I LOVE my JBL speakers almost as much as my toy collection. I probably have at least one from every series, going all the way back to the very first JBL Micro I got in 2012.
I wake up to the JBL Horizon 2, work with a PartyBox Club 120 playing in the background, and chill with the JBL Authentics in the bedroom.
But for all the love I have for JBL’s bigger and more powerful speakers, I have to say that one of its smallest devices has given me the most fun-and it’s not even a speaker.
I’m talking about the JBL EasySing Mic Mini Duo.
It was launched on my birthday, and I promised myself I’d get one. I finally did last month, and since then I’ve spent far too many nights behind closed doors, losing my voice to late-night solo videoke sessions.
I’d like to think there are two kinds of Filipinos: those who can sing and those who think they can sing.
I belong to a third group-the ones who know they can’t sing but refuse to let that stop them.
Some people scream or shout when they’re depressed, angry or emotional. Me? I grab a microphone and wail. And now that I’m living alone, let’s just say it’s happening a lot more frequently.
Fortunately, the neighbors haven’t complained. Yet.
SMALL MIC, BIG AMBITIONS
JBL actually released two EasySing form factors.
There’s the JBL EasySing Mic, which looks like the traditional wireless microphone we’re familiar with. Then there’s the much smaller JBL EasySing Mic Mini, available as a single-microphone package for ?8,999 or as the Mini Duo for ?12,999, which gives you two microphones.
Now, ?12,999 might sound expensive for a pair of tiny mics. But remember when dedicated videoke machines could cost several times that amount? You got thousands of songs but were still stuck with whatever was in the songbook. Want newer songs? You’d have to wait-and pay-for an update.
Then YouTube changed everything. Search for practically any song followed by ‘karaoke’ or ‘minus one,’ and chances are somebody has uploaded one.
The JBL EasySing Mic Mini goes one better.
It can turn the regular songs you already listen to into karaoke tracks with the press of a button.
JBL calls it AI Vocal Removal. Instead of requiring a specially prepared karaoke track, the EasySing processes the music you’re playing and reduces the original singer’s vocals in real time.
There are four levels so you can leave some of the original vocal when you need help or crank the removal all the way up and take over completely.
No songbook. No hunting for a decent minus-one version or settling for MIDI. Your Spotify, YouTube or music library effectively becomes your songbook.
And as I found out, AI Vocal Removal can be surprisingly good.
But karaoke isn’t the EasySing Mini Duo’s only trick. Remove the mic handles, attach the included magnetic clips and these tiny microphones can double as wireless clip-on mics for content creation, interviews, livestreaming and recording.
Plug the receiver into a compatible phone or laptop and you’ve essentially transformed your karaoke mics into a two-person wireless microphone system.
That’s something I certainly wasn’t expecting to be as good when I bought them primarily to embarrass myself singing power ballads.
WHAT’S INSIDE THE TINY MICS?
EACH JBL EasySing Mic Mini weighs only 37 grams. The Duo package includes two microphones, the wireless AI dongle/receiver, charging case, two magnetic ring handles, two magnetic clips and a carrying pouch.
The microphones use a 2.4GHz wireless connection to communicate with the dongle, while Bluetooth 5.3 handles compatible audio connections.
You’ll need to download the JBL One app first to access features like High-Pitch Voice Boost, natural reverb, microphone EQ, pitch and AI Vocal Removal settings.
Taking the microphones and dongle out of the charging case automatically powers them on. Put them back and they switch off and begin charging.
Perhaps the most important thing to know is that each microphone can last up to six hours. And if you’ve been singing for six straight hours, battery life is probably the least of your problems.
WHAT JBL SPEAKERS CAN YOU USE?
THE JBL EasySing Mic Mini Duo doesn’t simply work through the microphone input of a karaoke speaker. Its AI dongle is effectively the brains connecting the microphones, music source and speaker.
Officially supported JBL portable speakers include the JBL Go 5, Grip, Flip 7, Charge 6, Xtreme 5 and Boombox 4.
It also works with JBL PartyBox models, although the connection method varies depending on the generation. Newer models can connect through USB, while older PartyBoxes can use the EasySing’s AUX connection.
For this review, I’ve been using the JBL Charge 6.
PAIRING THE EASYSING MIC
THE first time I tried connecting everything, I instinctively expected to pair the microphones through Bluetooth. That’s not how it works.
First, update your speaker to the latest firmware through the JBL app. Then turn on the JBL Charge 6 and remove the EasySing microphones and dongle from their charging case.
Press and hold the Play button on the speaker while inserting the EasySing Mic dongle into its USB-C port. Wait for the confirmation tone and for the dongle’s indicator light to turn solid.
Then connect your phone normally to the JBL Charge 6 via Bluetooth and start playing music.
That’s it. Your phone sends the music to the JBL Charge 6, while the EasySing microphones communicate wirelessly with the dongle plugged into the speaker.
And now comes the fun part.
MAKE ALMOST ANY SONG A KARAOKE SONG
START playing the original version of your song-not a karaoke track-and activate Vocal Removal. You can cycle through 0, 25, 50 and 100 percent, progressively reducing the lead vocal until you’re left with something resembling a minus-one track.
At 0 percent, you’re singing along with the artist.
At 25 or 50 percent, the original singer remains audible enough to act as your guide-which, in my case, can be extremely helpful.
At 100 percent, you’re on your own.
God help everyone within hearing distance.
KARAOKE IN YOUR POUCH, OR BAG?
TECHNICALLY, you don’t need a big JBL speaker to use the EasySing Mic Mini Duo-unless you really want to do serious damage to the music industry.
The tiny JBL Go 5 is currently the smallest portable JBL speaker officially compatible with EasySing and probably the closest you can get to putting an entire videoke setup inside a small bag or pouch.
But karaoke is one of those activities where you eventually want more volume, especially once someone grabs the second mic and your supposedly intimate singing session starts attracting an audience.
Then there are the JBL Party Boxes.
My JBL PartyBox Club 120 has 160W of output, dual mic inputs and its own light show, making it the obvious choice for an actual party. The problem is that it weighs 11.05kg. It’s portable in the sense that you can carry it somewhere, but it’s certainly not fitting in any bag.
That’s why I think the JBL Charge 6 might be the sweet spot for the EasySing Mic Mini Duo.
It weighs just under a kilogram but gives you a 30W woofer and 15W tweeter for 45W of total output-enough volume and bass to make singing feel like karaoke rather than two people shouting over a tiny Bluetooth speaker.
It also has up to 24 hours of playback, stretchable to 28 hours using Playtime Boost. Considering the EasySing microphones are rated for six hours, the Charge 6 is unlikely to be the first thing begging for a charger during a videoke marathon.
For outdoor use, it’s IP68 water- and dust-resistant, drop-proof and has a detachable carrying strap.
So while the JBL Go 5 wins if you want the smallest karaoke setup possible, and a PartyBox is still what I’d choose for a proper gathering, the JBL Charge 6 lands comfortably in between.
Small enough for one person to bring anywhere, it’s also powerful enough that you’ll probably end up sharing the microphones.
And that’s when the EasySing Mic Mini Duo starts becoming dangerous.
Because karaoke was never meant to be a solitary activity.