Newbie needing your opinion on a system :)

Knifebld · Post by **Knifebld** » Tue Feb 05, 2013 11:28 am

Hi all,

I am a new to the forum and look forward to some great exchanges in the future.

I am from Montreal, Canada and my wife and I have been enjoying Karaoke for quite some time now with family and friends. We have a small player hooked up to our surround system (which I will be disconnecting after reading some of the posts in this forum). We are looking to invest a little more into a proper system now.

So I was wondering if you could help assess whether this slightly used system is worth the price;

- Behringer 1200 Watts 10 channel amp (EUROPOWER PMP1280S)
- Two cordless mics with UHF system (800 MHz)
- Two PA speakers RNS 300 watt (Brand is Addison I think)
- Manhattan VGA to HDMI Converter
- External Hard Drive 750gigs (GoFlex)
- Super VGA Cables (1x 20' & 1x 50')
- 3.5mm RCA Cable (50')

All this for $1000.00 (might be able to negotiate $900).

Apparently this system was set up in a bar but only was used twice so equipment is fairly new.

They say all I need is a laptop, software, and music to start signing, is this right?

What do you guys think, good deal?

Bigdog · Post by **Bigdog** » Tue Feb 05, 2013 12:24 pm

I haven't investigated every item but just from a qiuick look at your list....your speakers are rated way to low for the amplifier. Turning the volume up too high could blow them out.

Is the amplifier mono or stereo? If it's stereo for example...it would put out 600 watts per side. 300 watt speakers....technically would/could blow over half volume...

http://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-EMX512SC-S ... +pa+system

If you want to get into something that will last your entire karaoke life...I go with something like this.

It's powered, has the vocal effects and eq....the speakers will last forever...they can take some abuse..

I am seeing a trend I'm not very happy about. I see more and more of these packages containing plastic speakers...They are cheaper but they do not sound as good as wood speakers. Wood costs more. Plastic speakers..I don't care whose name is on them or how much they cost ...sound crappy...I can afford to buy any type and make of speakers out there. I haven't used them all but for the last 20 years I have used Yamahas. I have blown out many Peavey speakers. I have never blown a Yamaha speaker. I have had access to plastic name brand speakers to try out...I took them back faster than it took to get them home....I hate the sound of plastic speakers....

This system may be a little more than you plan on spending but those are the last speakers you'll ever buy. In time you may want to upgrade the mixer and microphones...But I'm sure this system would last a long time...

The hard drive in question is most likely illegal. Meaning it's filled with pirated music....

That said....if you only plan on using the hard drive in your living room and not planning on duplicating it for sale...

Buying a laptop that can play karaoke ....don't get a cheap one. A cheap one will contain a cheap video card and a cheap sound card. Meaning your sound quality will be questionable.

My bottom line is CHEAP karaoke is never good karaoke.

Knifebld · Post by **Knifebld** » Tue Feb 05, 2013 12:38 pm

Thanks Bigdog!

In that case what about a set like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-STAGEPAS-5 ... yamaha+500

In this case would I only need my laptop or a CD+G player and a set of mics?

Knifebld · Post by **Knifebld** » Tue Feb 05, 2013 12:48 pm

Buying a laptop that can play karaoke ....don't get a cheap one. A cheap one will contain a cheap video card and a cheap sound card. Meaning your sound quality will be questionable

My current laptop has;

SOUND: IDT High Definition Audio CODEC
VIDEO: Intel HD Graphics

Would this be good enough?

mnementh · Post by **mnementh** » Tue Feb 05, 2013 3:53 pm

Hi there,
welcome to the madhouse.

I've just checked your amp specification and you need to find out exactly what your speakers can handle.

If as you say they are 300W RMS, they will be OK with the 1280S IF and ONLY IF they are 8 ohm. The amp is rated at 215W per channel into 8R

If they are 4 ohm then there is every chance you will blow them "toute suite"

The amp is rated at 450W into 4R.

As for a laptop, my viewpoint is that your audience will be primarily drunk, looking for some fun and incapable of discening good qaulity audio if it bit them on the ass and as for video, unless you intend to play actual "movie" type quality then damn nearly ANY video card will do as CD+G video quality is CGA, never mind VGA.

Basically it's 20 years out of date, chunky and rubbish.

Laptop performance will be rated more by the Karaoke hoster software you use.

Karma, my software of choice, is CPU hungry and will need a decent performance laptop to do a good job.

Have fun,
Sandy.

Knifebld · Post by **Knifebld** » Tue Feb 05, 2013 4:07 pm

Hey Sandy, thanks for the help.

You are right, I am looking for a good sound, but for the most part it will be used for get togethers in a 24'x 24' room where there will be some/lots of alcohol consumption.

Do you or anyone else have an opinion on the Yamaha STAGEPAS 500 (see link below)? Can I simply hook my laptop on to the built-in powered mixer grab a mic and sign away? Could it be that easy?

http://www.yamahaproaudio.com/global/en ... agepas500/

Post by **wiseguy** » Tue Feb 05, 2013 6:33 pm

Knifebld wrote:Hey Sandy, thanks for the help.

You are right, I am looking for a good sound, but for the most part it will be used for get togethers in a 24'x 24' room where there will be some/lots of alcohol consumption.

Do you or anyone else have an opinion on the Yamaha STAGEPAS 500 (see link below)? Can I simply hook my laptop on to the built-in powered mixer grab a mic and sign away? Could it be that easy?

http://www.yamahaproaudio.com/global/en ... agepas500/

Actually, it can be that easy. Like Bigdog I too am not a fan of the molded speakers but they have come a long way and many professionals use them.

I have actually put a backup laptop together for under $100 by buying a used laptop at a yard sale for $50 and installing the JustKaraoke hosting software on it. This was possible because JustKaraoke requires very little system resources. The laptop you have will almost certainly suffice.

Most people use an external hard drive for storing the karaoke music although there is nothing to stop you from using the laptop's internal hard drive if it's big enough.

Where your venture is going to get expensive is when you start buying karaoke music. There are a few ways to build your song library. You might start by checking out this web page.

Knifebld · Post by **Knifebld** » Tue Feb 05, 2013 9:38 pm

Thanks for all the help everyone...but I am still a little confused. I spoke to the seller again regarding the Addison speakers and she assures me that the system she has was excellent in her bar. So here are a few more specs on both my choices;

Option one: ($1000)

- Behringer 1200 Watts 10 channel amp (EUROPOWER PMP1280S)
(PMP1280S gives you the choice of 2 x 600-Watt stereo, 2 x 600-Watt dual mono or 1,200-Watt bridged mono sound)
- Two ADDISON PA speakers (RMS 300 watts, PROGRAM 600 watts, 4 OHMS)
- Two cordless mics with UHF system (800 MHz)
- Manhattan VGA to HDMI Converter
- External Hard Drive 750gigs (GoFlex)
- Super VGA Cables (1x 20' & 1x 50')
- 3.5mm RCA Cable (50')
http://montreal.kijiji.ca/c-acheter-et- ... Z448975457

OR

Option Two: ($600)

Yamaha STAGEPAS 500 (Maximum output power @4ohms 250W + 250W)
http://www.yamahaproaudio.com/global/en ... ations.jsp

I really want to make the best buying decision as I don't want to blow $600 or $1000 on something that will not work. Any help would be appreciated on these two options.

I wish I knew more about this stuff...

Post by **wiseguy** » Tue Feb 05, 2013 10:58 pm

Both systems would do a really good job in the size room you have.

Some questions. Would you expect the seller to say anything other than her used system was excellent? Can you listen to it first? What kind of warranty will you get with the used system? What brand and model are the microphones? What is on that external hard drive?

That Behringer amp is discontinued and sells for about $200 used. I can find nothing on Addison PA speakers so either they're some cheap generic brand or Addison is not the correct brand name. Wireless UHF microphones are available in many brands and price ranges. They may be worth very little. The VGA converter can be bought new for about $60. If the hard drive contains any karaoke songs they would be illegal for you to possess. A new GoFlex 750 GB hard drive goes for about $100.

It's looking like that system may not have cost much more that $1000 new.

Bigdog · Post by **Bigdog** » Wed Feb 06, 2013 5:23 am

I would pass on the stage pass...compare the stage pass with the one I linked...for $500 more. I can guarantee you'll want to upgrade from the stage pass in about two weeks...I personally don't see 10 inch speakers and the tiny horn taking much abuse....The horn is what gives your vocals & music clarity and high end...The 10" gives you the bass sound. You're not going to get a whole lot of either....once you start singing into them...They aren't much bigger than a surround sound speaker...