GoKawiil8.2 / 10 Score Cnet Score CNET provides expert, unbiased reviews of products and services. When we assign a score, we use a scale of 1-10. Each product we score is evaluated by criteria specific to its category with most assessing pricing, quality, features and performance. Read more on: How we test HiBy M500 x Hatsune Miku $319 at HiBy Pros Great overall design
A little anime friend
Volume wheel Cons Not for you if you're not into the kawaii aesthetic
No way to lock the buttons/volume
Are you cute enough for this? (Miku would say yes)
This artist has played at Coachella, and is currently appearing "live" in a town near you. It's virtual Japanese pop idol Hatsune Miku. You might not have heard of Miku, but it (I'm just not comfortable calling it "she") is popular across music, games and more. For the fans, the HiBy M500 x Hatsune Miku is a digital audio player with the same bright colors and overall aesthetic. The collaboration goes to more than colors, with an animated and occasionally vocal Miku offering some adorable and unique flair.
Thankfully, for people who aren't necessarily familar with Hatsune Miku's work, the M500 is also a solid mid-level audio player, with Cirrus Logic DACs, decent amp power and a fast-enough processor that makes it work smoothly. Running a modified version of Android 14, you can even install all your streaming music and other apps. The kawaii aesthetic is probably not for everyone, but HiBy did a good job with the collab/license with this well-performing and beautifully colorful media player.
HiBy M500 x Hatsune Miku DAC Cirrus Logic CS43198 x2 Headphone amp power 124mW (3.5mm output, claimed), 449mw (4.4mm output, claimed) High-res compatible Up to 32bit/768kHz Bluetooth version 5.0 Bluetooth codecs AAC, aptX HD, LDAC (plus the required SBC) File formats AAC, AIFF, FLAC, MP3, OGG, WAV, WMA, M4A, others Wireless 2.4 and 5 Ghz Wi-Fi, 4G version available Storage 64 GB plus MicroSD (up to 2TB) Battery life 26h playback, 558+ standby (claimed) USB DAC mode No (USB-C audio out) Screen 5-inch, 1,280x720 resolution OS HiByOS (modified Android14)
Perhaps we should start with who, or what, Hatsune Miku is. Despite being a self-professed weeb (and fully aware that's a pejorative), this was not an area of weebdom I was familiar with. Miku is a "virtual idol" and "vocaloid." Using software originally developed by Yamaha, Japan's Crypton Future Media developed Miku as the "face" of what's basically a voice synthesizer that can also sing. While ostensibly an animated mascot, Miku has a "life" of its own, with concerts (via "hologram"), music collaborations, and more. "She" also performed on David Letterman with the band Bighead.
Miku is not AI, though there are some similarities, and there certainly could be an AI version. Instead, it's a surprisingly widespread and popular brand, all featuring the teal pigtailed Miku. Given HiBy's excellent job with the Evangelion license (Ok, now we're back in my weeb neighborhood… weeborhood?) with the R4 x Evangelion, I was certainly curious about this pairing.
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