Yamaha amps up its MusicCast offerings with new speakers, amplifiers, sound bar

By Kris Wouk Published September 13, 2016

yamaha musiccast wx 010 wxa 50 wxc r n402 ysp 2700 now shipping — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Throughout the year, Yamaha has been hard at work, announcing a number of upcoming new additions to its MusicCast family of wireless multiroom A/V gear. Instead of releasing those products at a steady trickle, the company held back, aiming to release them all at once. That day has come. On Tuesday, the company announced that its WX-010 speaker, WXA-50 amplifier, WXC-50 preamplifier, R-N402 network stereo receiver, and YSP-2700 sound bar are all available for purchase.

“With our expanded lineup, Yamaha is creating more opportunities for music enthusiasts to bring MusicCast’s versatility and high-resolution audio performance to more rooms of the house,” Yamaha Corporation of America A/V division General Manager Bob Goedken said in a statement.

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Initially announced in July, the WX-010 is a smaller cousin of the WX-030, which happens to be the first MusicCast product Yamaha released. The new speaker packs a 3.5-inch woofer, 1-inch tweeter, and dual passive radiators for enhanced bass. In addition to MusicCast, the speaker also features built-in support for streaming services including Spotify and Pandora, and can also stream from DLNA servers. with a price tag of $200, the WX-010 is the most affordable of the products launching Tuesday.

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Both the WXA-50 and WXC-50 were announced in April and are aimed at helping integrate existing audio gear into a MusicCast setup. Both are powered by ESS Sabre DACs, but the WXC-50 is aimed at integrating powered devices like A/V receivers, while the built-in power amplifier in the WXA-50 allows it to drive speakers as well. The WXC-50 sells for $350 and the WXA-50 can be had for $500.

The R-N402 is a stereo network receiver aimed at music lovers that features a claimed 100 watts per channel of power. In addition to MusicCast, this receiver also features support for Bluetooth and AirPlay, and can stream music from a local DLNA server. This includes high-resolution audio playback in the usual formats up to 192 kHz/24-bit, plus DSD 5.6 MHz. The R-N402 retails for $450.

Finally, the 7.1-channel YSP-2700 is the third MusicCast-enabled sound bar to be released. This model uses 16 speakers, each one with its own 2-watt amplifier. This provides the spatial awareness of a dedicated surround sound system without the clutter or setup, as the wireless subwoofer is the only other part of the system that requires any placement. That also happens to make it the most expensive item of this lineup, selling for $1,200.

All of the products are available through the Yamaha website and authorized Yamaha retailers.

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Kris Wouk is a tech writer, gadget reviewer, blogger, and whatever it's called when someone makes videos for the web. In his…

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