Just when we thought we’d seen it all from Bluetooth speakers comes Singing Machine’s new Home, a home sound system that’s part wireless speaker, part Karaoke machine. Combining modern wireless technology with drunken renditions of “Sweet Caroline,” the Home truly shifts the concept of living room karaoke on its head with its ability to maneuver from a standard Bluetooth speaker, to a full-on karaoke machine with access to a cloud-based collection of over 8,000 songs.
After 30 years in the karaoke industry, Singing Machine is showing it isn’t afraid to innovate, pumping out a karaoke device you’ll want to use while cleaning up the empties the next day. Along with basic Bluetooth streaming of your music collection via a smartphone, tablet or other device, this sleek, chromed out, donut-looking speaker comes with an HDMI port to connect to your TV and a Wi-Fi connection to access Singing Machine Play, a subscription-based karaoke service that allows users to search a vault of licensed songs, and even create their own karaoke avatars.
The conveniently-sized Home is powered by a “2.1 omnidirectional” speaker system, which includes a pair of tweeters and a small subwoofer aboard its bulbous frame, promising room-filling sound with hassle-free setup. The speaker’s slim remote control pulls double duty, moonlighting as a microphone that’s ready for the wandering vocal talents of your friends and family whenever you are.
Pricing details for the Play subscription service haven’t been released yet, but a free trial comes with purchase of the system. The Singing Machine Home will retail for $300, and the system will be available at Best Buy starting later this month; just in time for the holiday season.