Building on Tim's five-part Karaoke Essentials Guides (released June 2024), these guides were created to take the guesswork out of choosing the perfect karaoke setup.
If you answer 'no,' move on to the next question until you land on that 'yes'—and you've found your ideal solution in just minutes!
When you hit 'yes,' Tim offers a detailed explanation of why that option fits your needs perfectly. For most, this concise summary seals the deal.
But for those seeking more in-depth insights, Tim anticipated your needs and introduced the Best Practices Karaoke Guides, as promised throughout the Karaoke Essentials Series.
By October 2024, Tim released six new Best Practices Karaoke Guides, each focused on a specific karaoke solution highlighted in the Quick Step Guide.
These guides are packed with easy-to-follow, informative content to ensure you're fully equipped to make the best choice.
Discover everything you need to know about the top karaoke systems, their features, and setup options—so you can find the perfect match for your needs.
Thinking about hosting karaoke at home? With so many choices available, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. What's the best option for you?
Do you need to buy a Karaoke Mixing Amplifier, Speakers, and Microphones separately, or should you opt for an all-in-one Karaoke Speaker Solution? Maybe you already have a sound system you can use it even if it lacks microphone inputs? And where will your karaoke tracks come from? A Karaoke Machine that plays discs or digitally downloaded songs? Or maybe you prefer using a Karaoke Streaming Service, an app, or even YouTube?
With so many options, it’s no wonder everyone has their own definition of the perfect karaoke setup. And if you've experienced karaoke at a bar or venue, how close do you want to replicate that experience at home?
All these questions can be answered, guiding you to the perfect karaoke setup.
Before making any decisions, check out the 5 Mistakes People Make When Buying a Karaoke System, which is Volume 2 of Karaoke Essentials. This guide could save you time and money!
Tim from Karaoke Home Entertainment Australia can help you find the ideal solution by asking six key questions.
If you answer "YES" to any of them, you'll be on your way to discovering your perfect karaoke setup. You’ll find these questions in Volume 3 of Karaoke Essentials: Tim’s Quick Step – Karaoke Purchase Guide.
But who is Tim, and why trust him?
Tim has been in the karaoke business for over 33 years. If anyone knows the ins and outs of karaoke, it’s him. Learn more about Tim’s journey in Volume 1 of Karaoke Essentials: Introducing Tim van Andel from Karaoke Home Entertainment Australia.
At KHE, karaoke is all we do. We specialize in it, unlike many stores that simply add a "karaoke thing" to their inventory. But what are you really buying from those places? Will it do what you want? Does it comply with Australian Government requirements, or is it just excess stock dumped in Australia?
Tim tackles this very issue in Volume 4 of Karaoke Essentials: Full Disclosure. You’ll be amazed at what goes on behind the scenes and how not everything is as it seems!
At KHE, our goal is to help you find the right karaoke solution, whether you buy from us or not. Karaoke should be fun, not a headache.
Our tagline is Where the fun begins…, not When the stress begins...
To ensure your karaoke experience is all about fun, Tim wrote the five volumes of Karaoke Essentials just for you. The final volume, No. 5, is all about the How to Connect stage, so you can get to the fun part—singing.
At KHE, we’ve mastered this step because we want your experience to be memorable for the singing, not the setup. Many customers download these guides before even making a purchase, just to ensure the system will meet their expectations.
Karaoke Essentials is designed to take all the guesswork out of this fun pastime.
It's all about YOU and finding what YOU need, not what someone else wants to sell you.
The best part of about our Karaoke Essentials Guides, along with our How To Guides, is they are all 100% FREE for you to download and read instantly.
Check out the brand new Mi-30s Portable Karaoke Mixer from ACNOS SoncaMedia (Vietnam), this model replaces the very popular Mi-30 with new features like Optical Audio Output, HDMI ARC, 6.35mm Line Out and the new ACNOS Mixer APP for a more refined mixing experience.
The Mi-30s is not only extremely compact in size but its full of features second to none on the market.
It also features Bluetooth 5.0, AUX In and Out, Optical Input In and Out as well as HDMI ARC for your Smart TV plus a Guitar Input.
It can be used with any Karaoke Streaming Service, Karaoke App, YouTube or Karaoke Machine.
You also get free access to the ACNOS Cloud Karaoke App so you sing-along to over 40,000 Vietnamese Karaoke Songs.
It's so easy to connect and use and you can download theHow to Connect Guidebefore you purchase one to see how this technical marvel will easily integrate with your existing Home Audio System in minutes.
Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that the Mi-30s also comes with 2 UHF Wireless Microphone, so this is truly an perfect all-in-one solution with everything you need to start singing!
Connect to your Smart TV, Phone, Tablet or Laptop and feed the audio through the Mi-30s and Sing-along!
Even Sing-along to YouTube Karaoke via your devices streaming the audio via Bluetooth through the Mi-30.
With all the cool mixing features to play with right on the top of the Mi-30s so you can get the sound just the way you like it.
Checkout all the accessories included they have left nothing out you even get a compact carry bag so you can take it to your friends house for the next party.
Now available at a price that will impress you even more!
The Karaoke Revolution might be new for some people, but it's actually been around for many, many years now.
The father of the first Karaoke Machine Mr Shigeichi Negish produced his prototype way back in 1967, he sadly passed away (January 26th, 2024) at the grand age of 100 years in Japan, but his legacy to the world will live on, he is making people happy everyday with his revolutionary karaoke device originally called the "Sparko Box".
Pioneer Electronics made Karaoke popular in pubs and clubs in the USA, Europe, Japan and Australia during the 80's and 90's with the large 12" (LP sized) Laser Video Discs Systems.
That was long before the birth of DVD's in 1996 and karaoke was never really popular on this format, it was more popular on the predecessor to DVD which was VCD (Video-CD), but the picture quality wasn't good for movies but for karaoke purposes it was acceptable and very big in Asian markets.
Though long before even VCD and DVD there was another format for Karaoke which ran side by side with Laser Disc for a while until eventually winning out over cost and physical size, and that was the CD+G Karaoke Disc format.
CD+G made Karaoke main stream, as the discs cost the same as audio CD and could be played in much cheaper CD+G karaoke machines and these factors alone made karaoke creep into more homes the world over year after year as it became more affordable as the technology grew in popularity.
The CD+G Karaoke format delivered on a standard sized compact disc, to display the karaoke lyrics required a special Karaoke Machine or Player which could see the encoded +Graphic lyric component also on the disc, this was then outputed to one's TV so you can sing-along.
These CD+G discs could also be played on a standard Compact Disc Player but as they didn't have a video output or the tech to read the +G section on the disc it was just played as an standard audio disc.
CD+G is still probably the worlds most popular karaoke format as is still used today, new songs are released weekly on this format even in a modern digital world of YouTube Karaoke Streaming and host of Karaoke Apps.
See it's managed to evolved overtime into a digital format of it's own, called MP3+G available to be downloaded instantly and played on Karaoke Machines, Laptops and KTV Touch Screen.
Just think of it as normal MP3 audio track but with a second file being the lyric +G (for Graphic) track, which is played at the same time displaying the lyrics on your device (TV, Laptop or KTV Touch Screen).
See you can simply convert your existing library of Karaoke CD+G discs to MP3+G Digital Karaoke Songs, which then could played on a Laptop using special software like PCDJ Karaoki which is popular with Karaoke Hosts and DJ's who run shows and pubs, clubs and venues for large groups.
And for the home user, you now had the easier option of having thousands of songs purchased on CD+G discs over many years all on a single USB Memory Stick or SD Card.
MP3+G saved you time swapping all those discs, looking for that song your friend wants to sing, as all you had to do was select the song you wanted from the on-screen TV menu. Most Karaoke Machines (like the Sonken MP4000) would even produce a song book for you offering an even easier way to playback the song by entering in the unique song number for each karaoke track.
It's 2024 now and our customers are once again now even looking beyond the humble yet reliable Karaoke Machine to that of a self serve option so that anyone can simply walk up and select a karaoke track and start singing.
A modern day Karaoke Jukebox if you like, but they want to bring their existing Karaoke library along on the journey and why shouldn't they, having invested hundreds if not thousands of dollars in cultivating a Karaoke song library.
The KTV Touch Screen System can either be used with your existing sound system replacing your karaoke machine providing you have microphone inputs on your sound system else you will require a Mixer like the ACNOS Mi-30s to provide this element, which comes with 2 Wireless Microphones so will simple sits in between the KTV Touch Screen and your Sound System and your off and singing.
Else we have the KTV Touch Screen packaged with 3 different KBEATBOX All-In-One Portable Karaoke Systems which offer audio output powers ranging from 100 to 200 Watts (RMS) complete with Music and Vocal Mixing Capabilities and 2 UHF Wireless Microphones as standard.
Two of the KBEATBOX units (CBZ-16GN and CB-56GD) also allow up to 4 Wireless Singers at the same time.
The KTV Touch Screen can even output to a larger TV via HDMI cable so even more people can see whats going on and join in on the fun!
Plus, you get the added benefit of using your exisiting MP3+G Karaoke song library via the WinLive Pro Karaoke Mobile 2.0 App, (pictured below) along with access Karaoke Streaming Services, YouTube Karaoke and any other Karaoke Apps all from the one Touch Screen device.
It's amazing piece of tech, a modern day hybrid karaoke solution offering the best of yesterday and today. Its uncomon that you can bring your past tech along with you when you make an upgrade these days, but CD+G Karaoke has managed to do just that, reborn as MP3+G in today's modern digital world, and that in its own right will ensure it will live on for many years to come.
And most importantly it gives you access to over 100,000 songs which have been produced over the years for CD+G/MP3+G as there are songs in this domain which cannot be found anywhere else especially Australian and New Zealander song content.
Plus you can get many different languages now for karaoke via Karaoke Apps and even YouTube really opening up your selection of songs all awaiting you in the Google Play Store.
The ultimate karaoke system is now available for you to own and enjoy!
Time almost stood still for this model; it was the very first model in the
series from Sonken Australia.
The Sonken SA-700 Karaoke Mixing Amplifier and it was so popular and
reliable over the years that little did it change in looks and functionality
over its 15 years of being on sale.
The SA-700R was released a few years later, the R was for the included Remote
Control which enabled you to make adjustments for music volume, microphone
master volume, source input A or B and change key.
It had one very unique feature over other amplifiers at the time apart from
the very reasonable selling price and that was key control, so you could step
up and down the key of the song being played to suit your singing style and a
lot of singers gravitated to this model for this specific feature.
But it was limited to only two RCA Stereo Audio inputs for a Karaoke Machine
to be connected for the most part of entire existence, until the last version
was released, which was the Sonken SA-700RB the added B in the model number was
for a then ground breaking audio streaming technology called Bluetooth, and yes
that was a big deal back then, streaming audio from your phone was in the early
stages back then compared to today everything has Bluetooth almost by default.
Today I would call the SA-700 a classic model, in-fact I call it the legacy
model from where everything else in the Sonken range has grown from.
It still amazes me when customers call up asking about this model their
friend has which they are still happily using it today, we still get referrals
asking for this model.
With many customers coming back today having decided it’s time to upgrade to
the now Sonken SA-710 model given the SA-700RB was retired a few years back,
passing on the old working model to another family member to get them started
in the world of karaoke singing.
For Sonken it was just time for a change, almost forgotten about given its
success, why change something that’s doing so well, and of course Sonken had
released other models during this time, like the SA-720, short lived SA-730 and
the 2018 release of the SA-760 with pioneering 4.3" LCD Screen and HDMI
Input and Music and Vocal Record feature and its replacement the current model the SA-767 which took the brand up another level once again.
Plus, Sonken also launched a budget range of Karaoke Amplifiers (KA) which has
spanned 7 models now with the current incarnation the Limited Editon KA-13.
This series on its own was incredibly popular, feature packed and not only
priced well but performed just as good and two models even featured the vocal
and music recording feature back to USB which a feature which was generally
handled by an expensive external recorder.
But that brings us to the long, long awaited Sonken SA-710 model which was
released with little fan fair in mid-2019 we didn't even know it as coming, it
just arrived!
It's fair to say though that many people in upgrading have jumped the
replacement model altogether to take on something more adventurous like a
SA-720 or SA-760/767.
So, the sales of the SA-710 initially where slower than the previous model
it replaced as a result.
Many of the sales came from first time customers to Karaoke Mixing Amplifier
market who were opting for something which was a step-up from the entry level
KA series.
The SA-710 Karaoke Mixing Amplifier has been well received and the feedback
from our customers they are more than happy with the features and performance
it delivers. Sonken currently have 3 speaker options which suit the SA-710 the
CS-450, CS-600 and CS-612.
The first two have a 10" Woofer with the CS-612 which houses a 12"
Woofer, both the CS-600/612 models feature four 3" Tweeters and are
presented in a premium black timber case with rose gold trim with a black grill
and is capable of 350 Watts (RMS) power input.
With the slightly smaller CS-450 (pictured above) which is presented in an all-black finish producing
300 Watts (RMS) from its 10" Woofer with two 3" Woofers, and all
three options are very nice and capable speakers.
If you’re looking for a beautiful bass response even at low volumes, then
spend a little more and pick either one of the premium speakers being the
CS-600 or 612 there is a noticeable difference even between these two.
I have
had the pleasure of having all models at my house for several months starting
with the CS-450 to get a true user experience. It’s fair to say each on their
own are great, but when you move from one model to the next model is when
you truly notice and very quickly the difference between the CS-450 to the
CS-600.
It’s like a totally different musical experience but it’s the same
amplifier (SA-710) but it’s a richer sound and the bass response it like WOW
and difference is there at low volume long before I start turning up the volume
and that’s when you start saying OH WOW.
Even in our showroom this is more than evident as we do a demonstration not
changing the volume or editing any of the EQ settings other than switching from
CS-450's to the CS-600's, and I must say customers are really enjoying the
sound of the CS-450's but that flick of the switch is more than noticeable when
they hear the difference and that gets them thinking really fast can we spend a
little extra.
And then the CS-612 comes along, this model is not always available and
there was a gap of 6 months where you couldn't get them, and we only had the
other two models.
It's slightly larger in its physical size and weight too but
this speaker just lifts the experience to another level again and I can't
stress enough it’s not just about volume, yes which is phenomenal but the sound
it produces is WOW.
The bigger timber boxes give more bass depth and you can
feel it, literally with the air that comes pumping out the rear vents and if
you can place them against a wall with around 20cm gap in-between and you'll
notice an even different experience with the air pumping, its surreal and you
can do this with the CS-600's as well.
Really impressive, the clarity the highs and lows and yes, the deep bass it
delivers is outstanding and I have seen other brands offering similar
specification speakers for near $1500 more is a true testament to Sonken in
continuing to offer outstanding performance at an more than reasonable price.
If money is no object then choose the CS-612 especially if you have big open
room, if you’re in a standard size lounge or family room then I would
personally stretch to the CS-600 over that of the CS-450's but only because I
know how great they sound and admittedly the look of the CS-600 Series is top self.
The
rose gold trim and high black gloss grill especially went over very nice with
my wife, with its modern stylish looks they will suit any decor, not one to normally comment on my sound equipment, apart from frequent "Hey! turn it down", she noticed them and said, oh
they look really nice!
Bonus, I just got the tick of spouse approval :)
So then we come full circle back to the future with the SA-710 now with a 12 band graphic
equalizer so you can really fine tune the music highs and lows for each
speaker, where as previously you had only a 3 button low, mid and high volume
control, simple yes but compared with the SA-710 you can really hear the
difference and in my opinion is a welcomed change on this model.
You now have many different source inputs including the standard stereo rca
connections along with Optical Audio Input for your smart TV, that lets you
grab the audio from the TV and feed it through the SA-710 so you can sing-along
to whatever you are watching on the TV.
Bluetooth is also included and that opens your SA-710 to connect to a Smart
TV, Phone, Laptop, or Tablet so again you can stream the audio. You also have a
dedicate sub-woofer output though personally if you’re getting either the
CS-600 or CS-612 speakers I would save your money you don't need it and if you’re
thinking of getting the CS-450 and adding a Sub-Woofer just spend the money
and go for the CS-612's if they are available, you won't regret it, it
will save you money in the long run because if the sub doesn’t have at least a
10" woofer and is 150 Watts your just wasting your time.
Sonken had a sub-woofer with those specifications, but I never recommended them for either the SA-710, SA-720 or SA-767 models especially if you had the premium Sonken speakers like the predecessor to that of the CS-612's the CS-800's or FSK-10's.
The sub-woofer was better suited with the
KA Series as then you could really appreciate the difference the sub made and it boosted the output provided by the CS-450 Speakers sold with the KA Series.
The SA-710 certainly looks different and that’s first major thing you seen
especially when looking back at the SA-700 it still has the Key Control feature
and the basic remote control, but to get down and dirty with all the settings
and adjustments you'll need to get up and off the couch and use your fingers to
fine tune the sound just the way you like it.
It may have been 15 years in the making and maybe the model number should
have been SA-715 but either way the SA-710 has delivered beautifully, building
on the legacy that the SA-700 spent years in cultivating.
Enjoy everything the SA-710 has to offer it's an instant classic in my book.
The Sonken KA-13 has arrived at Karaoke Home Entertainment, this model is a Limited Edition release with only 100 examples being made available in celebration of Sonken's 25 years in Australia.
The KA Series is perfectly suited for the everyday karaoke enthusiast offering all the desired mixing features at budget-conscious friendly price.
The KA Series has long been popular in the Sonken line up over the years, it all started off with the KA-07, and quickly progressed over the time with subsequent offering with the KA-08, 09, 10, 11 and 12 models.
Customers are continuously telling us they are still enjoying their KA Amplifiers all these years later a testament to the brands popularity, reliability and performance.
The KA-12 model ran for nearly 3 years ending in 2023 and the replacement KA-13 released mid 2023 has had a serious power boost to 250 Watts per channel, yes that's a true stereo output of 500 Watts (RMS).
The previous model KA-12 was 340 Watts (RMS) or 170 Watts (RMS) per channel so if your thinking of an upgrade the extra power boost will be noticeable from the outset.
This model also caters for more singers with four 6.35mm Microphone Jack Ports which can of course support either Wired or Wireless Microphones.
Optical input on the KA-13 has been omitted for Smart TV connection but can still be added with the optional DAC adapter (Included in our packaged deals) running through the AUX input on the KA-13 if you still require that option.
95% of audio connections today are delivered via Bluetooth whether its from your Smart TV, Phone or Tablet, with the other 5% coming from a AUX Input for a Karaoke Machine (Disc or Hard Drive), Laptop or TV connection using Optical Input.
Use Karaoke Streaming Services, Karaoke Apps, Karaoke YouTube, Karaoke Machines, Karaoke Hard Drive, KTV Android Touch Screen or your Laptop to provide the Karaoke songs and enjoy the experience anytime at your home all flowing seemlessly through the Sonken KA-13 Mixing Amplifier and CS-450 Speakers.
The KA-13 is the only Mixing Amplifier in the Sonken range series to feature the DSP {Digital Sound Effect Processor} so you can further enhance the audio output, over an above all the other mixing options.
We have also created special packaged deals featuring the KA-13 with the matching CS-450 Karaoke/Music Speakers which are rated nicely at 300 Watts (RMS) giving you a nice buffer when paired with the KA-13 Mixing Amplifier.
Two unique packages have been created one with the Sonken MP4000 Multi-Region DVD Player and Karaoke Machine (CD+G, DVD, VCD and CD) and Digital Songs in MP3+G. This multi-purpose Karaoke system enables playback of all the popular karaoke formats on disc and digitally via (USB/SD Card) and this unit can even record your karaoke performance.
The other package deal features the ACNOS KM-8 Vietnamese Karaoke Hard Drive System with over 43,000 Vietnamese Songs and around 6000 English Songs as standard. The KM-8 unit connects to your WIFI and is controlled via an APP on your Phone or Tablet for selecting songs from the system, extra songs can be accessed via the cloud and even YouTube.
Up-to 8 devices (people) can use the ACNOS Connect APP all at the same time to select songs whilst someone is already singing.
All our packaged deals feature Microphones with three of the four deals including the Premium Sonken WM-800D Wireless Microphones as well as two Professional Wired Microphones enabling you to have 4 singers all singing at the same time.
Time is running out though, as less the 30 of the Sonken KA-13 Karaoke Mixing Amplifiers remain in stock at the time of writing this.
Lots of accessories are also included to ensure you have everything you need to plug it all together and start singing in minutes.
And we even have dedicated "How to Guide" to assist with the connection for your reference.
So grab the Sonken Limited Edition KA-13 whilst stocks last,
only from Karaoke Home Entertainment - 1300 550 630.
Take your Karaoke to the next level with this amazing 15.6" Free Standing Android Tablet which sits nicely on top of your KBEATBOX Karaoke Systems like the (CB-4051-MAX, CBX-150G, KB-43S, CBZ-16GN and CB-56GD) or similar big box models from KBEATBOX.
Imagine the KTV-Touch sitting on your KBEATBOX Karaoke System displaying the Karaoke Lyrics so everyone can easily see and singing along, you can even output the video to even larger TV or Video Projector, via the HDMI Mini Port.
We have even created 3 Combination Packaged Deals including the KTV-Touch Screen and the KBEATBOX CBX-150G - 100 Watts {RMS}, the KBEATBOX CBZ-1GN - 150 {RMS} and the biggest in the series the CB-56GD at 200 Watts {RMS} output power.
All the KBEATBOX units are on 4 wheels and made from a heavy timber box, which gives you a beautiful natural bass sound.
You also get 2 UHF Wireless Microphones and on the CBZ-16GN and CB-56GD models you can expand this to 4 singers if you want with the optional add-on (WM-800D Series from SONKEN).
Plus all the KBEATBOX models have vocal mixing features and have a rechargeable battery inside.
The packaged deals also include a HDMI Mini to HDMI cable adapter, plus 15m HDMI Cable so you can connect the KTV-Touch to larger TV or Video Projector at the same time.
We also include a package of 5x Hygienic Microphone Socks and 2x Wireless Microphone Anti-Roll Mic Stands which stops your microphones from rolling when laid down.
Use Karaoke APPs (From Google Play Store), Karaoke Streaming Services or YouTube for Karaoke all via the Andriod KTV-Touch Screen and have hours of fun singing along!
You can also play your existing CD+G Karaoke Songs in digital form (MP3+G) from either the KTV's SD or USB Ports with the purchase of the WinLive Pro Karaoke Mobile 2.0 App which supports not only # Key but Tempo change also amongst a host of other useful features.
The MP3+G option gives you access over 100,000 professional karaoke songs from the world over especially if your looking for unique Australian and New Zealander Karaoke Songs.
Plus, MP3+G also has the option of purchasing Vocal On/Off Karaoke Songs (MPX) so you can sing-along with the cover vocalist singer, which is great for when learning songs or for people who don't want to sing the entire song on their own. Multiplex (MPX) karaoke tracks are a great away to build confidence in people through singing.
The KTV-Touch connects to the KBEATBOX Karaoke Sound System via Bluetooth (or Line input) and to your WIFI (or LAN) for internet and APP access.
The ultimate karaoke system is now available for you to own and enjoy!
