HiBy R4 x Evangelion Digital Audio Player Review: Your Own Personal Eva (That Plays MP3s)

In today's era of streaming, I'd be surprised if anyone interested in anime has missed Neon Genesis Evangelion. It's widely considered one of the best anime of all time, and has been rehashed and reimagined multiple times in the 30 years since its first release. This is, to my knowledge, the first Evangelion-themed digital media player ever. HiBy, a maker of DMPs, headphones and other portable audio gear, has absolutely nailed its design. Based on its cyberpunk-inspired R4 player, the R4 x Evangelion sports thematic colors and a customized re-skin of Android 12, executed with impressive detail.

At its core, this player is essentially an R4, with the associated advantages and drawbacks. It boasts impressive audio hardware, including Class A amplification, a fast Snapdragon SoC, an ESS DAC, a 4,500-mAh battery and a 4.7-inch display. As a result, this is a relatively hefty and bulky portable player, not significantly different from the base R4, yet nearly 30% more expensive. However, if you're a fan of Evangelion, $70 is worth it for a great and gorgeous audio player.

Read more: Best MP3 Players of 2024

Hardware

The green stripes in the upper left light up. That block sticks out slightly so there's less contact when you put it on a flat surface. The regular R4 has a similar design but with different colors (and no Eva/NERV graphics).

Geoffrey Morrison/CNET DAC: ESS ES9018C2M  High-res compatible: Up to 32bit/768kHz Bluetooth codecs: aptX, aptX HD, AAC, LDAC File formats: DSD, FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AAC, MP3, others Storage: 64 GB plus microSD (up to 2TB) USB DAC mode: Yes Screen: 4.7-inch, 750x1334 resolution OS: Android 12

While I admire the design of the R4 x Evangelion, beneath the surface lies a highly capable audio player. It's mostly HiBy's R4. While the DAC converts your audio, the TI OPA1652 and OPA1612 amps amplify it. Power is a claimed 165mW for the 3.5mm output, 500mW for the 4.4 balanced output. This is less than what you'd get in a portable headphone amp but more than most media players offer, especially at this HiBy's price

The 4,500-mAh battery is sizable and boasts 15 hours of battery life. That comes across in use, feeling far longer-lived than smaller players like the Sony NW-A306. The 64GB of internal storage is quite generous -- double that of the original R4 -- but most buyers will likely add an affordable microSD card, which slots in on the side. Or, alternately, because it's Android 12, you can install whatever streaming apps you want, like Spotify, Tidal or Qobuz. 

There are a few other differences between the Eva edition and the standard R4, beyond just the cosmetics and interface. These include 4GB of RAM in the Eva compared to 3GB in the standard R4, along with a slightly higher resolution screen on the Eva. Plus, HiBy claims to have optimized the amps on the Eva for better battery life, which is reflected in an additional four hours of runtime. Not huge changes, but more than just cosmetic for sure.

The biggest drawback of the R4, and by extension the R4 x Evangelion, is its size. Its height (5.1 inches) and width (2.7 inches) make it the size of a small phone, and nearly twice as thick. At 231 grams, the HiBy is a few grams heavier than the far larger Pixel 9 Pro XL or iPhone 16 Pro Max. This is likely due to its extensive use of aluminum. 

Usability

Both 3.5mm and balanced 4.4mm outputs.

Geoffrey Morrison/CNET

Kudos to HiBy for making even the unboxing of the R4 x Evangelion feel special. The box is fully Evangelion-inspired in terms of graphics and colors. Included is a clear silicone case and a lanyard with Emergency graphics from the show. Even the included USB-C cable comes in a custom box adorned with themed iconography and labeled "Electricity Supply." It's all well done and feels special, which is exactly what you'd want in a branded, limited edition product. I've reviewed far more expensive products which don't put in a fraction of the effort HiBy has here.

This attention to detail continues once you start using the R4 x Evangelion. The company has heavily modified the Android interface so that nearly everything you do feels like it could be part of the Evangelion universe. The lock screen and menus all have Evangelion-inspired colors and designs. Even little things, like adjusting the volume, reveal modified graphics. If media players existed in 1995, it'd be totally believable that main character Shinji would broodingly listen to music on the R4 x Evangelion or Asuka would listen to something… intense. The photo gallery is preloaded with some screenshots from the show, though they're not what I would have picked as examples of inspiration. If you don't know the show, these will seem pretty weird.

Track control buttons, plus the power button (orange).

Geoffrey Morrison/CNET

Thanks to the larger screen and much faster processor, navigating and using the R4 x Evangelion is noticeably smoother and less frustrating than the Sony NW-A306. It basically feels like you're using a decent Android phone. The volume buttons are on the left, while play/pause, rewind and fast-forward are under the power button on the right. The layout of the HiByMusic app is pretty straightforward, offering fast access to however you want to find music, including an actual search option. When a track is playing, you can easily view the sampling rate, bit depth and bit rate, along with additional details like file type and size.

Most importantly, at least to me as an owner of an NW-A306, the R4 x Evangelion turns on quickly from fully off. It even rewards you with more Evangelion artwork while it boots up. Compare that to the A306 which, once you press the button to turn it on, is fully usable sometime after the heat death of the universe.

Sound

It's not just the lock screen that's customized. This, the main homepage screen, and many others are also modified to evoke Evangelion.

Geoffrey Morrison/CNET

If you're a fan of equalization, there are two elaborate options built into the R4 x Evangelion. A graphical parametric EQ option lets you set nine bands with variable frequency and Q. These are represented in real time on the graph, making it easy to understand what you're tweaking. The second EQ is HiBy's MSEB, which has less obvious filters with names like "bass texture" "overall temperature" and "note thickness." Using sliders, you can adjust these to change the sound in different ways. Personally, I'm not a big fan of EQs, but it's all here if you want to tinker with it. 

The EQ settings can be found in the Audio section within the overall settings menu. If you're using wired headphones, it's crucial to check this area, as it includes the Gain setting, which can be adjusted to low, medium or high. If you're using big, power-hungry headphones, you'll want to kick this up to high. If you're using more efficient headphones, you can leave it on low. That way, if you accidentally crank up the volume while a track is paused or your earphones aren't in your ears, you don't eviscerate your eardrums when you hit play.

The HiBy R4 Evangelion with the Sony NW-A306 and Pixel 9 Pro (not XL).

HiBy R4 Evangelion/CNET

Sound-wise, I found the R4 x Evangelion offers plenty of power to drive even big, over-ear planar magnetic Audeze LCD-3s to an unsafely high listening volume. The HiBy struggled a little at that maximum level, with a slightly weaker bass and harsher treble, issues it didn't have at more reasonable volume levels. Sure, a dedicated portable amp may provide more power, but it feels unnecessary since the R4 can already drive nearly any headphone on the market to volumes that aren't safe for extended listening.

For comparison, I played the same track with the same headphones on the Sony NW-A306. I was able to get a volume that was fine for a quiet room, but far from what anyone would call "loud." That is, the Sony's volume was far lower than what I got from the R4 x Evangelion. It was the same story with a pair of the cheaper, though still somewhat difficult to drive, HiFiMan Sundaras. These were listenable with the A306, but I was constantly trying to turn up the volume, without success.

Some of the modified screens in the R4 x Evangelion.

HiBy

The Shanling M0s fared a bit better than the Sony, powering the Sundaras to a comfortably loud volume, though above what you should listen to for any length of time. This was about as loud as the R4 at a volume level of 85, meaning the R4 can go even higher. At that level, the Sundaras felt more controlled when powered by the R4, with tighter and slightly enhanced bass.

At the other end of the size spectrum, I connected some Meze Advar IEMs. Even with the gain set to low, the R4 x Evangelion was able to easily power these to extreme volume levels. Playing back a 192 kHz, 24-bit FLAC version of "On The Road To Find Out" from Cat Stevens' Tea for the Tillerman, the R4 let the Advars reveal all the delicate highs and deep bass they're capable of.

Evangelion Unit-R4

Evangelion designs on the lock screen. The light in the upper right changes color depending on the file format and sampling frequency of what's playing.

Geoffrey Morrison/CNET

I'm impressed that a small company like HiBy has pulled off such a fantastic branded re-skin of a product. Starting with the cyberpunkian R4, the company picked the perfect colors and then went all-out on the various menus and graphics. It's all spot-on for any Evangelion fan. I wish more companies would perform this level of customization with the Android interface. The OS is the aspect you interact with the most, so why not make it fun like this? 

There are two points that are worth noting. If you're not a fan of "Neon Genesis Evangelion" and don't care for the color scheme and menus, there's a $70 premium over the base R4. The regular R4 may operate slightly less smoothly due to having 1GB less RAM and offers 11 hours of playback compared to the Eva's 15. Is the $70 price difference worth it? For me, yes, because the Eva's design is outstanding. To non-NGE folks just looking for a decent player, the standard R4 is likely fine. It still has the same overall sci-fi design, which I think is superb -- but maybe you're not as cool as I am (and by "cool" I mean nerdy).

In terms of its place among portable media players, the R4 x Evangelion excels in hardware performance and outstanding visual design. However, it's a notably large and fairly heavy device. Carrying it and a phone would easily fill up your pockets. Given the HiBy's capabilities, I don't think that's necessarily a deal breaker, but it is worth noting. There are certainly plenty of tiny options that can disappear in a pocket if that's what you want. The R4 x Evangelion is more of a statement or conversation piece for that intersection of audiophile and anime fan. A big purple and green device on a desk is bound to catch attention and spark conversations like, "What is that?" or "Is that a purple iPod?" and even, "Do you think the Rebuild films were better, worse, or just different from the original series?" You know, the usual questions.

As well as covering audio and display tech, Geoff does photo tours of cool museums and locations around the world, including nuclear submarines, aircraft carriers, medieval castles, epic 10,000-mile road trips and more.

Also, check out Budget Travel for Dummies, his travel book, and his bestselling sci-fi novel about city-size submarines. You can follow him on Instagram and YouTube.