The future is very much upon us. Hi-fi is no longer the complex, inaccessible beast it once was. Wires, being confined to a single space and bulky, unattractive systems with great sound but low functionality are slowly but surely becoming a thing of the past. As technology improves, so do the possibilities that you can have your hi-fi cake, and eat it to!

I’m talking, quite specifically, about having a system which can stream seamless wireless in multiple rooms, without any sacrifice required on sound, and without the clunky functionality. I’m talking, very specifically, about a system that doesn’t simply limit itself to a system of wireless speakers, as previous multiroom systems have.

I’m talking about the alternative that you’d expect to buy for multiroom. I’m talking about…

Yamaha MusicCast

Now, multi-room isn’t exactly new. But there are a few things Yamaha’s new system does that the existing systems do not! For instance: it isn’t limited to speakers. Nope. The MusicCast range is available on all sorts of seperates and devices, from AV receivers through to soundbars, even blu-ray players and full hi-fi systems! All will work together beautifully, and all are designed to offer the kind of multi-room system you need for your lifestyle. All that the devices need to do to work together is connect to the same wi-fi network.

Not too difficult, really!

Yamaha have been working on this for years, and it’s finally ripe and ready for public consumption. Stream audio from anywhere to anywhere, using any network storage device or streamer – including your mobile phone. Apple’s Airplay and Google Cast tried what Yamaha have now succeeded in doing: creating a  completely versatile and customisable multi-room experience that can be controlled by one easy-to-use omnipotent app.

Right, now that’s out of the way, let’s move onto the fun stuff…

What has MusicCast?

Yamaha have released an entire range, all of which has the ability to work together and be controlled room-by-room by one app. It’s all pretty nifty. And we mentioned before, this stands out from its competitors due to its unlimited nature.

Allow me to demonstrate. Remember, each item listed below will stream to any other device with MusicCast, as long as they are all occupying the same network. Capiche?

The Pre Amp

We could probably talk about this AV pre-amp: the CX-A5100 all day if that were possible! But for the sake of being succinct, we will keep it brief. This is an 11.2 channel Yamaha AV Pre Amplifier which sits at the pinnacle of the Aventage Series. It has a high rigidity chassis, ESS DACs and a reliable balanced connection. Absolute quality and realism, with stunning sound quality… and Musiccast. Can’t forget that!

The AV Receivers

There’s quite a few of these to chose from, but it’s worth noting that they are all 5.1 channel (bar the RX-AS710D which is 7.2). and all have the MusicCast capability. It’s probably easier if we just list from here…

RX-A550 is designed for high sound quality, the AVENTAGE Network AV Receiver features Anti-Resonance Technology and a high grade aluminium front panel. Advanced features include HDMI for 4K Ultra HD content support, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth playback support.

RX-S601D is slim and compact and features a DAB/DAB+ tuner for digital broadcasts and offers integrated Bluetooth and Wi-Fi compatibility alongside High-Resolution audio playback support and 4K Ultra HD pass-through compatible with HDCP2.2.

RX-S601 is also slim and compact and offers integrated Bluetooth and Wi-Fi compatibility alongside High-Resolution audio playback support and 4K Ultra HD pass-through compatible with HDCP2.2.

RX-A550 is designed for high sound quality. It features Anti-Resonance Technology and a high grade aluminium front panel. It includes HDMI for 4K Ultra HD content support, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth playback support.

RX-AS710D is actually 7.2, while the others only offer 5.1. It is made for premium sound quality with Anti-Resonance Technology and a high-grade aluminium front panel. It features a DAB/DAB+ tuner for digital broadcasts, built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, 4K Ultra HD compatible HDMI with HDCP2.2 and Versatile Zone Control.

The Network Receiver

Only one this time! The R-N602A high sound quality 2 channel network receiver. It supports DSD 5.6MHz reproduction and is pack with network functions, offering unlimited enjoyment of many different sound sources, including hi-res sources, smartphones and all the streaming services. Spotify, anyone?

The Sound Projectors/Bases

In this hugely popular genre of gi-fi, you have three options (well, four technically).

YSP-5600SW is a 7.1.2 channel digital sound projector with subwoofer. But if you don’t feel like it needs it. It is also available without the subwoofer.

SRT-1500 5 beam 5.1 channel digital sound base, which works by projection the sound. It is HDCP2.2 compliant. HDMI supports 4K Ultra HD input.

The Speakers

And now we enter slightly more traditional territory.

ISX-80 serves as a networked Wireless Speaker as well as stunning wall art, which streams music from your portable device via bluetooth or wifi and can also stream to other MusicCast devices.

NX-N500 are active, which means they are equipped with the amplifier network functionality. An all-in-one bookshelf Hi-Fi speaker with serious streaming capabilities.

 WX-030 is a wifi-enabled network streaming speaker, so compact you can put it just about anywhere for instant listening (even on walls!)

The Mini Hi-fi Systems

There are two options for a mini hi-fi system with inbuilt MusicCast.

MCR-N870D is premium quality mini hi-fi System which includes a DAB and USB DAC capability. It works together beautifully to creates a rich and luxurious musical space(s).

MCR-N670D is another premium Mini Hi-Fi System with just the DAB.

 The Packs

Can’t decide what to start with? Well, there would be a trick missing if it wasn’t possible to buy these in packages! For a complete multi-room streaming solution, it’s worth looking at…

Duett  the SP-1600 soundbar with the WX-030 wireless speakers.

Duo the WX-030 soundbar along with the ISX-80 wireless speakers.

Trio the YSP-1600 soundbar along with the ISX-80 and WX-030.

… phew! And that is the MusicCast range… so far! We predict there will be far more as time goes on, and as long as it is MusicCast, they will be compatible with one another.  Yes, multi-room is nothing new. But Yamaha’s approach certainly is!

Got any questions? Then give us a shout! We’ve fully educated ourselves on this wonderful new multi-room alternative, and we’ll be happy to fill in the blanks.