Vizio, a budget TV brand, is introducing a new product called the MicMe, which combines its existing soundbar technology with an external microphone station, designed for those who wish to enjoy a karaoke room experience at home. The product is geared towards individuals, particularly children, who might enjoy singing popular songs like “Hot to Go!” throughout the house.
Priced at $350, the MicMe sports a white finish and is reminiscent of Vizio’s 30-inch 2.1 Soundbar released earlier this year. It includes a small wireless subwoofer and a separate microphone stand complete with two wireless stick microphones and a charging base station. The ability to switch the soundbar to karaoke mode is triggered by picking up one of the microphones, which then plays sound from both the TV and the microphone. Users can control settings such as pitch correction, echo effects, and the color of the stick mic’s LEDs through the Vizio app. The MicMe, like other Vizio soundbars, supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X.
Alongside the MicMe, Vizio is promoting its Karaoke app for iOS and Android, which sources its song selection from the music streaming app Stingray. The karaoke app offers more than 80,000 tracks, although it is also compatible with other music streaming services like YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music.
The Stingray Karaoke site shows that the current genre selection in the app includes categories like “Pop,” “Rock,” “Christian,” and a variety of Disney songs, as well as movie soundtracks from films like “The Barbie Movie” and “The Greatest Showman.”
Each stick microphone has approximately eight hours of battery life, and they are designed to remain close to their base station. The MicMe soundbar is compatible with other TVs connected via eARC HDMI, though Vizio recommends it for use with their own TVs, supported by the “QuickFit” attachment system at the base of Vizio TVs.
The MicMe will start shipping towards the end of November. While there are no current evaluations of its sound quality compared to the 2.1 Soundbar, potential buyers are advised to consider the utility of the separate stick mics before purchase.