Philips StarMaker Wireless Microphone and Bluetooth Speaker review: Philips karaoke kit doesn't hit the right notes
Go nuts with friends singing along with the StarMaker karaoke app, but save your $180 for a better Bluetooth speaker.
All those plastic guitars and drum kits from Rock Band and Guitar Hero games of years past may be gathering dust in millions of basements, but karaoke remains. Plenty of bars still let folks get liquored up and belt out an endless supply of tunes -- and plenty of people never realize that "Gimme Shelter" is best left to the pros until it's far too late.
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
Now, however, there's an app for that: StarMaker: Karaoke + Auto-Tune offers over 500 song choices ranging in genre and decade with crowdsourced competitions for real prizes, while different single and multiplayer battle modes keep the momentum of the virtual stage. And to amplify the home StarMaker experience, Philips has created karaoke hardware: the AEA7100 Wireless Speaker Dock and Bluetooth Microphone. Here's my problem with it, though: a couple of puny 5-watt speakers and a plastic battery-powered microphone might be acceptable specs for a children's toy, but it's a tough sell at $180 -- especially after I tell you that the songs are all sold separately.
Strip away the fun of the StarMaker app (which you can download for free from iTunes and use with any iOS device anyway) and the AEA7100 struggles to justify its price tag, especially compared with other Bluetooth speakers that offer a rechargeable battery or built-in speakerphone, neither of which is found here.
Design and features
I'm always down for karaoke. Don't judge me, but I get some kind of sick catharsis out of screaming Top 40 song lyrics into a microphone with friends. I will admit, though, that abasing yourself in front of a bunch of strangers isn't fun for everyone, which is why I was looking forward to testing the Philips AEA7100.
The hardware functions on its own as a Bluetooth speaker with an integrated 30-pin connector dock in the middle on which to seat and charge your compatible iOS devices, but it also comes with a wireless microphone to use with the real star of the bundle, the StarMaker: Karaoke + Auto-Tune app by StarMaker Sing & Share. (In some parts of the world, the hardware is instead tied to the app The Voice: On Stage, which is basically a version of StarMaker rebranded to tie in to the hit NBC TV show "The Voice.")
I won't spend too much time going over the app, since this is a review of the Philips hardware, but it's a free download that tests your singing acumen in a simulated performance of popular sings from the Billboard charts. Players sing along and harmonize with the lyrics as they scroll across the screen, and points are tallied for harmonic accuracy, rhythm, and enthusiasm. At the end of the song, the app prompts you to name the track to save and share with friends on Facebook, Twitter, and the StarMaker Studios leaderboard site.
The creators of the StarMaker app have a background selling creative promotions in the music industry, and they've used those connections to get song licenses from all the major record labels, including Universal, Sony, Warner, and EMI. The song list is impressively diverse, with tracks from all different genres and decades.
There are classic karaoke go-tos like Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" and Elton John's "Crocodile Rock," but the StarMaker crew also updates the catalog on a weekly basis with modern tracks like "Diamonds" by Rihanna, "Thrift Shop" by Macklemore, and David Guetta's "Titanium." If yours don't measure up to the original vocals, you can always engage the autotuning feature that gnashes your off-pitch warbling into the vocal talents of a robot from the future.
Of course, as with all dealers, only the first taste is free. There are a few free songs in the catalog, but you'll need token credits to access the hits. You can buy songs individually that range in cost from 25 to 75 cents, or you can purchase a "VIP subscription pass" to try all the songs for $1.99 a week or $24.99 for six months.
If you're not into the idea of buying tokens at all, you can use your dignity as currency by competing in community battles online: sing something, post the recorded track to the StarMaker site, and encourage others to give it a "star," which is equatable to a Like on Facebook. The song with the most stars earns tokens and small gifts like iTunes credits and autographed CDs.
You can download the StarMaker app and play on any iOS device by singing into the device, but Philips recreates the true karaoke experience with the AEA7100 hardware. The box comprises a Bluetooth speaker dock with dual 5-watt drivers (the topside 30-pin connection is for charging older iPads) and a wireless microphone with a detachable base for hands-free or hands-on singing positions. Nearly all the parts on both the speaker and the microphone are cheap gray plastic, and mechanical shortcomings like a flimsy connector plug and loud, clicky track navigation buttons on top marred my first impression. It felt very much like a kid's toy.
The speaker and microphone are both Bluetooth-enabled, so the system should wirelessly pair with any iPad. However, in order to mount the iPad on the speaker's top, you'll need an older 30-pin model. Presumably, a 30-pin to Lightning adapter would work, but it could get awfully wobbly.
The setup is reminiscent of the plastic toy instruments that come with other musical games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band. The microphone uses AAA batteries for power, but you have to plug the dock into a wall and the Bluetooth mic takes a half-second to broadcast your voice from the speaker -- it's not devastating, just enough to be annoying. Regardless, those are bigger issues when you compare this with rechargeable Bluetooth "play anywhere" speakers from Creative and Soundfreaq that cost much less, and produce better-quality sound.
Sure, neither of those nor any of our favorite Bluetooth speakers come with a microphone, but you can get just as crazy singing into your phone (also wireless) and save a couple hundred bucks at the same time.
Dongle-only alternative
If you like the idea of the StarMaker but not the price, you might want to check out the $99 Philips AEA3000 StarMaker Wireless Bluetooth Microphone. It makes use of the same app and the same microphone, but features a Bluetooth dongle for the iPad instead. If the iPad's speaker isn't powerful enough for your crooning, you can use the line-out function to connect a larger stereo -- but it'll be a wired, not wireless, connection to the iPad.
Conclusion
Philips needs to lower the price of the StarMaker Wireless Microphone and Bluetooth Speaker if it really wants to push shy people with iOS devices into trying karaoke. Priced as is, die-hard karaoke fans can spend a lot less on a yearly StarMaker membership that gives access to all the songs in the free app and still have money left over to invest in a worthwhile Bluetooth speaker.