Yamaha has announced that a range of multi-room MusicCast products will receive support for Google Actions, Apple AirPlay2 and a free Spotify account, with a free software update coming soon. In addition, HDMI eARC support has been added to certain devices.
These new capabilities add to the already built-in support for services like Pandora, SiriusXM Internet Radio, Deezer, TIDAL and Napster, the ability to play high-resolution audio from the Internet or from your home audio library, support for Alexa voice assistant, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity.
Google Actions support lets you augment your compatible Yamaha devices with voice control via Google Assistant. Now you can use Google Home, Android or iOS devices with the Google Assistant app installed, to control your Yamaha home theater system with your voice, combine speakers in different rooms, adjust volume, and more.
AirPlay2-enabled devices can be combined into a single home system, and multiple users can add tracks to an Apple Music playlist. Users will be able to stream music to the speakers through any app. AirPlay 2 will also allow all users who have access to local Wi-Fi to control a shared playlist in real time for example, during a party .
Playback will be controllable both through the app interface and via voice via Siri.
Support for Spotify Connect with a free account will save you money – previously only Spotify accounts with a subscription were supported.
The addition of eARC support to 2017 and 2018 receivers will allow for uncompressed audio formats like Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD, as well as Dolby Atmos and DTS:X sound positioning standards.
The following Yamaha devices will be affected by the update:
– MusicCast 20 and MusicCast 50 wireless speakers
– MusicCast BAR 400 soundbar
– RX-A /80 Series AV Receivers
– RX-V series /85 AV receivers
– RX-S602 AV receiver
– CX-A5200 multi-channel preamplifier
– XDA-QS5400 MusicCast multi-channel streaming amplifier
– MusicCast VINYL 500 vinyl player.
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A full list of updated devices is posted on the official Yamaha Music website
This is great news! I’m curious to know if the support for AirPlay 2 and Google Assistant is available for all Yamaha devices or only certain models? Additionally, what are some of the other features or improvements that have been included in this update?
The support for AirPlay 2 and Google Assistant is available for select Yamaha devices, not all models. Each device has specific compatibility requirements for these features. This update also includes other enhancements like improved sound quality, added voice control options, and increased connectivity options.