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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. You don’t need to purchase all the accessories separately either — these days, retailers like Amazon and Walmart are offering all-in-one setups that let you start singing (basically) right out of the box. Here’s a look at the best karaoke machines and systems to buy online right now.
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. We spent countless nights testing out multiple at-home karaoke systems, to find our favorite models. These are our top picks based on ease of use, features and sound quality.
Best Overall: KaraoKing Karaoke Machine
Most Versatile : TONOR PA System Karaoke Machine
Best for Parties: Singsation All-In-One Karaoke System
Best Portable System: BeFree Sound 12-Inch Multipurpose Karaoke Machine
Editor’s Choice: Singtrix Party Bundle
Professional Pick: Pihaosen KV-V5 Max Karaoke Player
Best Design: Niaufux Karaoke Machine
BEST OVERALL
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. What you get: an instant party starter that turns up the tunes — and turns up the fun.
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.
MOST VERSATILE
TONOR PA Wireless Karaoke Machine
This popular PA system is great for karaoke, but also comes in handy for office presentations, weddings, 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.
For both at-home sing-alongs and big events alike, we can’t recommend this karaoke machine enough.
BEST FOR PARTIES
Singsation All-In-One Karaoke System & Party Machine
We first got to know Singsation through its popular karaoke mics, which were great for solo singing or small gatherings at home. But we soon loved the mics — and our karaoke parties — so much, that we quickly upgraded to Singsation’s full setup.
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. This is the best karaoke machine for parties, with easy setup, a ton of effects and fun features you’ll be jamming with all through the night.
BEST PORTABLE SYSTEM
beFree Sound Portable Karaoke Machine
Walmart has a host of great karaoke machines available, including the BeFree Sound System, which is a fan-favorite for being incredibly lightweight and portable. While its main purpose is to be used as a karaoke machine (that an additional microphone can be attached to), it can also be used as a Bluetooth speaker for events.
Great for both indoor and outdoor occasions, the speaker features a rechargeable battery that means it can be used wirelessly location to location. A single charge gets you up to eight hours of playtime — almost unheard of for a karaoke system of this size.
What we like: its illuminating lights and spinning wheel are guaranteed to get the party going. This is also the loudest speaker on our list. According to reviewers, the sound is crisp and the handy remote and included microphone make selecting and belting out songs a seamless experience.
EDITOR’S CHOICE
Singtrix Portable Karaoke Machine
We’ve reviewed a number of new karaoke machines this year, but we keep coming back to Singtrix as our favorite.
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 Singtrix karaoke machine got us through the pandemic and a few years removed, we’re still breaking it out every month for parties and get-togethers at home. When it comes to the best karaoke machine to buy online, you can’t beat this.
PROFESSIONAL PICK
Pihaosen KV-V5 MAX Karaoke Player
While most of the karaoke machines on our list are portable enough to take from place to place, serious enthusiasts will want to upgrade to this professional set, from Chinese maker Pihaosen.
We’ve spent countless hours with this karaoke setup at family gatherings, reunions and casual hangs alike, with no shortage of songs and options to keep everyone entertained.
Similar to real-life karaoke bars, this set gets you two wireless mics, receiver and 21.5-inch HD touch screen. You’ll need an amplifier and speakers but this set comes with HDMI output for easy connectivity.
The past part: connect the karaoke machine to WiFi and get access to more than 40,000 songs stored in the cloud. While the Chinese manufacturer offers a host of songs in Cantonese and Mandarin, there are also thousands of English, Spanish and Korean tracks, among others. Connect the machine to your TV to follow real karaoke videos of your songs; you can use the LED screen to preview and call up your next track without affecting what’s playing.
BEST DESIGN
Retro Karaoke Machine with Two Wireless Microphones
We love the design of this Niaufux Karaoke Machine, which is reminiscent of a vintage guitar amp or retro speaker. This set gets you the 20-watt speaker, two wireless microphones, and a carrying strap that lets you take the speaker with you on the go. Battery life for the wireless setup is strong, at up to eight hours on a single charge. An Amazon bestseller, more than 2,000 people have picked up this karaoke machine in the last month alone, with reviewers praising the surprisingly “immersive” audio quality and the speaker’s sleek aesthetic.
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.
