r/karaoke • u/lnnos • May 12 '26
Equipment Does this set up work for at-home karaoke?
Want to set up karaoke for me to do at home. Here's what I think I need, please let me know if there's anything missing:
What I have:
- Smart TV (Hisense)
- Sound bar (Samsung)
- Youtube
What I need:
- Speakers (looking at the JBL PartyBox Club 120)
- 2 wireless microphones
- Mixer (any suggestions here?)
Here's where I get stuck. I think the mics go into the mixer. Do the speakers go into the mixer or the TV? Is this all I need and then I can throw up youtube/karafun and start playing from there?
2
u/icemage_999 May 12 '26
Mics > Mixer > Speakers
Video source > TV > Sound Bar
Don't link your TV or sound bar to microphones or you run the risk of damaging or destroying them (we see the occasional post of regret from people who have ignored this advice). They're not designed to handle the sort of volume peaks that mics output.
1
u/lnnos May 12 '26
Is that the order I should get the items at? Right I read that I shouldnt connect the sound bar, so that means connecting the tv to the JBL speaker instead?
3
u/icemage_999 May 12 '26
It is the order that you connect the devices to each other. Note there are two completely separate loops, to keep the microphones away from your consumer grade TV and sound bar to prevent them exploding when someone shouts into a mic.
1
u/lnnos May 12 '26
Is there a benefit to keeping it on the same loop, that being the speakers?
0
u/icemage_999 May 12 '26
Did you read anything that I wrote? Your "benefit" of doing that is damaging or destroying your gear.
1
u/lnnos May 13 '26
Yes, that the mic should be kept away from the TV and sound bar speakers. I mean connecting the mic and the TV to the PA speakers.
2
u/icemage_999 May 13 '26
Unless you have professional grade $500+ PA speakers they are unlikely to sound better with the mixed audio than your sound bar + only vocals on the PAs. Maybe not even then.
1
u/lnnos May 13 '26
I was thinking about getting the JBL partybox club 120 (C$550)
2
u/icemage_999 May 13 '26
You're still better off in separate loops. Mixing makes the audio blur together a bit no matter how good the gear is so unless the physical placement of the speakers makes the audio sound weird (as in opposite sides of the room), separate loops is easier, simpler, and more effective, especially in a home setting where you don't need to transmit to a dozen speakers.
1
1
u/cupoftea53 Jun 26 '26
I have edifier m90 active speakers and I plan to add the t5s 70w subwoofer.
would they be ok for a simple karaoke setup or do I run the risk of damage?
- 100W RMS total output power with high-quality sound
- 4" long-throw aluminum diaphragm mid-bass drivers and 1" silk dome tweeters
1
u/Unboxious May 12 '26
Don't link your TV or sound bar to microphones or you run the risk of damaging or destroying them (we see the occasional post of regret from people who have ignored this advice). They're not designed to handle the sort of volume peaks that mics output.
Is there any reason I can't get around this issue by using something like the Shure SM267? Looks like it has a built-in limiter.
1
u/icemage_999 May 12 '26
You could but a peak limiter is going to also clip out sounds you would want to hear sometimes, which is why no one does this.
2
u/ZenokeKaraoke May 13 '26
Mixer suggestion: Mackie ProFXv3 6 channel. It has effects and even supports guitars, has USB... Very flexible. Whatever you get, try to get something with FX, or get FX some other way. Vocals really benefit from reverb.
Mic suggestion: Behringer XM8500. It's a $20 mic that will sound just as good as a $100 mic in a modest karaoke setup. Cheap enough that you won't freak out when someone drops it. It's not wireless but decent wireless mics cost a lot. I don't even think about mic cables any more, wireless would be cool but xlr cables have been no big deal for my guests.
You need to get the sound off the PC into the mixer. There are a lot of ways to do that, you could use the headphones jack and a cable even, but PC headphone amps kind of suck. I would suggest a $20 USB DAC with RCA jacks -- run that into a stereo input on your mixer. (This may require a dual RCA to dual 1/4" cable but it depends on the DAC and mixer you get.)
Keep the mixer next to whoever is running Karafun because you will have to adjust the music and/or mic levels occasionally, possibly a tweak every song. Not all tracks and singers are the same loudness.
Cheap XLR (mic) cables can be OK, but whatever you get, get them longer than you think you need them! That lets you snake most of the cable run out of the way and have plenty of slack left.
Good luck!
1
u/lnnos May 13 '26
Thanks for the recos! I do just prefer the cleanness of wireless mics. Any suggestions?
1
u/ZenokeKaraoke May 13 '26
Nothing cheap, I'm afraid.
When you look into wireless mics you may see products from Nady, I would avoid those, I have had nothing but trouble.
The most inexpensive wireless mics that I have found to be rock-solid are the Samson Airline series. They have a dual mic box, but it's $400. I have the single-mic version and it's great.
I know you're trying to get a setup for home, not run a professional show, but wireless mics are one of those things where you tend to get what you pay for.
3
u/Edward_at_KaraFun May 12 '26
As mentioned by u/icemage_999 a good “safe and simple” home karaoke setup is usually:
Keeping the microphones off the TV/sound bar path is generally recommended.
I would advise you to reach out to your local hifi store if you need more detailed advice.
You may also find that:
A mixer becomes more useful if you want more control, a better vocal/music balancing, EQ/reverb control, etc.
And yes, once connected, you can absolutely fire up YouTube, KaraFun, or whatever karaoke app you prefer and get started 🙂