Yamaha breathes new life in the MusicCast wireless audio system with a relaunch involving integration in over 20 products, including Aventage and RX-V receivers, soundbars, monitors and dedicated speakers.
Launched back in 2003, the original MusicCast involved a great concept-- a CD-ripping music server with wireless client speakers and ethernet connectivity-- but lacked essential features such as compatibility with PCs and music streaming services. MusicCast 2015 aims to solve such issues, as it supports streaming from networks and smartphones as well as services such as Pandora, Spotify, Rhapsody and Sirius XM.
The system also adds one feature currently unavailable in Sonos and Denon HEOS sytems, namely high resolution music format support including Apple Lossless (24-bit/96 kHz), FLAC, AIFF and WAV (24-bit/192 kHz), and native DSD streams (up to 5.6 MHz). Streaming comes through wifi, while a mobile device (iOS, Android app) handles control.
Users can transmit any receiver input around the house, including HDMI sources.
The first MusicCast product is the WX-030-- an entry-level speaker with a 2-way design and a large passive radiator. Other MusicCast products to follow include the YSP-1600 and YSP-5600 soundbars and the slimline RX-S601 receiver.