Karaoke Forums

Hello everyone, I have been karaoking for the past 8 years with the Magic Sing portable unit. I have been told the lastest model is called...My Stage HDK-2000 English. Has anyone purhased this unit and if yes, what are your thoughts? Thanks.

I'd also like to get some advice on what karaoke machine to buy. Is this My Stage HDK-2000 really good?

Oh, boy. Those are the "all in one" microphone based systems, right? My advice is to RUN - not walk - as far away from those as you possibly can. Matter of fact, anything that calls itself a "karaoke machine" is probably no good.

I'm guessing you're on a budget. You'll probably need $500 to end up with something decent. First off, you'll need a player. The RSQ Audio NEO-22 Multi-Format Karaoke Player looks to be a good deal with lots of versatality. It's $199.

Other than the RSQ player, DON'T shop for any other musical gear at a karaoke store. Go to a MUSIC store, like Musicians Friend (online) or Guitar Center (online or brick-and mortar). Get yourself a Shure SM58 microphone. That'll be $99. If it's too pricey, you can get an SM48 for $49 or a PG48 for $39. ANY one of those three Shure microphones will wipe the floor with a plastic karaoke mic. Just make sure you get a 3-pin microphone cable with an XLR connector.

Now, you'll need some power. Here's where things might get expensive. I'd suggest a "box" type powered mixer. Look for something by Behringer, Yamaha, ar (if you can afford it) Mackie. Try to get 200 or 300 watts, and make sure to get one with built in digital effects (DSP). They'll make you sound like a million bucks.

Your local Guitar Center probably deals in used gear. A used mixer might not be a bad idea (just make sure it's a POWERED mixer... like I said, 200-300 watts) and their website has a big selection of used gear. A used pair of speakers would probably work out decent for you too. Get a pair of 12-inch or 15-inch 2 way speaker enclosures & you'll be blasting out your windows and driving your neighbors crazy in no time. Shipping charges might be expensive for used mixers and speakers, but I got a guitar amp shipped to me for something like 35 or 40 bucks (not bad).

Carvin also makes some top-of-the line stuff for a decent price. That's because you deal exclusively with them & their stuff isn't sold in stores. Go to Carvin dot com and check out their "pro audio" section. I just noticed they have a 500 watt powered mixer with DSP effects for just $329! It's $429, then a $100 off instant rebate, and $19 shipping. That's one heck of a deal. It's model number XP800L. Not sure if posting links is allowed in the forum these days but I'll give it a shot. Good luck!

http://www.carvinguitars.com/products/s ... 00L&cid=12

A Buddy of mine uses one of those. He's been very pleased and quite successful with his DJ/KJ service.

_________________
My statements, opinions and conclusions are based on my own personal experiences, observations, research and/or just my own $.02. I'm not a "cheerleader", but that doesn't make me a Pirate.

Hi Mark,

Thanks for your advice.Regarding the machines you recommended, Are the songs on a DVD? Can you recommend a brand(s) of Karaoke song disk?

The reason I mentioned about the all-in-0ne type is because I was wanting to bring it to parties at friends home and have some fun. Thanks again

[quote="Mark Cheetah"]Oh, boy. Those are the "all in one" microphone based systems, right? My advice is to RUN - not walk - as far away from those as you possibly can. Matter of fact, anything that calls itself a "karaoke machine" is probably no good.

I'm guessing you're on a budget. You'll probably need $500 to end up with something decent. First off, you'll need a player. The RSQ Audio NEO-22 Multi-Format Karaoke Player looks to be a good deal with lots of versatality. It's $199.

Other than the RSQ player, DON'T shop for any other musical gear at a karaoke store. Go to a MUSIC store, like Musicians Friend (online) or Guitar Center (online or brick-and mortar). Get yourself a Shure SM58 microphone. That'll be $99. If it's too pricey, you can get an SM48 for $49 or a PG48 for $39. ANY one of those three Shure microphones will wipe the floor with a plastic karaoke mic. Just make sure you get a 3-pin microphone cable with an XLR connector.

Now, you'll need some power. Here's where things might get expensive. I'd suggest a "box" type powered mixer. Look for something by Behringer, Yamaha, ar (if you can afford it) Mackie. Try to get 200 or 300 watts, and make sure to get one with built in digital effects (DSP). They'll make you sound like a million bucks.

Your local Guitar Center probably deals in used gear. A used mixer might not be a bad idea (just make sure it's a POWERED mixer... like I said, 200-300 watts) and their website has a big selection of used gear. A used pair of speakers would probably work out decent for you too. Get a pair of 12-inch or 15-inch 2 way speaker enclosures & you'll be blasting out your windows and driving your neighbors crazy in no time. Shipping charges might be expensive for used mixers and speakers, but I got a guitar amp shipped to me for something like 35 or 40 bucks (not bad).

Carvin also makes some top-of-the line stuff for a decent price. That's because you deal exclusively with them & their stuff isn't sold in stores. Go to Carvin dot com and check out their "pro audio" section. I just noticed they have a 500 watt powered mixer with DSP effects for just $329! It's $429, then a $100 off instant rebate, and $19 shipping. That's one heck of a deal. It's model number XP800L. Not sure if posting links is allowed in the forum these days but I'll give it a shot. Good luck!

http://www.carvinguitars.com/products/s ... 00L&cid=12[/quote]

No problem! The player I mentioned (The RSQ NEO-22) features a front-load, single-slot tray that supports NEO+G, CD+G, MP3+G, DVD, MPEG4, DivX, Xvid, MP3 and other disc formats.

It doesn't come with any discs, but they say it'll play all those formats. So yeah, you'd have to buy DVDs or CD+Gs separately. Depending what kind of music you're into, different brands may be better than others:

SOUND CHOICE: Classic Rock, Heavy Metal, 1970s, 1980s, R&B
CHARTBUSTER: Country
POP HITS MONTHLY: Pop, Alternative
PANORAMA'S TOP HITS MONTHLY: Pop, Alternative Rock, R&B


Also, if you're going to be hauling the gear around, and only playing at parties, you probably won't need 15-inch speaker cabs. You could easily get away with 12-inch 2 way speakers & they'd still blow the windows out of a house.

Hi there,
I ave recently purchased a Vocal-Star VS-800, which is pretty sweet. It copies discs to usb format for easy transport, which was the main feature I wanted. It also has a cue function and mpx, which seems to be disapearing in newer products! And it also records singing so that I can hear how bad I am back ! And it connects via HDMI - I don't have a scart socket and am all out of RCA slots in my tv due to my Wii and sky.