Yamaha today announced the retail availability of its  MusicCast wireless speaker (WX-030), an exceptionally versatile powered unit  that can be used as a standalone music system or can be linked with other  MusicCast products to bring music to every room in a home. Using a Wi-Fi home  network or Bluetooth®  connection, the speaker streams music while offering intuitive control via a free  app available for Apple®  iOS and Android™   devices.  

This MusicCast wireless speaker is the first to  be introduced as part of the Yamaha MusicCast wireless multiroom audio system  unveiled in August, and is one of the more than 20 MusicCast-enabled products —  including AV receivers, wireless speakers,  sound bars, Hi-Fi components and powered monitor speakers –that will be  available by the end of 2015. The breadth of MusicCast products allows users to  easily play music and any other audio content wirelessly throughout the  home. 

Having MusicCast onboard  enables users to effortlessly stream music from mobile devices and computers,  as well as from music services such as Pandora®, Spotify, Rhapsody® and SiriusXM Internet Radio. When the MusicCast speaker is linked to other MusicCast components,  such as a sound bar or AV receiver, the speaker can also play audio from the external  sources connected to those components.

"You only need a single MusicCast speaker and our free  MusicCast app to get started with a great-sounding audio system for your home,"  said Bob Goedken, general manager, AV division, Yamaha Corporation of America.  "You can add more MusicCast speakers over time or link to a MusicCast AV  receiver or sound bar to unleash your home theater sound. Now any of your audio  content can be played throughout the home wirelessly."

Available in solid black or white  with silver accents, the MusicCast speaker has a stylishly understated design  that beautifully complements any home décor and features touch-sensitive  buttons on the top panel for easy operation of power, volume and play/pause  controls.

The speaker uses a 2-way speaker  design with a large passive radiator and Yamaha exclusive digital sound  processing technology to deliver  amazingly clear, room-filling sound. Unlike other wireless speakers on the market today, it supports  true high-resolution audio formats to deliver more accurate reproduction of  sonic details, presence and atmosphere. It is compatible with Apple® Lossless (ALAC) up to 96 kHz / 24-bit, as well as FLAC, AIFF  and WAV files up to 192 kHz / 24-bit. When  playing back compressed music files like MP3s, the onboard music enhancer restores sharpness to the  highs and fills out the mid-range of musical performances compromised through  the file compression process.

The MusicCast speaker supports  Bluetooth playback and can re-stream Bluetooth content to other linked  MusicCast speakers and components when on the Wi-Fi network. This not only  opens the system to a huge range of content options, but also enables a simple  way for friends to "guest DJ" without hosts needing to provide Wi-Fi access. It  can also be used as a standalone Bluetooth speaker — even  when off the Wi-Fi grid.

Alternatively, the MusicCast speaker can output a  Bluetooth stream from Wi-Fi connected sources, allowing transmission to other nearby  Bluetooth speakers or headphones.

The intuitive and graphically appealing MusicCast app for  Apple and Android smartphones and tablets lets users browse and access content  to play in one or multiple rooms. The app's attractive interface offers  numerous personalization features. For instance, the Rooms menu can be  customized with pictures from the user's own home while the source buttons can  be renamed, associated with a selection of icon images, order sorted or even  hidden.

The speaker also offers a standard RJ-45 Ethernet jack  for those who prefer a wired network connection, and it is equipped with a ¼", 20-threaded  hole on the back panel that enables it to be wall mounted using commercially  available brackets.

By  the end of 2015, a software update will be released that will enable left-right  pairing of two MusicCast wireless speakers for those seeking stereo  reproduction for a larger sound stage.

For more information on the WX-030, please visit http://4wrd.it/MUSICCAST_SPEAKER.

Pricing  and Availability

The WX-030 speaker is currently available  exclusively at authorized Yamaha dealers for $249.95 MSRP.