MusicCast Core Features
MusicCast’s central pitch is its wireless control. Through Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, you can send, receive, and share music and audio through compatible Yamaha products. These products include home theater receivers, stereo receivers, wireless speakers, soundbars, and powered wireless speakers. The downside is that it’s a closed system, meaning its products and features are only designed to work with other Yamaha MusicCast devices. It’s also not backward-compatible with the older versions of Yamaha MusicCast.
Apple Airplay, Pandora, Spotify, SiriusXM, Rhapsody, and any Bluetooth audio device can be played through MusicCast. Any turntables, audio cassette decks, Blu-ray/DVD players, and other receiver-based hardware can be controlled and played through speakers on the MusicCast app. The app is separate from Yamaha’s iOS and Android AV Controller App, but you can navigate between the two for tighter control of home theater components. MusicCast supports hi-res audio playback for compatible products. If a product is not compatible with hi-res audio, MusicCast down-converts the signal to 48 kHz, which is roughly equal to CD quality. It is DLNA-compatible, which means it can access and distribute audio from DLNA certified devices, such as PCs, NAS (Network Attached Storage) drives, and media servers. There are a couple of downsides. MusicCast cannot send 5.1/7.1 channel audio from a MusicCast-enabled receiver to an external playback device, but it can provide a two-channel mix-down for multi-room or multi-zone distribution.
MusicCast and Alexa
How to Install and Launch Yamaha MusicCast
Once you have a MusicCast-enabled receiver, soundbar, speaker, or home-theater-in-a-box system, follow these instructions to get it up and running.
Yamaha MusicCast Products
To broaden the compatibility of products that work with MusicCast, Yamaha provides firmware updates for several older models, including the following:
RX-V479 through RX-V779 home theater receiversAVENTAGE RX-A550 through RX-A3050 home theater receiversYHT-5920 home theater-in-a-box system
Some Yamaha products that have built-in MusicCast capability include:
RX-S601/S602 Slim-Line home theater receiversR-N402/602/303/803 network stereo receiversAVENTAGE CX-A5100/CX-A5200 AV preamp and processorsRX-V481 through RX-V781, RX-V483 through RX-V683 home theater receiversRV-V485 through RX-V685 home theater receivers (includes MusicCast Wireless Surround)AVENTAGE RX-A660 through RX-A3060, RX-A670 through RX-A3070 home theater receiversAVENTAGE RX-A680 through RX-A3080 home theater receivers (includes MusicCast Wireless Surround)WXA-50 wireless streaming amplifierYSP-1600/2700/5600 soundbars and SRT-1500 TV speaker baseBAR 400 soundbar (includes MusicCast Wireless Surround)WX-010 and 030 remote wireless bookshelf speakersModel 20 and 50 wireless speakers (compatible with MusicCast Wireless Surround)NX-N500 powered monitor speakerSub100 wireless sub (compatible with MusicCast Wireless Surround)MusicCast VINYL 500 Wi-Fi turntable
Yamaha MusicCast: The Bottom Line
There are several competing multi-room audio systems, and some of the popular ones, like Sonos, offer a broad range of compatible products. Some also have apps that are easier to use. If you own a Yamaha receiver, soundbar, or home-theater-in-a-box system, MusicCast may be the most practical solution. The limitations of MusicCast are that it’s not compatible with wireless speakers, receivers, and software from competing brands like HEOS, Play-Fi, or Sonos. Also, you can’t use receivers made before 2018 to control surround sound wirelessly.
