Being as the background music isn't the original artists, this is where the difference comes in. Now when it comes time to purchase your karaoke machine you are going to have to decide on the type of discs you are going to play. You are going to be faced with a choice as some handle CDGs or CD+G or just plain karaoke song DVDs.

You need to familiarize yourself with the advantages and disadvantage of these, when you are making your decision. Actually some with have built in music while others use Mp3s. Check around with your friends who have karaoke machines and see what type of discs they play. If you find a variety of them to check out, it will help you choose which method you like the most.

Features are another issue that is going to be important to you and a lot will depend on what you are going to be using it form. Sort of keep an open mind here, because you may have intentions for using it for one thing, then down the road start adding other uses to it. For example you may initially be buying so you can practice your own singing on. If that's the case then there are many features you are not going to need. But then 6 months down the road you might start having karaoke parties, then the other type features you are going to need.

You need to decide whether you want to be able to turn vocals on or off. Some of the music you buy may contain vocal for you to practice with then as you get better you can turn the vocal off. Your karaoke machine must have the option to do that. Of course you are going to want volume control. When it comes to microphones you are going to have to choose between wired or wireless, or even headset microphones. The price range of these vary, so that will be another deciding factor as well. Then there are things like being able to score the singer. Some karaoke machines have that capability built right into there.

Then it will come down to style and whether you are going to leave your machine at home all the time, or do you want to travel around with it. If its going to be a home unit you may want to look at a system that you can integrate with your home stereo systems. Then on the other hand, you may want to set it up in a separate area, so you will want a stand alone system. The draw back with this system is it can be quite bulky and take up a fair amount of room..

Then there are extras that you can add to it later on such as karaoke stands, which there are a variety of as well. If you are going to travel with it ,you will want to protect it as much as possible, so you may want to have some kind of carriers for your speakers. Also don't forget to protect your discs as much as possible.