[The last renewal of this page: January 10, 1999]

Presently, a plenty of systems are availabe to enjoy Karaoke.

Radio-Cassette, Hi-Fi audio mini components System
There are many which has a microphone built-in, but you have to check if (1)Your voice should be mixtured with the music played by CD or Cassette tape and should be able to drive the speakers, (2)Mixing level should be adjustable, (3)Echo should be added to the voice. If your CD player accept CDG(CD Graphics) or CDV(Video CD), all you have to do is to use CDG/CDV software. You can get Karaoke picture(CDG) or Karaoke video (CDV) with your TV-set.

Portable Karaoke
For the simple small party, or for a personal lesson, really compact portable Karaoke system is sold.(Available with batterries) A very begginning model had a microphone built-in, a Cassette tape player took a most important part of the body, and you use it by gloving the handle of the body. Now, the most attactive sytem is a Video CD. One of of the most intersting model is Clarion MV-5000A, which is apllicable with 3-way power supply, with the standard price of 60,000Yen(about US$460.00). You can play the sytem, by connecting to your home TV-set, car-TV, or portable TV, and also connecting an external microphone. These small equipments contains major functions as a Karaoke-machine, however you can not expect them to produce a nice audio nor good volume loudnesse unless you connect them an external Audio System.

Karaoke Machine
There are so many systems available in the market from the simple set to a big one used in a Karaoke-Box(A time rental Karaoke Room....Very common in Japan) or bars. As you see in Hi-Fi stereo set, there are sets all in one cabinet, and sets in separated cabinets(components) such as Microphone-Mixer, Key-Changer, Amplifire and Speakers. What you have to pay attention to here are, (1)Media you watnt use, and (2)Audio quality. You have to check the balance of the low audio frequencies and the loudness, like if the low audio frequncy is not distorted and able to drive speakers at a high loudness level, or if the audio contains an enough balance of low audio frequencies at a low loudness level. Principaly, the Karaoke is in the world of "Don-Shally"(Strong and hard low audio frequencies and sharp and shining high audio frequencies), the world of which serious Hi-Fi audio enthusiast hate, every word of singers should be very clear with sharp high audio frequencies. You have to pay attention to the functions of machines as you have to pay a good amount of money to buy Karaoke machine. The key-changer, which can shift and change the audio frecuencies of orchestra with the digital audio processor to adjust to the "key" of your own voice will be essential. Recent digital processor has a function of change the tempo/speed of the orchestra without changing audio frequencies. This function mustbe helpful as there are some softwares which play faster or slower than original song.

Built your own original system based on Hi-Fi audio system
This is the ultimate system, after all.



First of all, built a Hi-Fi audio system as excellent as possible. You will be in the very special and different world, if you have a Karaoke system being built on the excellent Hi-Fi audio system even the Hi-Fi enthusiasts would accept. Once you get used to that world, you would never think to go to the Karaoke-Box, thinking like "The system in there is only super loud and break my ears! No way to sing and express the delicacy!"

Followings are the example of my case. I use mainly (1)LD, with some (2)CD, with (3)Communication-Karaoke under the system of GM-MIDI-Synthesizer and a personal computer, as a music sources.

INPUT	Microphone#1	Pioneer	Dinamic, DN-C810 (UP/DOWN SW)
	Microphone#2	Primo	Moving Coil, UD-360
	Microphone Mixer	Pioneer	Mixer/Digital Key Changer MA-X9
SOURCE	CD Player	Maranz	CD-15
	LD Player	Pioneer	LD-7700S
	FM Tuner	KENWOOD	L-01T
	TV Tuner	SONY	TV/BS/CS Tuner SAT-900TV
	MIDI Synthesizer/Keyboard	CASIO	GM Synthesizer + 76kye, WK-1500
	Persosnal Computer	Gateway	GATEWAY2000 486/66 (for MIDI/GM Control)
RECORD	DAT Recorder#1	SONY	DTC-59ES
	DAT Recorder#2	SONY	Portable DAT Recoder TCD-D7
	Casette Recorder	SONY	Double Casette Tape Recorder TC-WR900
	Video Recorder#1	AIWA	HiFi-VHS Video Casette Recorder HV-FR20
	Video Recorder#2	National	HiFi-VHS Video Casette Recorder NV-880HD
AMPLIFIRE	Controler	SONY	Video/Audio Selector SB-1000
	Graphic Equalizer	Technics	Graphic Equalizer SH-8066
	Power Amplifire	Mcintosh	MC7300 (300W+300W)
	Sub Amplifire	ONKYO	Integra M508 (200W+200W)
OUTPUT	Speaker System	JBL	Studio Monitor 4344 (38cm 4way)
	Monitor#1	Pioneer	21inch Color monitor XM211B
	Monitor#2	Taikan	11inch Color monitor TKV-11

The most important part of the system. Pioneer's
Microphone Mixing Amplifire, with BBD Echo and
digital Key-Changer built-in.
Model "MA-X9" (at the bottom)







In case you hit this page directly from a Search Engine, you can reach to all of the pages of MAFNET from Top Page