Choices, choices: how MusicCast lets you build the multi-room system you actually want

Variety, they say, is the spice of life. In the past, if you were buying a new hi-fi, you would have a near endless variety of kit to choose from. Big or small, brash or subtle, expensive or affordable – you could choose a system that really worked for you.

But in a future ruled by smart multi-room music systems, your choice is limited to a few lozenge-shaped speakers of differing sizes. Hi-fi is in danger of becoming generic: any colour you like – as long as it’s black or white.

Yamaha MusicCast is different. With MusicCast you get all the benefits of a cutting-edge wireless music system, combined with the variety of the whole world of hi-fi and AV. Here’s how.

15 years in the making

Yamaha launched its first MusicCast products almost 15 years ago, so it knows its way around multi-room. It now offers 35 products that you can mix and match to fill your home with tunes. From standalone speakers and mini hi-fi systems through to soundbars and home cinema amplifiers, MusicCast has you covered.

Proprietary MusicCast technology lets these disparate audio components communicate and synchronise playback with one another. Meanwhile, the MusicCast CONTROLLER app for Android and iOS lets you add extra MusicCast components to expand your system, choose what you want to hear and where, and group multiple MusicCast ‘zones’ together to play the same music.

So you can have a bedside speaker kicking out the same track as the soundbar in your lounge, the wall-mounted micro-system in the kitchen and the hi-fi amplifier in the dining room, all with zero lag. An excellent excuse to have a house party.

It doesn’t stop there, though. Yamaha MusicCast is soon to incorporate Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant tech. Using an Amazon Echo Dot and the latest MusicCast firmware update, you can ‘drive’ an entire wireless music system by doing no more than asking for the music you want, where you want it. And if you’re having that house party, the request you should be making is,”Play ‘More Than A Feeling’, everywhere.”

A world of music

As well as streaming your home music collection via Wi-Fi and allowing immediate access to the music on your phone or tablet via Bluetooth and AirPlay, MusicCast is compatible with services including Spotify, Tidal, Deezer and Qobuz.

And unlike many other multi-room systems, MusicCast is ready for our brave hi-res audio future, with many systems supporting files of up to 24-bit/192kHz in quality.

Time to build a system

So, how could MusicCast work for you? You could start with a WX-010 in your bedroom. Small enough to fit on a bedside table, yet equipped with full MusicCast functionality, this little speaker punches well above its weight. Its big brother, the WX-030, delivers a beefier sound to fill larger spaces, but remains sleek and compact.

In the lounge, we’d recommend a Yamaha soundbar. Several models offer MusicCast integration, including the mighty YSP-5600, which combines multi-room music prowess with the 3D surround sound effect of Dolby Atmos.

And you can add MusicCast to your existing hi-fi: as well as a variety of MusicCast-equipped AV receivers, stereo components and hi-fi products, Yamaha offers the WXA-50, a complete 90W MusicCast streaming amplifier in a dinky aluminium case, and the WXC-50 preamplifier, designed to partner with the amplifier or active speakers you already have.

In short, Yamaha MusicCast lets you build the multi-room music system that really fits your needs – or, in other words, the one you actually want. Viva variety.

To find out more about Yamaha’s MusicCast range, click here.