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If you are looking for a karaoke machine, the growing popularity of karaoke in recent years has provided you with an abundance of choices. You now have choices in the type of machine, different features, many accessories, and a huge price range. In an effort to put aside some of the confusion, let's look at the top four karaoke machines in the market today.

1. The Microphone/Karaoke Machine

This is a handy, but very limited type of karaoke machine. Generally what you will find here is a microphone pre-loaded with about three dozen songs. You can also load it with additional MP3 song downloads. It plugs into your television, but there is no way to read any lyrics for your songs. So you get the background music to sing your karaoke, but not the lyrics.

2. MP3 Player/Ipod-style Karaoke Machine

This one is like your own personal little karaoke machine. The way it works is that it uses MP3 downloads. You input the music and the song lyrics into the machine. Then, the software lets you take off the original voice track.

You can now record your own voice over the music. You can also read the lyrics on your screen. Even though this one is small, there are some advantages to it. You can play any song as long as you can find an MP3 download for it, including brand new song releases that have not yet made their way to the karaoke CDs.

3. Portable All-In-One Karaoke Machine

This type of karaoke machine is one unit which includes the karaoke machine, the speakers, and the monitor. Variations in this stlye include monitor screens as small as 5 inches all the way up to a full-fledged 14 inch TV.

Some of them have a small video camera built in so that you can record your whole video show, not just the audio portion. You can hook up the ones with a video camera to your VCR and TV, and make a recording of your show. Even though this portable karaoke machine is considered all-in-one, it generally does not include any inbuilt karaoke songs.

You need to build your library of karaoke CDs to use in it. Plus, the larger ones are not as easily portable as the smaller ones. As with any style, there are advantages and disadvantages to these. And as the features vary so greatly, it is always a good idea to compare similar styles for specific features you are searching for.

4. TV Hook-Up Style Karaoke Machine

Some karaoke machines have the workings of the karaoke part in the machine, but then use your TV for the monitor (for the lyrics) and the speakers. Again, individual styles vary. Some of these can be very bulky. One of the most popular though, The SongStation Karaoke Machine, is the size of a DVD player.

Another variation is in the song selections. Most models of this style of karaoke machine require separate karaoke CDs, meaning you must build up your library to have songs to play. However, The SongStation Karaoke Machine includes 53,000 inbuilt songs.

In this category, for the nicest, most versatile system, with a long list of features, The SongStation Karaoke Machine is the ultimate in karaoke machine technology. However, you will find that it is also one of the best values you will find anywhere.