Reviews of At-Home Karaoke Systems, Sets

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Whether you fancy yourself a Mariah or Mick, nothing brings out the rock star in people quite like a good old karaoke night.

While there are countless bars and venues across the country where you can take the stage to belt out a tune or two, these portable karaoke machines free you up from the smokey rooms and intimidating crowds for the comforts of home.

In This Article

What Are the Best Karaoke Machines?
How to Set Up a Karaoke Machine
Buying Guide: How We Chose the Best Karaoke Machines

What Are the Best Karaoke Machines?

Ready to start singing? Our favorite karaoke machines won’t turn you into a superstar overnight, but you’ll certainly have a heck of a lot of fun trying.

Best Overall: KaraoKing Karaoke Machine
Most Versatile : TONOR PA System Karaoke Machine
Best for Parties: Singsation All-In-One Karaoke System
Best Features: Singtrix Party Bundle

1. KaraoKing Karaoke Machine

Whether you’re a karaoke pro or just looking to bust out a song or two at your next party, you’ll be hard-pressed to find something more straightforward to use than this set from KaraoKing. The all-in-one karaoke machine gets a fun upgrade with two wireless microphones, Bluetooth speaker, phone and tablet holder, plus a disco ball.

Connect the mics to your machine via Bluetooth, and use the on-board equalization panel to boost the bass, adjust trebles, add effects, and more. The machine can sync to your device or to the radio using USB, AUX or Bluetooth, so you can always find a song to play. Use the included remote control to shuffle through songs and settings. Place your phone or tablet on the device stand to read the lyrics easily.

Promising Customer Feedback: “It sounded great, and with the spinner light, it was like a party in the whole room! Also, the customer service is top notch! Outstanding service, and outstanding product. We love it, and it also works great as just an amplifier that my kid hooks up his keyboard to with a cord. But don’t ask me how… Highly recommend this karaoke machine!” —aggamuffin

2. TONOR PA System Karaoke Machine

This popular PA system is great for karaoke, but also comes in handy for office presentations, conferences, conventions and religious services too. The powered speaker delivers a whopping 250W of sound, thanks to two three-inch tweeters and an eight-inch subwoofer. An included disco ball and flashing light effects on the front of the speaker turn up the party vibe.

Play music by inserting a USB flash drive or connect the machine to your device via Bluetooth. A built-in RCA cable lets you plug into your TV. The set comes with two wireless microphones that let dance and move around the room freely while performing, without losing a signal. TONOR’s noise reduction and anti-interference technology ensure that your voice comes through loud and clear. The built-in rechargeable lithium battery, meantime, lasts up to 12 hours.

Promising Customer Feedback: “Absolutely surprised by the quality and sound of this little machine. It sounds amazing, reverb is cool and the lights are everything. Super fun for our home karaoke parties and small gigs where we need just some sound.” —Rebecca Faiola

3. Singsation All-In-One Karaoke System

With 16 multicolor light modes, 10 different voice effects, and eight sound effects, this Singsation karaoke system turns a regular song-and-dance into a full-on party.

The voice modulations let you do everything, from adding harmonies to going full “chipmunk” mode, while the sound effects include party starters such as an air horn, DJ scratch, and cheering. Sixteen different light shows project color patterns throughout the room and onto the ceiling.

The set includes a speaker, one microphone, an adjustable mic stand, and a stand for your phone, tablet or songbook. The stand adjusts from two to six feet in height. Two inputs allow you to add a second mic or guitar to double your fun.

Promising Customer Feedback: “I bought this for my husband for Christmas. The first time we used it we sang for 3 hours with another couple! We brought it to a party and everybody loved it! One person even ordered one on the car ride home from the party! I suggest using an iPad instead of an iPhone unless you have really good eyes!” —Antonia

4. Singtrix Party Bundle

From the creators of Guitar Hero, this Singtrix Party Bundle includes everything you need to create a full-scale karaoke setup at home. The set includes a microphone, cable, mic stand, effects pad, and powerful 40-watt speaker with a built-in subwoofer. The speaker alone is worth it for this set, with a loud, booming sound that really fills the space. It’s not tinny like other karaoke speakers, and the connection is clean and crisp. The mic is equally impressive, picking up your voice even from a distance, so you don’t have to be pressed right up against it.

The other standout feature gets you more than 375+ effects from the included controller, which contains standard modulations based on genre (pop, rock, country, etc.) and specific voice effects that mimic famous artists and songs. You can also add four-part harmonies to your track, fix your pitch, and more. The plug-and-play design sets up in minutes, and all the settings and effects are easy to learn and figure out. An included device stand lets you prop up your phone or tablet to read the lyrics.

This is the largest karaoke machine on our list, but still portable enough to be able to take with you on the go, whether to a party, wedding or event.

Promising Customer Feedback: “I am so excited to have purchased this product. I believe this is the best Karaoke machine ever!!! It has amazing sound quality. It has over 300 plus sound effects. It has various types of background harmonies. It is easy to set up and use. And sooooooo fun! I recommend purchasing this product for karaoke, live singing, and even public speaking as it has effects for that also. Overall…I LOVE this product.” —Zak Attak

How to Set Up a Karaoke Machine

Home karaoke machines don’t typically come with a built-in songbook because of the legality around music licensing, so you’ll have to supply the tunes yourself. Our picks all let you connect your phone or tablet to them using a cable, but a couple also support Bluetooth, so you can stream music to them wirelessly.

All you need to do is load up a karaoke app, pull up the lyrics on your device, and start singing along. The karaoke machines on our list feature a handy stand, so you can set your device down to read the lyrics, while freeing up your hands to hold the mic.

Buying Guide: How We Chose the Best Karaoke Machines

There are many factors to consider when choosing the best karaoke machine for you; below are the most important ones, which we considered while we were researching this list.

Set up: We wanted to make sure you didn’t waste valuable singing time fumbling around with wires and settings, so our picks are as close to plug and play as possible.

Size: Portability is key if you want to take your karaoke machine to a party or event. Some of the picks on our list tuck easily into a backpack while others are equipped with a handle and wheels for easy rolling.

Number of singers: Most of our picks come with two microphones, though some have extra inputs to add additional microphones if necessary. You can also use the inputs to plug in an instrument (I.e. a guitar) to accompany whoever is singing.

Extras: New karaoke microphones will have built-in voice effects, to help keep you on pitch, or to modulate your voice say, Alvin and the Chipmunks-style. They’ll also come with a ton of fun features, like dazzling light shows that pulse and project colors throughout the room, and even a disco ball to really turn up those Studio 54 vibes.