This Party Speaker Can Turn Any Song Into a Karaoke Track
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The Good
- AI vocal removal feature works well
- Comes with two Bluetooth microphones
- Maximum volume of 108dB
- Bass boost option
- Useful control media panel on speaker
- AUX hook up for guitar or extra microphone
- IPX4 water resistance makes it useful outdoors
The Bad- No easy way to play with lyrics on a TV
- No wheels means not very portable
- 200W of output power means weaker sub-bass and more distortion at high volumes than competition
- Bluetooth microphone has a faint airy background sound
Table of Contents
It sounds like a kid's science fiction dream, but Soundcore actually made it into a reality: you can play any song on the Soundcore Rave 3S speaker and it will use AI to remove the vocals and turn it into a karaoke track.
It's not quite as high tech as it sounds: The AI feature will try its best to dampen the vocals by messing with the EQ, as opposed to stripping them out entirely. Still, for karaoke die-hards like myself, this is still a dream come true. Too many times I've been stuck singing along to crappy karaoke version of songs on YouTube, if I can find a version without vocals at all. But now you can actually sing to the (altered )official version of basically any song. Bliss.
But how does the rest of the speaker fare? And is it worth the $350 asking price, or should you go with the equally priced Ikarao Shell S1 instead? After spending a few hours putting it, and my vocal cords, through their paces, I came away fairly impressed.
My first impressions of the Soundcore Rave 3S speaker
The speaker looks big at a glance, but when placed next to my personal favorite part speaker, the JBL PartyBox Stage 320, I realized it's actually on the smaller side. No sooner had I plugged it in and set it up with the companion app, the speaker received an over-the-air firmware update , so it's good to know Soundcore is on to of fixing bugs as they appear—at least so far.
My other first impression wasn't as positive: Feedback is an issue when the mic is at high volume and you're close to the speaker, which is something that I didn't experience with the PartyBox Stage 320 (which, to be fair, is twice the price).
Testing the AI "vocal removal" feature
The first thing I did (once the feedback quieted down), was try the voice removal AI feature. I spun up Spotify and put a playlist on shuffle to try out as many different genres of music as possible.
Before I jump into the results, let me reiterate: The speaker isn't "removing" the vocals via by AI magic. Rather, the AI detects the vocals and adjusts the EQ to lower the volume while trying its best to keep the rest of the track from being altered. On most tracks, you can still hear the vocals faintly in the background, but they'll be overshadowed by anyone singing over them with the mic.
The effect isn't perfect. Some songs sound muddy after the vocals are altered—The Cure's "Friday I'm In Love," for example, started suffering from distortion as soon as Robert Smith's voice would've kicked in. It seems the AI has a hard time distinguishing between the vocals and certain instruments—at times, you can actually hear as the EQ adjusts itself to mute the vocals.
It's an intermittent issue, and other songs, like "Virtual Insanity" by Jamiroquai, sound pretty excellent with vocals subdued, with the effect approximating an instrumental version of the track. (This may have to do with the fact I was playing a high quality, remastered version of the song, so the AI had an easier time separating the vocals—but that's just a guess.)
When playing songs where the lead vocal and choruses are sung together, the AI is not always consistent about whether it will remove the primary vocal or not, which didn't really bother me, but is worth noting.
A true instrumental track will always sound better that one with muted vocals. However, this solution is far preferable to the budge-sounding karaoke tracks I've found on YouTube (it's still the original backing track, after all). And it's definitely better than not being able to sing your favorite song at all because there's no karaoke version on YouTube.
The microphone isn't great
The speaker comes with two Bluetooth microphones, which require two AA batteries and which neatly slide into the sides of the speaker for storage. They feature controls for the speaker's volume as well as the AI vocal removal feature—there's a button to turn the AI vocal removal feature on and off, or adjust it using four options.
The microphone has a faint, airy background sound anytime it transmits audio through the speaker, and some distortion that is more evident when sustaining long notes (no, it's not me singing out of tune). I also noticed some audio dropout when singing softly or moving slowly away from the mic. When connecting my wired mic to the speaker, I didn't experience any of these minor issues, and I could still use the speaker features on the non-Soundcore wired mic. It's something to keep in mind if you don't already own a good microphone.
How the Rave 3S performs as an outdoor speaker
I took the Rave 3S out to the same soccer field where test of my outdoor speakers in order to gauge the maximum output while hosting a gathering of 15 players with Street FC. The 200W power output that was overpowering in my living room and office was not as impressive outdoors. The maximum output is lacking in comparison to the Shell S1's 280 W, as well as the 240 W from the PartyBox 320. This is really only noticeable at max volume, and mainly in the bass and sub-bass range. It lacks some depth and experiences distortion when playing at its highest volume. However, it still filled the field with sound decently enough.
The companion app is useful
The companion Soundcore app is user-friendly and responsive—it's one of the best such apps I've used, even beating some for pricier, higher-end speakers. The connection is fast and solid, and doesn't disconnect after I lock my phone. You can use the app to turn the AI Vocal Removal on and off, adjust reverb for the microphones, boost the bass, and turn on a Vocal Enhancer feature that changes the sound of the mic (with options for neutral, warm, presence, and bright).
It also has the most detailed EQ settings I've ever seen on a Bluetooth speaker. If you like, you can really get granular, tweaking different settings and saving your work as a preset option.
Spatial audio is more than a gimmick
Spatial Audio is another interesting feature that sounds like a gimmick, but which actually works well. The instructions tell you to lie the speaker down horizontally, which will make the audio sound like it is coming from "all directions."
While I wouldn't go that far, with Spatial Audio engaged, the mids do pop out more, resulting in a richer, fuller, more detailed sound.
The bottom line
Soundcore has done a great job with the Rave 3S, and it will thrill a lot of karaoke aficionados (as it should). The AI Vocal Removal feature, while not perfect, unlocks the door to many song possibilities that did not exist previously, and that alone is enough to earn my recommendation. The 200 W of power and maximum volume of 108dB are enough for most indoor scenarios, but it definitely struggles a bit outdoors, and it can sound a bit distorted at max volumes.
I wish it had wheels to make it more portable, and a feature to easily cast the lyrics to a TV would've been nice—the point of a karaoke speaker is to get the whole party involved. The best you can do is use a long AUX cable to connect the speaker to your TV, so you can play YouTube karaoke tracks with lyrics—the AI Vocal Removal will still work, but it's a cumbersome process. In short, it's a leap forward, but I'm still waiting for the karaoke party speaker of my dreams.
The $350 price is fair, and it gives my previously uncontested choice for the best karaoke speaker, the Ikarao Shell S1, something to sweat over. If most of your karaoke choices aren't on YouTube, the Rave 3S is a great option. If you want something smaller and more portable, the Shell S1 is a better choice.
Soundcore Rave 3S specs
Battery Life: Up to 12 hours of continuous playtime at 50% volume with BassUp and light effects turned off
Connectivity: Supports Bluetooth 5.3
Inputs: Equipped with a 3.5mm AUX input and a 6.5mm combo port that accepts both guitar and microphone inputs, and USB-C charger
App: Soundcore app, which allows customization of lighting effects, AI Vocal Removal, vocal enhancements, reverb effects, and custom EQ settings
Drivers: Features a 6.5-inch woofer and three 2.5-inch full-range drivers, covering a frequency range of 40Hz to 20kHz
Power Output: Delivers up to 200W of powerful sound and volume of 108dB
Water Resistance: Rated IPX4, making it splashproof and suitable for outdoor environments
Size: 11.14 inches (W) x 21.65 inches (H) x 12.05 inches (D)
Weight: 19.84 lbs
Daniel is a Staff Writer for Lifehacker. He served in the U.S. Navy, where he reached the rank of Petty Officer 3rd Class as a Logistic Specialist and was awarded a Navy Community Service Medal and Navy Letter of Commendation for his exemplary service aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier. He earned his bachelor's in Environmental Science from the University of California, Davis, and earned his master’s degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Daniel was a business reporter for the Miami Herald before joining Lifehacker. He lives in Atlanta, GA.
