Karaoke‘s popularity has ebbed and flowed over the years, but the people who are into it are really into it. Most karaoke fans sing to their friends — or complete strangers — in a bar or in a video game. Vizio has unleashed a third option: a soundbar with a pair of microphones called MicMe.
The system is a 2.1 soundbar and compact subwoofer (which appears to be a white version of the SV210M) paired with two wireless microphones. These matching mics have an 8-hour battery life and a charging dock that connects to the MicMe soundbar. Once a microphone is picked up, the system switches to the karaoke input — but it does mean you have to remember to put them back if you want to watch TV. The microphones themselves include effects such as pitch correction and echo, plus LED lighting which grows brighter the louder you sing.
If you have a MicMe, you can download the Stingray Karaoke app onto your Vizio TV, or use your own karaoke apps. The company is also set to launch a MicMe Karaoke app for Android and iOS with access to over 80,000 songs.
One thing to remember is that you can’t go crazy with the volume. As a budding musician in my younger years, I know what it means to blow a set of speakers using a microphone. I wouldn’t recommend connecting line-level instruments to a stereo system for this reason. That said, I’ve used plenty of singing games without incident — Let’s Sing, Singstar, Rock Band — and some of these let you use your phone as a mic, making them even more cost effective.
MicMe will cost $350 when it goes on sale at the end of November.
Read More: Vizio's New Karaoke Soundbar Has Two Mics and Over 80,000 Songs
