Vocopro - DVG-888K DVD Player Review

I play keyboard in a blues band and I'm the only one that doesn't sing - not because I can't sing at all, but because I don't sing well enough. What I needed was practice. Of course I could sing along with my stereo, but it's not the same as singing with just a backing track (or with a live band, which is my end-goal.)

My wife also loves to Karaoke (which means "empty orchestra" in Japanese) as do my children. With all that in mind, I decided to pursue an inexpensive Karaoke setup for my home.

While shopping, I found several inexpensive machines, but one thing I knew from Professional Karaoke experience, you should be able to adjust the key (also known as key control) without changing the speed of the song. By far, most of the inexpensive Karaoke players (including most all-in-one microphones) do not have "key control". Without key control, you're stuck with the pitch of the music even if it doesn't fit your vocal range. This narrows the list considerably.

Vocopro is a company that makes mostly equipment for the professional Karaoke purveyor. Most of their equipment is fairly pricey and out of the range of most home users. They do make a machine, however that does just about everything you might want to do Karaoke-wise and it's not expensive. You can easily buy a new one for about $200-$249 (I bought mine used on e-bay for $80) and it will hook right into your home stereo and TV and produces high-quality, even professional sounding results.

The model I write about is the VocoPro DVG-888K. It's really an all-in-one solution for those who already have a decent home stereo and television. You will also need a microphone (it has two mic jacks) and I recommend getting a good microphone - don't scrimp here. Your mic should cost nearly as much as the Karaoke player - Shure, EV, Sennheiser, AKG are all good names.

When you really get into Karaoke, you can keep this unit and connect it to an amplifier and speakers and you will have a complete professional Karaoke setup you can actually make money with. It has everything you might need.

This model will play DVD, CD+G, VCD, Mpeg-4, MP3, CD, JPEG, WMA, CD-R/RW*, DVD+R/-R/RW Karaoke disks (even does key control in DVD Karaoke, which many do not do)

It also has the following features:

Bottom Line: This is the best bang-for-the-buck you can get in a Karaoke player that has all the "pro" features. Sure you can spend less money but you will soon regret the lack of features. This unit is built like a tank - clearly it's designed for the abuse a machine would receive in a professional environment. My family loves this thing and my singing has improved considerably. It brings the family together and it's fun to have friends over to sing (especially after a few beers.)