What is a karaoke amplifier and why do I need one?
A karaoke amplifier is a powered amplifier designed specifically for the needs of the avid karaoke equipment owner. Many are designed for the karaoke DJ, while some are more designed for home use. They are typically designed to make connecting and disconnecting karaoke equipment easier and provide numerous additional features over a typical PA system power amplifier.
These features usually include features that any DJ would appreciate. For example, many karaoke amps are considered hybrid amps because they have features normally associated with preamps.
One of these features is multiple inputs so you can send audio signals from multiple sources. This eliminates the need for a mixer if you have two audio sources, such as your karaoke source and an iPod for filler music. Many of these units also include a radio tuner.
A typical karaoke amplifier has enough power to drive four or more speakers efficiently. For a good karaoke setup, you will need 2 main speakers, at least one subwoofer, and at least one monitor speaker. The main speaker and the subwoofer work together to deliver all the sound to the audience.
The monitor speaker is there so the singer can hear himself. Quality amps for karaoke and other DJ applications have a built-in crossover, which means that the low frequencies from the subwoofer only go to the subwoofer, keeping them away from the rest of the mix. The best way to run the speakers is to run the mains and the monitors on the same channel, as the high frequencies don’t need as much power.
Be sure to match your amp to your speakers and vice versa. You want to make sure the speakers can handle more power than the amp can put out, but not too much. For example, if your amplifier can put out three hundred watts, then speakers that are rated to handle four hundred and fifty watts would be perfect.
If the amplifier can put out eight hundred watts, then a single speaker must be able to handle a thousand. However, when you use that many watts, you are likely running multiple speakers. In this case, add the power of each to determine how much they can handle. At eight hundred watts, you could use two five hundred (or even four hundred and fifty) watt speakers, or four two to three hundred watt speakers.
The flip side of this is buying a subwoofer that is rated at fifteen hundred watts and only running it with a three hundred watt amplifier. You’ll likely burn out the amp and never get good sound out of the speaker because it takes more power than it needs to produce the sound properly.