Christmas lights have been packed away, the last mince pie has been scavenged from the kitchen and only the weird chocolates that no one likes are still hanging around the tin. Now we are into Dry January, “new year new me” social media posts and everyone being earnest about the coming 12 months.
January feels like it is approximately 25 weeks long. Remember this feeling for next year and plan ahead, particularly if you have young children in the family.
By “in the family”, I mean ones who are related to you but don’t necessarily live in your house. Because this week’s review product is great fun but you might not enjoy it in close quarters. Buy it for someone else and you have all the fun of watching its impact, with the safety net of being able to leave when you have had enough.
I’m talking about a karaoke speaker. Specifically, a karaoke speaker aimed at younger children. My First Voice 2 is a wireless speaker and microphone, with voice effects that turn your young child’s sweet tones into a dinosaur, a baby, a cat and so on.
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Imagine how much fun it would be to be woken up at the crack of dawn on a Saturday morning by your child belting out Taylor Swift, but sounding like a T-Rex. It is something everyone should experience at least once in their life.
The speaker itself is very child-friendly. Small yet easy to use, MyFirst has kept everything as simple as possible.
On start-up, it immediately kicks in to pairing mode so you can connect a phone or other wireless music source. Controls are equally simple and there is no app to deal with either. All the controls are on the device, from the volume and echo sliders on the microphone to the power and playback buttons on the speaker.
You can also use the power button on the microphone to cycle through the different voice effects.
The good thing about the MyFirst Voice 2 is that not only does the wireless speaker have a rechargeable battery – USB C, so you can’t lose the cable – it is small enough and light enough to carry almost everywhere.
The microphone is also rechargeable, and it comes pre-linked to the speaker, so the recipient of your gift – and their grateful parents – will be able to start hammering out the tunes immediately, with a backing track supplied from one of the many digital services we have all signed up to.
It is louder than you might expect, given its small size, so you will always be able to hear the speaker when it is in use, unless your home is palatial and you are hiding – sorry, busy – elsewhere.
The volume knob on the side of the speaker means your child can control the volume themselves, giving them a level of independence that I’m sure that everyone in earshot will appreciate.
The wireless mic has a range of about 10 metres in theory, but the connection can falter if there is a lot of interference, such as thick walls or plenty of electrical items in the vicinity.
A word of warning though: don’t leave the mic switched on too close to the speaker when turning on or off the speaker. The feedback screech will be uncomfortable, to say the least.
Should you lose the original mic, don’t despair: you can buy a replacement, or just an extra mic, from MyFirst’s website for surprisingly little. Sure, you risk a tussle over the lead vocal role, but the band can keep playing and isn’t that the important thing?
There is an aux input on the back of the device that wouldn’t work with a plug-in microphone during this test, but it comes in handy if you want to play music through the speaker from a non-wireless source. Admittedly, these are becoming increasingly rare these days, but you never know when you might need it.
You can also use the MyFirst Voice 2 as a wireless speaker by itself, without the microphone, using your phone or other Bluetooth device as the music source. A second option is the external storage card slot on the back – put your preferred music on the card and access it directly on the speaker, freeing you up from the requirement of an internet connection. MyFirst has thought of every eventuality for this speaker’s use.
A wholesome activity the entire family can enjoy.
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Good
Child-friendly device and easy to manage controls, the MyFirst Voice 2 speaker is a good gift for music-loving children. It doesn’t tie them into an app for basic functions, and it won’t ask you to set up an account to use it.
The speaker itself is decent quality and loud, and the mic has a good range.
Bad
The speaker is loud and the mic has a good range. If the PlayDoh or Kinetic Sand didn’t push the recipient’s parents over the edge though, you might just come through this one with your relationship intact.
Everything else
It can be used as a stand-alone wireless speaker, and has the option for multiple inputs – wireless, aux connections and memory card.
Battery life is decent at six hours for the microphone. The speaker will need recharging after almost two hours at full volume but it can be used while plugged in and charging.
Verdict
Great fun and an ideal present for children. The adults have yet to weigh in on the matter.
