How to Setup a Karaoke System with a Home Theater

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Bella
Bella
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Bella is a skilled copywriter who holds a degree in English studies. Her lifelong passion for decor and interior design is evident in her work, which is inspired by the beau read more
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Tommy
Tommy
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Tommy is an expert consultant at HouseAndBeyond, with extensive experience in home improvement. A master of all trades, he offers invaluable expertise in areas such as carpe read more
Last updated: August 12, 2023
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Imagine having karaoke party at home. Karaoke has always been a fun bonding activity and people usually prefer to go to clubs, bars or restaurants to enjoy it. With a home theater, you don’t have to go anywhere. Most Karaoke machines feature audio ports that you can use to connect to external sound systems. It is therefore possible to use a karaoke system with a home theater.

You only need to learn how to set up a karaoke system with home theater for a seamless enjoyment at your house party. The home theater will amplify the sound while accompanying the music well enough regardless of your room’s size. A standard set of RCA cables Trusted Source RCA connector - Wikipedia The RCA connector (or RCA Phono connector or Phono connector) is a type of electrical connector commonly used to carry audio and video signals. The name RCA derives from the company Radio Corporation of America, which introduced the design in the 1930s. The connectors male plug and female jack are called RCA plug and RCA jack. en.wikipedia.org is all you need for a successful connection, and of course you have to ensure your karaoke system has the capability to be hooked up to a home theater. Setting up the entire system should only take a few minutes. Read on for more juicy details.

Can a home theater be used for karaoke?

Most people are never satisfied with the sound quality coming from karaoke systems. The machines are not capable of amplifying a vocalist’s sound as well as accompany music well in a large room. Luckily, many karaoke system models feature audio ports that make it possible for them to be used with external sound systems.

You can connect your karaoke machine to a home theater using RCA sound cables. The connection will allow you to hear sound from all the speakers. Plus, if you want to reproduce the sound of the vocalist in the multi-channel surround system, you can record it in the surround nature.

Contrary to popular belief, your karaoke machine cannot damage your home theater provided you have done the connections properly. You can use the microphone feature as you wish and you don’t have to interrupt connections to other systems like TV or DVD. The sound settings on your home theater will work perfectly for your karaoke machine.

Equipment you will need

You need more than just your home theater system to enjoy a karaoke party at home. You need to get a decent karaoke machine or system and some good RCA cables.

Home theater system

How to Setup a Karaoke System with a Home Theater

Home theater systems are designed to receive audio from various sources. Ensure you have a separate audio input for your karaoke system. Nothing is as tedious as unplugging an audio in from a gaming console or TV every time you think of singing.

Any decent karaoke machine has PA speakers that output superb sound quality. Connecting it to a home theater system should make the sound a tad better.

The Klipsch Black Reference Theater Pack 5.1 Surround Sound System is one of the most popular home theater models according to top reviewers. It is designed to deliver a superior acoustic performance with a minimal footprint.

Karaoke system

How to Setup a Karaoke System with a Home Theater

Karaoke machines fall into 2 main classifications: those with built-in speakers and those without. Karaoke machines without built-in speakers usually have songs included and you can load them via USB, CD+G discs and cartridges. They are specifically designed to be connected to a home theater or any external speaker system.

Karaoke machines with built-in speakers are increasingly becoming popular. People prefer them because of their completeness. However, not all of them have an audio out that allows them to be hooked to an external sound system. You must therefore be careful when buying one.

The KaraoKing Karaoke Machine with 2 Wireless Karaoke Microphones is one famous go-to favorite for many karaoke lovers. It features 2 cordless microphones with impeccable voice effects. It also has a unique vocal mute option that mutes the original track vocals to allow you to sing your cover.

Be sure to go for a Karaoke system with RCA connection for audio output. Just look for white and red jacks if you have no idea what RCA connection is.

RCA cables

How to Setup a Karaoke System with a Home Theater

These are just the common audio in/out cables. Most karaoke machines come with the cables but if yours doesn’t include them, you can buy them online or in your local electronics shop.

The most important aspect worth considering when buying RCA cables is the length. You want to make sure that you get cables with reasonable lengths that can cover the distance between your karaoke machine and home theater system.

Setting up a karaoke system with a home theater

So many people contemplate having a karaoke party because they have the ultimate home theater system but they end up not doing it because they cannot setup a karaoke system with a home theater. The setup is such a breeze and only takes a few minutes.

Connecting a karaoke system to a home theater

Here is a step by step guide on how to connect a karaoke system with a home theater:

Step 1

Find the audio output plugs on your karaoke system. They are usually red and white in colors. Since on most models the audio outputs are placed side by side with audio input plugs, be careful to plug in correctly as labeled.

Step 2

Use your RCA cable to connect the plug labeled ‘out’ on the karaoke machine to the Home Theater’s RCA labeled ‘in’. The labels might differ across different models. Some home theaters have their RCA plugs labeled AUX 1, AUX2 and so forth. Be careful to make the correct connection.

Step 3

After successfully connecting your karaoke machine to your home theater, turn them both ON. Change your home theater’s input source to the grouping level that you had already chosen. If your system doesn’t have a grouping, you can search through all the options available until you hear the music that you want playing.

Step 4

The next thing to do is make volume adjustments. Adjust the volume of the microphone on both the karaoke machine and home theater. For you to enjoy the music audio, adjust the volume of the music then change the pre-defined settings on your home theater to either music or stereo.

If you experience any challenges when setting up the home theater, you can refer to the manufacturer’s instructions on the user manual. This will help you make proper connections without any mistakes.

In this setup, your karaoke machine acts as your music player and mic receiver. The home theater acts as an external speaker.

Remote control

You can use your home theater’s remote control to make volume adjustments. Some karaoke machines also come with remote controls for added convenience.

Voice control

It takes a lot to find the perfect balance of sounds. A good mixer can come in handy at helping you achieve a perfect sound balance. You will be able to find the ultimate balance between voice volume and that of background music. If either of them is too loud, your overall sound will suffer.

A mixer combines several input sources like the music and microphones then sends them as a package to the speaker.

There are different kinds of karaoke mixers. Some mixer models feature built-in dials and controls that allow you to have independent volume levels. Some will even allow you to tune for echo, balance and tone.

Any decent karaoke mixer should be able to work with any karaoke machine, receiver or amplifier. If you are a casual karaoke fan, then you can get a karaoke machine that comes with a built-in mixer. On the other hand, if you have picky ears and you love to get everything just right then it’s best if you got a serious mixer.

Mobile app

To complete your karaoke setup, you are going to need a reliable app from which you can source your favorite music. Some of the popular apps include;

YouTube

This is the cheapest and easiest way of getting both the audio and video lyrics of your favorite music. All you have to do is connect a device that can stream YouTube like your smart TV, phone, or tablet to your mixer then search for a karaoke version of the song you want to sing. YouTube is free and it is likely to have any karaoke version of any song you would want to sing.

The voice sing and connect

This is another great app that you can download on your android or iPhone. The app is based on a popular TV talent show and it allows you to sing solo or with friends. You can even duet with other singers around the globe. It has a huge library of songs and you can record your favorite songs with both voice and visual effects.

KaraFun

This is a popular karaoke app that allows you to connect your mixer and screen to play the audio and video of the song of your choice. You can play over 33,000 songs on it. The app works on a subscription plan with 3 options; a 2 day party pass for just a single occasion, a monthly subscription and a premium plan for professional use.

Sunfly Karaoke

Sunfly Karaoke has been around for ages. Currently, they have a download service that allows you to create your own CD with a personal track list. The CD can be posted or downloaded depending on your mixer’s compatibility and your most preferred option.

Alexa

How to Setup a Karaoke System with a Home Theater

You can start playing karaoke fast and easy with Alexa. All you have to do is connect your smart TV to an Amazon fire TV stick then to your mixer. After successful connection, all you have to say is “Alexa, play Karaoke” to get started.

Useful tips for a karaoke party

Here are a few useful hacks for the ultimate karaoke house party:

Be sure to run a trial a day or 2 before the party. This is especially important if you will be holding the party far away from your wireless network like in the back yard or garage. Double-check you internet connections, audio and video.

Do a sound test on your system by singing using the microphones. This will allow you to make some adjustments to the levels to get it right.

Come up with a playlist to keep the party interesting without any interruptions. You can always do something outside the playlist but it will help maintain the party vibe.

Ask your friends to send special song requests before the party to avoid taking forever searching for the song.

Consider having competing teams with a judge and point-scoring to make the party more interesting. You can also include costumes, props, and accessories to give the arty some fun vibe.

Lights will create a whole mood for your karaoke party. You can use pin lights, or string lights and if you can’t access either you can place a few lamps on the floor. It adds a beautiful ambience to the party.

If you are planning to host a big karaoke party or you’re planning to become a professional karaoke party organizer, be sure to consult with a sound engineer. As much as a professional set up is quite similar to the simple home DIY one, it requires some skill to achieve a perfect balance between the lyrics going to the screen, the vocals going to the PA speaker and the music going through home theater speakers.

Most importantly, out of courtesy, notify your neighbors.

Final thoughts

If you have been stowing away the thought of hosting a karaoke party at your home it’s about time you made your dream come true. All you need is a great home theater system and a karaoke machine that is compatible with it. You can also get a sound mixer for superior sound quality. Whether you and your friends are pro singers or not, a good connection is key as it will give you great power and clear sound output.

Once you learn how to set up a karaoke setup with home theater, the sky becomes your limit. You can throw as many karaoke house parties as you want. The set up doesn’t cost much and is such a breeze once you are familiar with the process. There are loads of apps that you can download on your phone, laptop or smart TV to stream audios and lyric videos of your favorite music.

References

1.
RCA connector - Wikipedia
The RCA connector (or RCA Phono connector or Phono connector) is a type of electrical connector commonly used to carry audio and video signals. The name RCA derives from the company Radio Corporation of America, which introduced the design in the 1930s. The connectors male plug and female jack are called RCA plug and RCA jack.

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