Sing out loud - What's new? Holiday gifts galore - portable CD players, karaoke machines - Buyers Guide

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), Nov, 2002

We're not sure if we have a trio of pop or rock star wannabes or not, but for kids so young (six, four, and three), there seems to be an awful lot of singing and music-playing around our house, so we knew we'd really struck paydirt when we spotted the US-1800 Portable CD & G Karaoke Boombox ($99) by VocoPro, La Verne, Calif. Available in vibrant blue, this portable beauty has all the benefits of a professional system with the ease of use associated with basic consumer electronics.

Weighing just six pounds, with a durable handle for portability, the US-1800 features a top-loading CD & Graphics/CD player; single cassette deck to record and play back your performances; AM/FM radio tuner; video output for TV connection; vocal cancel option to remove vocals from multiplex software; built-in stereo speaker system; audio output for connection to home stereo or professional systems; and three-way power (AC, DC, and battery). In addition to BBS to enhance bass frequencies and a digital echo effect that adds to the vocals on solos, the US-1800 comes with a "Y" adapter that allows users to connect a second microphone for singing duets.

While some karaoke singers are ready for the bright lights, others sound more like honking cars on the freeway. IVL Technologies, Victoria, B.C., Canada, has figured out how to let the karaoke fun continue while sparing the audience's ears. Its On-Key Karaoke Player ($79.99) has 50 preprogrammed songs in which the tonally challenged can sing on key as the system alters the singer's voice to match the pitch of the original recording. Everthing is built into a single microphone so that all users have to do is connect it to a TV set, where the lyrics and background images appear on screen. The music can be channeled through the television or a separate stereo system. Karaoke contests also are enhanced by the fact that the singer receives an average score on screen at the end of his or her performance.

Both of these systems are available at music stores and mass merchandisers.