Finally, all the other inputs will share music to any other MusicCast device which is linked to the one whose input you’ve selected. Sound The diminutive nature of the WXA-50 means that it can easily be added to an existing system without taking up too much space. You could even use it on your desk as a way of creating a two-channel system or bringing streaming content and MusicCast into your office. To make installation even easier, the WXA-50 can be mounted horizontally or vertically. The feet can be removed and the amplifier placed in specially provided supports for vertical mounting, making it easy to place the unit out of the way. Once you've installed the Yamaha, all you need to do is connect some speakers to the high quality speaker terminals at the rear – bare wire, banana plugs and spades are all possibilities. If you have an active subwoofer, you could also connect that the Yamaha.

Unlike the bag of parts performance I often see in these modern streaming products, the Yamaha WXA-50 seems to have benefited from some attention to raw performance of each subsystem. There are no funny results, strange pipelines that go in and out of digital domain, etc. The performance graphs are all smooth with no sudden jaggies or other anomalies. This makes it easier to use the unit, not having to work around its weakness (I am talking to you SONOS). Finally, I turned to Bluetooth and Marvin Gaye’s Mercy Mercy Me played as a MP3. Yamaha has implemented MP3 streaming well and the processing produced a pleasant and, considering the poor quality of the inherent file type, relatively sweet presentation that never grated or hurt the ears. Vocals were comparatively well rounded, avoiding the thin and edgy sound from other, less well realised, hardware. When it comes to sound-staging, it is yet another good news. Yamaha WXA-50 is capable of developing quite a wide space, with neatly separated instruments. Respectable high-frequency extension lends the sense of air and conveys the recording atmosphere with ease. Only 214 mm (8-3/8") wide, the compact body fits neatly in any space without drawing attention to itself. You can chose any convenient location, placing it horizontally or vertically, on its own or with other audio components.

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The WXA-50 reaps the benefits of Yamaha’s advanced audio technologies and circuit designs. The preamp circuitry, for example, minimises digital jitter and uses the same high performance ESS DAC that is found in high-end AV receivers. Yamaha’s proprietary power supply ground configuration, called DAC on Pure Ground, ensures that the power supply will never negatively affect sound quality. The 48-bit digital volume control provides much greater precision and quality that conventional digital or analogue controls. In addition, a highly rigid, metal chassis supplies the stability necessary for powerful, clear music reproduction. Yamaha’s relentless pursuit of sonic purity is clearly evident in the engineering of the WXA-50. The preamp circuitry uses the same high-performance ESS Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC) found in high-end Yamaha AV receivers and a proprietary power supply ground configuration prevents sound degradation. A 48-bit digital volume control provides much greater precision and quality than conventional controls. A highly-rigid metal chassis supplies the stability necessary for clear, powerful music reproduction. High-Resolution Audio First, it’s important to note that the device has a premium built-in digital-to-analog converter, i.e., DAC. The built-in 32-bit/384kHz sampling rate is a pleasing performance, but unfortunately, the device does not have a built-in amplifier. Also, the Node has a rather average power of 60W, but it is quite enough.

DLNA. Digital Living Network Alliance is the set of protocols used by pretty much any non-Apple device, including Android and Windows, and some apps on iOS. You can use the Yamaha MusicCast app to send music to the device from basically any server on your computer network. I keep a terabyte or so of music on a NAS – network attached storage. I could just dial up the server and send whatever music I liked to a speaker, or to a linked speaker pair. If I used a third party DLNA app I couldn’t send music to linked units, only to each individual one. Which is why you use the Yamaha MusicCast Controller app. One other thing, the network connection remains active even while the units are in standby mode, so you can switch them on again via the app, or just send music to them to switch them on. Streaming Pandora. Yes, you can stream music from Pandora, except that Pandora is no longer available in Australia. W + 105 W (4 ohms, 20 Hz-20 kHz, 0.06% THD, 2-ch driven), 70 W + 70 W (6 ohms, 20 Hz-20 kHz, 0.06% THD, 2-ch driven), 55 W + 55 W (8 ohms, 20 Hz-20 kHz, 0.06% THD, 2-ch drivensome streaming modules may be used by different brands, keep in mind that the way they are implemented and the quality of the surrounding power supplies and built-in audio circuits are very important to the final sound quality. We also have decent amount of power, approaching 100 watts into 4 ohm which should be plenty. If you add the subwoofer to it, you will be golden even at high SPLs. When it comes to a good Audiophile Music Server, you can often hear a lot of references to the best music streamer for audiophile — Bluesound Vault 2i. The presence of built-in 2 TB of hard disk memory makes this device an integral part of many audio systems for tens of thousands of users. It's also worth noting that they seem to have offers on just about all of the Yamaha MusicCast stuff, even the new to market stuff (turntable, speakers, sub etc).