Karaoke Forums

I currently use a (non-power) mixer connecting to my home theater (bose) system.
The sound is fine, but I've been wondering if using speakers designed specifically for karaoke would provide a better quality sound for karaoke or not.

Is it possible to get a decent system with a power mixer and a pair of speakers for about $600-700? (for a room about 12' by 20' deep)

I've looked around and found 2 possible options:
- Vocopro KRS-3 (package with VocoPro KR-3808 power mixer & VocoPro SV-500 speakers)
- Acesonic AM-170 power mixer & Acesonic SP450 speakers

I don't know much about audio equipment, they both advertised as "vocal" speakers designed for karaoke. I searched but found very little info and reviews for these.

I don't want to have to waste $700 to find out there's very little or no improvements. Does anyone here have any experience with the above speakers? or can provide me with some advice.

Thanks

Anything that says it's designed for karaoke run don't walk away from. For a mixer I would choose a mg10xu made by Yamaha. You can get okay sounding speakers on eBay for cheap. In fact there's a pair of Rockville active speakers that might fit the bill. I own a set of their mics and am happy with the quality of the sound.

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

if you like BOSE, have a look at the Bose 151 speakers (approx $50.00 each on ebay.), they are excellent for karaoke. Invest your money in a nice powered subwoofer for the low end.

If you intend to go with a system for Bars, Go with a nice powered set of EV's don't waste any of your mony on the low level items you listed in the OP.

general rule, if it says "karaoke" or "professional"..it is usually the opposite.
both of those are "karaoke" packages and are overpriced and underfeatured.

getting away from your home theater is a good idea as you are almost guaranteed to destroy it with live vocals (long story short...they are not made for LIVE vocals, only pre-recorded signals)

what is your non-powered mixer? you may not need to replace it.
i have had very good luck with these speakers recently
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Alto/TS112A-12-Active-2-Way-Speaker.gc
or if you really like your Bose, this is nice for small areas
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Bose/L1-Compact-System.gc

you will get other opinions and most will be very valid, and will echo the "karaoke" label being an issue.

_________________
Paradigm Karaoke, The New Standard.......Shift Happens

Everyone keeps forgetting Carvin. Good stuff

http://carvinaudio.com/collections/xpsy ... -pa-system

You are correct I do forget about Carvin, even though I like their mixers & use their power amps (love those for the price). This system would definitely more than handle everything the OP would need and sound good doing it!

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

I use the next mod. up for all my shows. I works just fine. I wish it had inserts for compressors or built in.

Thank you everyone for your responses.
I'm taking your advice and ditch those professional karaoke equipments.

My dilemma is space, I have very tight space and I don't think I can use the big speakers such as those in the Carvin package.
- Does anyone have suggestions for "bookshelf" size speakers that could provide the similar power and quality?
The suggested Bose 151 is only 80 Watts which is even less than my current speakers in the home theather system (500 Watts - 5 speakers).
I think I may go with the suggested Yamaha mg10xu. I have a couple questions about this device:
- It looks like a mixer and not a power mixer? wouldn't I need to also buy an amplifier if I use this mixer?
- I look at all the options on the pictures, I don't see any echo control, doesn't it have echo?
Thanks

qster,
Don't let the picture of the Carvin package deceive you. The speakers are less than 20 inches tall and weight only about 22 pounds each. So they are a small footprint. The entire package is pretty good and needs nothing else to make it work (except you and music of course ) You could add some tripod stands, but if room is a factor then that may not be what you would want to do.

Bookshelf speakers usually are more of a studio type application. They are usually designed to be "flat" in frequency to produce an accurate vocal reproduction. Plus they are lower wattage, which is something you may not want either.

Here is another possiblity, but it's definitely NOT as good as the Carvin package.

http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-PPA500B ... t+ppa500bt

Also,, forgot to add about the Yamaha mixer. To answer your question,, no,, it is not a powered mixer, you would need to add either amp/speakers or powered speakers. But it does have built in effects such as the "echo" (reverb)

You know, I used to like you. I even considered making you my next wife, that is until you you mentioned the "B" word. Bose is nothing but overpriced garbage. Sorry if I offend anyone but take apart any Bose speaker system and look at the cheap junk that's used inside their cabinets. Take a look at the drivers, crossovers, wiring, etc. and prepare to be blown away. Although I will admit, their "Pro" line is slightly better then their home speakers, but not by much.

So, my friend... if you knew about quality, you would NOT be recommending Bose. I would even buy speakers from VocoPro before I bought anything from Bose. Sorry but you're paying for the name, in which case the folks at Bose are marketing geniuses. Anyone that can market crap at unrealistic prices and get you to buy it, are geniuses.

On a side note, I was just being facetious about the wife part.

_________________
Electro-Voice Evolve 50... Taking Sound To The Next Level.

Thanks, I forgot to also mention that I live in Toronto, I've checked around and have not found a store that carry Carvin products in Toronto. Shipping across the border may cost a few $ for duty, and with the high exchange rate right now, the Carvin system will cost me over $1000.

I think I'm going to try to find a pair of powered speakers to go with the Yamaha mixer. There's a sales on the Behringer EUROLIVE B210D here. 2 of these + Yamaha mixer would cost me about $710 which I can live with.

Does anyone have experience with the Behringer EUROLIVE B210D speakers?

Thanks

No fan of Behringer here but they should be fine.
Carvin isnt sold in retail stores only in their own store and internet. Partly how they can keep their prices low and quality high.

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

I actually owned 6 of the passive versions of the Behringer speakers,,, they actually were pretty good. I little bright on the highs, but the lows were decent for a small speaker. I sold all my gear a few months ago and walked away from karaoke. But those Behringer speakers I liked. The powered version is not capable of being as loud as its passive counterpart, but the sound is very comparable.

Like Lonnie said tho,, the Carvin stuff ships out of one of 3 locations in California. They manufacture and market/ship out of their own warehouses. They have one of the best warranties in the business. But you being in Toronto will definitely be a drawback if repairs are ever needed.. You might want to consider maybe looking into EV (Electrovoice) or Yorkville. They might be out of your budget,, but both make good lines of quality products.

Since you're in Toronto, I'd definitely would go with Yorkville. They have superior products speakers (both active and passive of all sizes), mixers, mics, and the chances are you'll never have a problem with them. If you don't want new they are excellent used and you can check with the music stores in your area as many sell their rental units. They can take a beating and still sound like new.

_________________
You can be strange but not a stranger

I just came back from a store called "Long & McQuade" which carries a lot of Yorkville, but they're are too pricey for me. Thanks for the suggestion though.

I looked at the specs and pictures of this mixer online, I don't see any stereo out for hooking it up to a recording device, not sure if I missed?

You can connect it to your computer via USB and use a free program like Audacity for your recording software. Actual record out jacks are starting to drop as a feature more and more.
Or you can probably just use the headphone jack to your recorder.

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

I saw the USB port but I need it to hook my computer to it to play songs. is there any of out option on this device?

Your sound from your computer will sound better as well. But yes it seems to be the only way to record from the mixer.

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