With the output set up, it's time to pick a song. You can sing along with the main vocals, or you can mute them out at the flip of a switch so only your voice is heard. Sound quality is good—at least as good as your speakers—when the song's original vocals are on. When you turn them off, the quality degrades to the point where it sounds as if the music's being played from under water. There's no precise way to strip out vocals from an existing track—typically for karaoke, a separate track is created without vocals. Results depend on how a song is mixed; on some tracks, I was able to hear background vocals and some of the lead vocals. In most cases, your singing should cover up any audio weirdness.

The iKaraoke has controls right on the mic. There's a vocals on/off switch, a play/pause button, and skip-track keys. The play/pause and skip track keys also control playback on your iPod. Holding the play/pause button down brings up the iKaraoke menu on your iPod's screen, where you can choose between FM frequency and line out modes, as well as specify the frequency you will be using. You can also adjust music volume and reverb (low, medium, high, and off). Reverb is a hallmark of karaoke; it creates an echo that fills out your voice and can disguise imperfections. I definitely sounded best with the reverb on high; when I turned it off completely my voice sounded very flat.

I tried the iKaraoke in two different environments. First, using the line-out mode at a birthday party held at a friend's apartment, and then in PC Magazine Labs using the Chestnut Hill Sound George's built-in radio to transmit over FM frequency. Both options worked well, aside from the occasional feedback. The line-out method works best if you have a long wire; otherwise you'll be too close to the speakers. The FM option gives you more room to rock, as you're not wired to the speakers, but it also eats up your iPod's battery life faster, because the iKaraoke is powered by your iPod.

The main feature missing from the iKaraoke is streaming lyrics, although there is a workaround. Lyrics can be inputted manually via iTunes (version 5 or later) by adding them to each MP3 file's ID3 tags. For a step-by-step explanation, visit Gearlog. To get the lyrics to appear on your fifth-gen iPod or second-gen nano, choose a song, then click the Select button until the lyrics appear—you'll have to scroll through yourself. It's also a good idea to set the backlight as "always on" so you can easily read the screen.

Despite a few flaws—sound-quality issues, lack of integrated lyrics, and occasional feedback, the iKaraoke provides a good singalong experience. For about 50 bucks, you get a small, ultraportable piece of equipment that requires no additional purchases. (Presumably, you already have an iPod and a music collection to work with.) The Griffin iKaraoke is an absolute must-have for karaoke lovers who also happen to have an iPod.

Griffin offers a one-year limited warranty on all products. For tech support visit: griffintechnology.com/support/ikaraoke