quality may be real or not, but the person that spent the extra $1500 will never admit even to themselves that they overspent and wasted the money. Sometimes the high spender made the right choice, other times no. At the same time the person who spent $500 out of envy or pride will often convince themselves that they are getting just as much as the person who spent more, or they compensate in other ways. Sometimes that person may be right also.

Unfortunately it is a matter of pride and expensive rig KJ will always think that their rig was worth it, while many with the cheap rigs will think the opposite about their competition.

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdet ... nd=2818820

You know this made me think of an interesting related point. The person who goes out and buys higher priced equipment expecting that just because it is higher priced it will be of better quality is quite the fool. We used to have a poster on this board (he now has dominated a different karaoke board) who believes that his rig is superior to others simply because of the amount of money he spent on it. That is foolish thinking no matter who you are.

You have to understand this stuff to really make intelligent choices. You need to understand why larger voice coils are better than smaller ones, why are strong rigid (and heavy) cabinets better than light weight plastic ones. What makes one amplifier better than another with the same power output. I could go on and on.

This is where the rubber meets the road and is the best way to find bargains. There are less expensive models and brands that do have very good performance. Carvin is one example I've brought up again and again. While (surprisingly enough) I don't own any of their products at this point, I've used a lot of them and have rarely been disappointed. My Mackie S215's are another great example. As passive cabinets go they are in the lower end of the price spectrum but boast some very important specs that result in really strong performance.

_________________
DJ Tony
Let It Rip Karaoke

I think that is what gets me the most is kj's that think the cheap stuff sounds as good as something that may cost a little more. A low budget 1000 watt amp is not going to sound the same as a high budget 1000 watt amp, while it may get loud, it will never be as clear or full sounding. Same goes for a Behringer speaker in comparison to a high dollar equivalent - it just will not sound as crisp, clear or as loud. Can one make them sound ok, sure, can they sound great, no. I've never said one needs to spend 10's of thousands of dollars on a system alone, but there are shortcuts if you know where to look to get the higher end stuff at lower dollars that compare to the lower end stuff that can be bought at the same price.

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

And there are those who find out after they have gone into business that:

a. They don't have the sales skills to land many, if any, of the available jobs
b. They don't really like hosting karaoke as much as they thought they would and/or they are not very good at it
c. They have to charge "less" to get started and never end up getting paid enough to justify their time and their investment IN ANY EQUIPMENT
d. There aren't that many readily available karaoke jobs, locally, as several pirates have also just entered the market thinking that with their small investment in a library why not give karaoke hosting a shot?
e. Based upon the economics they have encountered, their investment in "better" rather than "lesser" equipment didn't increase their earning one iota but did extend out significantly the future date at which they MIGHT recover their Investment. And note when the investment is recovered there has been -$0- ROI, the efforts haven't provided one dime of profit or even covered their gas money!

Well, since this is a "random rambling" topic, i'm gonna add something here too. It goes along the line of the equipment differences. Recently, I started having a few nights to kick back and relax, usually Thursdays and Sundays. So, with my spare time, I have been going to a few other shows, just to observe things. And I have found that the biggest difference in the success of the show has to do with the host themselves, not the equipment. I have been to a show that has totally lousy gear, but with a very friendly host, and they seem to be doing quite well. Have been to another show that has a terrific venue, with a crappy host and lousy gear, and still a success. Proximity to a customers home is important too. So in my opinion, even great gear, good hosting skills, and good venue services, doesn't mean that a venue/show is going to be successful. It's all to do with the attitudes of the customers, what they want, how they want it, and where they are willing to attend.

As far as us as hosts, and what we expect out of ourselves and our gear, that is a personal choice we make. What kind of sound we want, what we are willing to spend, and how we portray our self to the public is a matter of personal opinion.

Like I said,,,,,rambling,,,,,la la la di di da da

It's really interesting to find the number of people who look at what we do from the other side of the board ... and believe that we are just there having fun ... and that anyone who knows how to have fun can be a great karaoke host.

If you ask someone to describe to you what they believe successful hosting entails, they really don't know. All they see is someone at the board who successfully invested in the best equipment they could and is able to cart it around in a reliable vehicle and has the physical ability to load, unload, and set it up; who invests wisely in music for every possible taste; who has the computer knowledge to rip collections of legal music and understands their software adequately; who takes the time to create readable, clean books and provides enough slips and pencils; who loads the songs for the singers and then makes them sound good; answers their questions about songs ("you know, that song that goes blah blah blah and they expect you to know the artist and title immediately while there is other music playing); meets and greets new attendees, jokes a little with the regulars, asks the bartender to grab a glass of water for them, accepts an offer of a dance or two, takes photos of the attendees at the shows for posters, website, myspace or facebook, takes new music requests, keeps the rotation moving in an orderly fashion; remembers that request that someone didn't bother filling out a slip for; is able to assuage the feelings of someone who thinks they should have sung more than they got to; who is able to pull out a special dance request if required; who is requested to sing a special song for a special occasion; who is able to trouble shoot if there is an equipment malfunction of any kind ... all the while with a smile on their face.

So yah, you think you can do all of that without having a mini mental breakdown if any one of those faculties isn't functioning at a high level? Well have at 'er, my friend, become a karaoke host.

Tho those who say it doesn't increase earning capability - this you do not know, you may not make any more per night at a club, but maybe can get more clubs or someone wanted a private party that didn't like the sound. You can go into what if's all the time.

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

This I find almost humorous Tov, you're using the example of a person with a poor business plan (i.e. didn't know if there were jobs available, didn't know what prices they could bring in, didn't know if it was a good job for them, etc) to justify buying crap equipment. My suggestion to your hypothetical person above is if you're going to start a business, act like you're starting a business. Have a plan, do research, know your market, etc. And if you don't like what you see, don't start the business. That's just being responsible. Maybe if more people were responsible like that, we'd have few of the folks you've described above undercutting gigs, ticking off bar owners, hurting the reputation of karaoke hosts on the whole, pirating music, etc. Then the rest of us who do understand how a business gets started could get paid more and all afford the equipment we like.

Starting a business is not something that should just be done on a whim. Careful planning and responsible due diligence should be a part of it. Yet for some reason in this space that's not what we see. Related to Karen's point, people think that it's an easy job that anyone can do. So they go out to the local guitar center or come on this forum trying to come up with the cheapest way to get started instead of getting the right equipment for the job.

_________________
DJ Tony
Let It Rip Karaoke

for me it's like I tell my kids buy the best things that you CAN AFFORD BUT DON'T BUY SOME THING THAT YOU CAN'T AFFORD
i would love to have a truly high dollar system that sounds awesome but I can't so I use what I've got (which is equal to or better than the rest of the area kjs)
there is one local kj that uses large home speakers with a behringer powered mixer that in my opinion sounds horrible but he's out there doing it so why not

Couldn't have said it better!

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