Yamaha MusicCast 20 user review

  • Good speaker; even better in a pair

    Having bought a Yamaha RN602 as my main hi-fi receiver earlier in the year, I had a sense of what the Yamaha MusicCast system was capable of. So when I was looking to add a wireless speaker system for my home office in our converted loft, I investigated the MusicCast 20.

    Before installing the MusicCast 20 in the home office, I first tried it in the kitchen, so I could test the synching with the RN602 in the lounge. I didn’t do a huge amount of testing, but what I did do was very impressive. The RN602 and MusicCast 20 stayed in sync.

    Having moved the MusicCast 20 to the home office, I was pleased with the sound, so a couple of days later opted to buy a second MusicCast 20 so that I could pair them in stereo. This has resulted in a very impressive sound.

    The pair of MusicCast 20 speakers is not as good as the RN602 with my Mordaunt Short 902 speakers (but then they are less expensive), but they are very capable of providing a clear and detailed sound. The default bass isn’t very deep, so I tweaked this in the MusicCast app. I think the sound quality is better when the volume is turned up as this gives the speakers room to shine.

    The MusicCast app on the iPhone is very capable. Although not as polished or full featured as Sonos, offset by the device’s ability to play hi-res audio. In terms of services available, it’s not as complete as Sonos either, and Yamaha seem to be taking their time to add Amazon Music and Apple Music. Hopefully that will come soon, but in the meantime, it’s possible to stream over AirPlay.

    Aesthetically, the MusicCast 20 is nice and unobtrusive. One minor complaint is that the touch buttons on the top of the speaker will leave fingerprint marks, no matter how clean you think your hands are. There are three buttons on the top that can be programmed for specific purposes (e.g., Net Radio stations) for quick access, although I tend to use the app for most interactions with it.

    In summary, very happy with the MusicCast 20, and now planning on purchasing a third unit to run as a single speaker in the kitchen.
    This item was purchased for £149 from Amazon in 2019 . The reviewer still owns this product.

    Pros

    • Good sound quality
    • Decent app
    • Good selection of sound sources

    Cons

    • No Amazon Music or Apple Music yet

    Scores

    8
    8
    8
    8
    8
    8
    8

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Yamaha MusicCast 20

Comments
0
Author
jregel
Review score
8 / 10
Average score
8.5 / 10
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