Over the summer, Yamaha introduced MusicCast, a new audio platform that uses WiFi to put music into any room in the house -- all without wires. At the time of that announcement, the company was promising 20 different MusicCast products before the end of this year. Now, they are starting to deliver on that promise.
Yamaha just introduced a pair of speakers that can pump up the sound of your TV, as well as add MusicCast options into the mix. The MusicCast Sound Bar (YSP-1600) and the MusicCast TV Speaker Base (SRT-1500) are both shipping now.
Both speakers can work alone or be linked to any other MusicCast products, as well as other gear connected to MusicCast products. That means you can hook set-top boxes, media streamers, Blu-ray players and even turntables up to a MusicCast-based whole-house wireless setup. (For more information on how MusicCast works, check out "Yamaha Rocks Out MusicCast Wireless Multiroom Audio Lineup."
Measuring 2.5 inches tall, the MusicCast Sound Bar has eight speaker drivers to deliver 5.1-channel surround sound. The MusicCast TV Speaker Base stuffs 10 speaker drivers into an enclosure that can slide under TVs ranging from 32 to 55 inches. Both speakers also have two built-in subwoofers as well, but include the option to hook up an external subwoofer via a subwoofer output.
Each speaker can play music from any mobile device, including services like Pandora, Spotify and Rhapsody. Of course, you can also connect these single-speaker solutions to a set-top box or media player via HDMI, so that the audio can be played in other rooms that have MusicCast devices.
Other features include HDMI connectivity with 4K Ultra HD and HDCP 2.2 support, Yamaha's Digital Sound Projector technology, and built-in WiFi. As with all MusicCast devices, both the MusicCast Sound Bar and MusicCast TV Speaker Base also support Bluetooth as an input or an output. This allows you to stream music wirelessly right to the speakers or have the speakers pipe music to other Bluetooth products, such as portable speakers and wireless headphones.
"A great sound bar should make it easy to add amazing sound to your TV, and both of these models deliver on this front. However, what makes them especially remarkable is the integration of MusicCast," said Bob Goedken, general manager of Yamaha's AV division. "Now you can use the MusicCast Sound Bar in one room and link it to a MusicCast Wireless Speaker in another to listen to music or TV audio in both places -- so you don't have to miss out on the game or news when you're away from the TV. Yamaha has finally made it a breeze to do this."
Yamaha is selling the MusicCast Sound Bar and MusicCast TV Speaker Base now, priced at $499.95 and $599.95, respectively.
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