Yamaha WXC-50 streamer review + how to use the basic MusicCast app
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- Опубліковано 10 лип 2024
- This video is a review of the Yamaha WXC-50 streamer. It is such a cool little streamer and DAC which has a really good price to performance ratio. In the video I talk about the pros and cons and also give a little look into how it is used through the MusicCast app. This is a little how to or tutorial if you need to work out how to chance the volume settings and also remove the audio delay when using it with a television.
- Наука та технологія
Thank you. I love you. I have spent HOURS trying to find out if i can use this unit to transmit an analogue source to Musiccast wireless speakers. Your video is the only one that specifically addressed this question!!
Thanks for going over this in a lot of detail. It answered the exact question that I was looking for... I wanted the Bluesound Node, but heard that I couldn't use the optical input for my television because it has a noticeable input delay... and in your review here you covered that you're using this Yamaha with your telly and also showed off how to disable the input delay in the app. Thanks so much.
Thx for clearing up the AUX-out questions I had and that I couldn't find any answer for anywhere else. 👍
Thanks mate for such a thorough review, really appreciated! 👍
Excelente video. Simple y real, me aclaro todas mis dudas . Felicitaciones
Excellent review and analysis… big thanks.
Informative review! Yamaha WXC-50 is a good streamer, but I wish it had Chromecast for audio (GC4A) functionality build in.
yes very informative review, I use it with Yamaha Integrated amp, the application works little slow
I am planning using it with airplay. Built quality is pretty good!
It works really well with Airplay from my experience
Well done ..really good info and review. Best Wishes
Excellent review 👌👍
Thanks for the video mate 👍🏼
Did you connect your preout in yamaha(Player mode selected) to line in of your Sony receiver?
Also if i need to make use of my integrated amplifiers preamplifier section should i use the AUX analog input keeping the player mode on?
Excellent review, so informative! I can't understand why Yamaha will not update the WXC-50 to support AmazonHD music; I'd buy one in a minute if they did.
Have they updated yet ?
@@latinochico No, and from what I've read they don't plan to update it. Maybe they'll come out with a newer version, but thats just a guess. I gave up on them & bought a Bluesound Node, I love it.
@@BruTay5454 what bluesound node? The 2i?
@@GreenGrassOfTunnels Sorry for taking so long, I got the new Node for 2021.
You can add a Subwoofer to your system..which is a big plus since with tradition amplifier the preout for sub is missing...
Really appreciate the detailed review! I noticed in the advanced sound settings that you can set the speaker type to Bookshelf, Floor-standing, etc, any thoughts on whether setting them to Bookshelf activates a high pass filter of some sort?
Yeah that is a really good question! Unfortunately I'm not sure what exactly it does by changing the speaker type so I wouldn't be able to answer. Sorry about that 😔
I feel it would maybe slightly change the equaliser as the pass filter is built into the speaker itself.
Setting the speaker type to Bookshelf does activate a high-pass filter. It's best with any speaker type you're using to set the speakers to floorstanding and switch off all the other DSP settings for optimal SQ.
Thank you for this video! Very informative. Don't worry about 16 bit vs 24 bit. You will not notice a difference. 16 bit is already more than you can really hear. ;-)
great review, that small but big info on 2 built in dac really shows you made your research. I am thinking to get a Marantz amp and plug in one these to use it as a streamer. I believe Marantz PM6006 dac has better quality than this so it will serve me to stream my music via my network
Yeah that is a good idea to use the Marantz PM6006 amplifier with this streamer. Make sure you use the Yamaha's coax output for that as it apparently has slightly better sound quality than optical.
Many thanks for the review! If you connect a cable using the trigger output on the Yamaha, are you then able to power on and off the Sony amplifier or some other amplifier just by using the Music cast app?
Yes that is correct, it will be able to turn on and off amplifiers which have the trigger on input.
Hey, just stumbled over your great review. I have a question about the device: if I connect a TV over optical, will I be able to use 5.1 surround sound? So if I have more than one set of speakers in the musiccast system, would I be able to provide each Speaker with a 5.1 channel? Thank you!
I personally haven't tried it but there is some information on the Yamaha website about this:
hub.yamaha.com/audio/tv/musiccast-wireless-surround-the-next-chapter-in-home-theater/
What's that black box with the spectrum analysis lights you're using for.
amazing product and review! one question : can i connect a headphone amplifier like topping A90 with this Yamaha WXC-50 and if i can, in which rca output? ( AUX out or pre out? ) thanks
Glad you enjoyed it! Yes you can use it with the A90 headphone amp. Plug the RCA into the pre out on the yamaha as this will use the Sabre DAC (which is what you want as it is higher quality than the burr brown one used for AUX) .
great vid
Thanks for the detailed review ! When using the pre outs in "player mode", will it also prevent the volume to be changed from let's say an iPhone sending audio via Airplay ? (I hope so but I'm not sure).
I have tested this before and I found that it is a fixed volume from the iPhone and you will change the volume from the Yamaha amplifier
@@polawo Thanks !
Thank you for sharing. Having the unit in Preamp mode, Direct mode OFF, feeding a DAC or AMP using the Optical / Coax output,
you'll be still able to use the Bass Extension, the Enhancer, the EQ, the Speaker Type from the DSP Sound section, are these settings still functioning and applied lately?
If you prefer, you can apply the Bass Extension, the Enhancer and EQ even when using the Optical and Coax out. So they still work with the digital output.
@@polawo Thank you, good to know.
Nice review, thanks! Is there an up-to-date replacement for the (now obsolete) WXC-50 or should I get one on Ebay?
Oh I didn't know they were obsolete! I have seen many sites still selling them. There is no alternative at the moment. I would recommend getting one online or ebay. I still use mine and absolutely love it! I wish it had a coax in and a better remote, but very happy with everything aside from those two points.
Excellent Video , I have Denon integrated amplifier PMA 600 NE , if i coupled XC -50 with does i get better sound from this pre amp or i go with DAC.
Are you going to use the the Yamaha WXC-50 for just connecting digital audio (through optical or coax) or did you want to stream music through streaming services like Spotify or Tidal? If you only need to connect optical or coax, I would just continue to use the Denon unit you have at the moment.
great review, thanks. I have a question hoping you might be able to help.
I have an old Fisher RS 913 amp (with rubbish speakers but that will change as soon) and I want to add connectivity (I would mostly watch concert DVDs on TV through KODI and listen to Spotify). I'm strongly considering this streamer preamp but I was also looking at a Yamaha RX-V479 integrated amp which features MusicCast and Spotify Connect as well but in one unit. Both ways would cost about the same amount (i found used devices for great price) so I've arrived to a point where I can't decide :D
Which direction would you recommend me to go?
I guess it depends on what you want to do. Are you going to be also using it for movies with 5.1 surround sound? The reason I ask is because I would personally go for a stereo receiver such as the yamaha R-N303D. This is because if you are using two speakers, you will get better sound from a stereo one. If you are using 5.1 surround sound, then go for the RX-V479
@@polawo no movies, only music and concert dvds. I'm not interested in explosions and gunshots. :)
Thanks for the reply, I guess I'll stay with my analog stereo amp and get the wxc 50 as I originally planned.
Keep up the good work! 🤘
Thanks for your reviewing, and I am now planing to get one. I just wanna ask how was it work with AirPlay Wi-Fi connection, can we play music form UA-cam tilda or other apps through Wi-Fi on it? I heard the Wi-Fi of it may lost time to time.
I haven't tried this unit with wifi as I always have it plugged into the ethernet. But I have tried Airplay over wifi and it worked well
Does this unit give cd quality from Spotify??confused help needed
Hi, Can I use the Yamaha WXC-50 without the install MusicCast app? like a normal bluetooth device?
Thanks for the review. According to audio science review this measures better than the blue sound node which is not surprising being a Yamaha.
One thing I don’t understand is if you put a source through it like a CD player can you use it like a analogue preamp or does it go through a second DAC ?
Yeah I'm not exactly sure if it would work as a preamp and just send the analogue signal straight to the power amp. I would imagine it would feed it straight from the auxiliary input as an analogue signal
@UCAqqJ0LhIFa-SfvMPRSrm_Q thanks for the info. Trying to figure that out for years. Even Yamaha were confused on this. I got frustrated in the end and bought a Cambridge audio cxn in a sale . Happy with the set up now . Thanks again
can this be used as a normal DAC/pre amp as well? connected via usb from a Nvidia Shield or PC to the WXR-50 then to a vintage Receiver . That way I can use apps with it and stream as well.
It cannot be used as a USB DAC from the computer. However, it can be used as a DAC for your computer if your computer can output optical. Nvidia shield doesn't have optical output so it will not work with that. You could try USB DACs from Schiit which are well priced
This is a very nice review. I got more than enough information on the unit to make my decision to buy one. What do you think of the WXA-50DS Amp?
Glad you liked it! For the price, I reckon the Yamaha WXA-50 amplifier is great and would recommend it. It has a good form factor and has good sound for the price if you are looking for something on a budget that does it all.
@@polawo Thank you for your quick response. I think I'm going to get the pair.
Does it works with portable speakers? Any portable speaker brand and model? Thanks
Good video.. and looks be a good quality product. But for me only one optical input is a deal breaker.
One thing to keep in mind with this dac/ streamer is if the firmware gets corrupted you can loose an amplifier.The corruption affected the volume control and the gain in my system and burned the left channel of my amplifier.I recommend using this as a streamer in player mode with a seperate preamp or minimally have an amp with a volume control otherwise you may be taking a costly risk.
Hi sorry to bother you, I’m not too sure how to set this up with my current system and I was hoping you can help me… so I have a Rotel A10 integrated amp which at the moment is only connected to my turntable and I am considering getting this for a chance to connect it to one of the aux in my amp and use Bluetooth from this device to stream from Spotify if that makes sense? But I’m just a bit lost about where I need to connect it from and how I can connect my phone to this one via Bluetooth? Help?
Ah that is simple! So you will need to use a dual RCA cable to connect the "Pre out" on the Yamaha to one of the inputs of the Rotel A10. It is that simple. Then for bluetooth on the Yamaha unit, with the remote just select the bluetooth bottom on the remote. Then hold down the connect button on the front of the unit until it blinks blue. Then connect your phone and off you go!
Hey mate do you still have the wxc50? All is working well? I have a question, let’s say 2 years down the track we would like to connect it via digital output to a separate DAC to improve sound quality, and purely using WXC as a steamer player, is there any reaction on the output of the sound quality? For example would it limit at 24 bits?
Hey, yeah I still am using the same WXC-50 and it is still working perfectly! So in future if you were to use an external DAC, the WXC50 would be limited to outputting 24 bits (as it does not support 32 bit files). But as a streamer, I think you will be pretty happy with the sound quality of this one.
@@polawo appreciated mate!
@@polawo no 32bits? Thx polawo : )
Does it give cd like sound quality for Spotify??
Do you know whats the USB capacity it takes ?
I plan to buy if holds good in storage for HARD disk ; I have FLACs stored on them...
got same question. hoping someone can respond. TIA
Thank you
with the USB input, would dts 5.1 music files be output as multi-channel signal through the optical out (no down-mixing)?
I don't believe this unit would support dts 5.1 files. It has a list of files it supports in the manual and they are all two channel.
@@polawo Lucky you told me so. Thanks.
Is it possible to change the volume from remote in player mode? Did you try? My topping dac that i want to use with that network player is not allowed to adjust volume in dac mode. Pre mod of topping dac is allowed to adjust the volume change, but i want to use it in dac mode. My dac is topping d70 pro sabre.
So I just checked and in the preamp mode - you can adjust the volume from your phone
@@polawo It is not a practical solution.
Hey, did you get rid of the Rotel A10? Im currently deciding if I should get Rotel A10 or NAD 316 BEE V2
Yeah I sold the Rotel A10. I guess it depends, are you going to use it for vinyl? As the Rotel A10 does have a very nice phono input for the price. I haven't heard the NAD but I felt the Rotel was such good value and built very nicely
@@polawo Thank you! I will probably get Rotel A10 as I heard it is better for metal genre with its dynamics. Yes it will be used mainly with vinyl records.
Can we connect laptop to the USB port
Can we connect it to power amp directly? or does it need a dediated preamp?
You can connect it directly to a power amp as this unit is preamp and outputs 2.0 volts.
@@polawo Thank you
@@JTACTR you are welcome! If you end up getting it, it would be interesting to hear what you think of it
@@polawo I’m looking for a good streamer with internal dac/preamp to connect it righ to the amplifier. Is there better options than this yamaha? (not hyper expensive though)
@@JTACTR well at this price point, I think the Yamaha is the best bang for buck. You can go up and look at the Bluesound Node 2i which would be the next one up. But it is almost twice as expensive
Do you have sound latency using PS5 through the amp via optical out?
Honestly, I have not noticed any sound latency using the optical out from the TV. I have the ps5 connected to the TV via HMDI and then the TV outputs optical to the yamaha and I have never had any moments where I noticed latency. Just remember to turn off the delay setting in the yamaha unit and you'll be good to go!
I love mine, but I would like an update that allowed a bigger USB or hard-drive, and direct support of Amazon music in the app.
Hello. And where is your magnificent rotel? I have the same Dali zenzor 3, in white. They play with the fx audio 802s pro amplifier. The sound is great, I thought to take rotel for comparison! I wanted to know your opinion?! I will be grateful to you!
Ah yeah I did have the Rotel A10 - it was a really nice amplifier. Such good build quality and sounded great! But I sold it off and purchased the Sony TA-A1ES second hand for a good price. But I have not heard the FX Audio 802s
Great video. Looks like a great device for use with powered speakers. Although in this situation you'd have to use preamp mode which you say is not as good? Can you bypass the Yamaha smarts and just use it for volume control? Also, your accent, sounds like it flips in and out Aussie, Kiwi and Yankee 😊
Yeah it is a very cool device! Especially for the price, it does so much in my opinion. Unfortunatly there is no way to bypass it and just use it for volume control. It would probably be better to use the volume on the active speakers and leave this in the player mode.
@polawo wow was looking for a solution as a front end for some studio monitors but they don't have volume control. So I'd be stuck using the Yamaha eq filtering forget what you called it, but that's not ideal when I'm looking for something more transparent. Can you describe what it does?
@@mdrumt You can turn off the Yamaha "Enchancer" and activate the "Direct" mode so it will be pure direct with the "preamp" option as well. That way it will wont do any processing. The only thing is, it will go through the the DAC which is slightly worse. But when I listened to both, it doesn't make a difference. So there is not reason why you couldnt use the direct mode.
Hi. Can you tell the app that you want to go mono? Not stereo? I'm about installing in-ceiling/roofspeakers in my house, going to have three musiccast/amp diveces, and want it in mono Sound because the speakers are all over the place. Is that possible?
The best I could find is changing the balance in the app. You can change the balance so it only comes out one channel which is the same.
@@polawo ok, thank you. I need to connect at least two speakers to every amp, so maybe that's not a good idé to only use one chanel. Hmm, need to think a little about it. Maybe connect them in some kind of series.
@@offep87 I would personally just set up two speakers per device in the ceiling.
Great review mate, where are you based?
Glad you enjoyed it! I'm in Brisbane (also know as Brisvegas), Australia
Can you control the TV volume with the TV‘s remote?
If you are using the digital input (ie through optical cable) then the volume will NOT be controlled by the TV. However, if you choose to use the analog input (through AUX), then you can use your TV volume to change the overall volume. This is because the TV will change the voltage of the output signal it sends to the Yamaha unit. However, I would not advise this and would instead change the volume from the amplifer you use that provides power to the speakers.
What speakers are those that you have the Sony ES paired up to? They look beautiful.
They are the Dali Zensor 3. Yeah I really like the look of them as well - Dali make some nice looking gear
@@polawo Looks like those aren't made anymore :(
it is possible to connect an external hard drive and what capacity?
I cannot confirm this for you as I only have one external hard drive. However, my hard drive is formatted for macbook as a backup so I couldn't test this for you. Sorry about that!
I don't understand why there are two L/R audio outs, when the one on the right (the one you point out) is of much higher quality than the other then why does the other one even exist?
How well does this integrate with google chromecast audio? Could you for example, plug a turntable into this then have it play through a chromecast in another room?
Unfortunately that will not work. This is because it sends it through Yamaha's own Music Cast system. You would need something like a Yamaha WXAD-10 at the other end.
@@polawo Isnt a bluetooth DAC connected to an amp a better option, that way you can stream anything your mobile can handle?
@@maccagrabme I believe a streamer is a better option for audio quality. The reason is that a streamer will stream the music and then play it directly to the amplifier. Whereas a phone will stream it and then it will send that audio via Bluetooth to the DAC. By using Bluetooth, there will be some loss in the audio signal quality. By using the streamer, you avoid this loss from the Bluetooth.
Hi thanks for the great review. I can't see in the comments but does this work ok with streaming UA-cam and UA-cam music? Thanks again.😊
So this one doesn't support UA-cam music. So if you want to listen to UA-cam you can either:
1. Hook up the optical cable to your TV and use it that way, or
2. Stream UA-cam music with your phone and Bluetooth it to the yamaha. Bluetooth does work quite well.
Can I use Amazon HD? Thanks - I would connect an external DAC via Coax
Yes amazon HD is avaliable in USA, Canada, Germany, Japan, UK, Italy, France and Spain
@@polawo Unfortunately this is incorrect. Yamaha updated firmware to loads of musicast devices - but only those released after 2018 - so no update for wxa50 or wxc50..
@@SkankyAli ohhh thanks for that. I live outside of these regions so I couldn't test it. Thanks for bringing this up!
Hey mate, will this be able to accept audio in from my amp and then use airplay to Apple home pods?
Oh I dont think you can do that. With this unit you can send audio from your Apple devices via Airplay to the Music Cast system BUT I do not believe you can use this unit to send audio to Apple Devices in the same way. You can output through Bluetooth though to devices.
@@polawo thanks for the reply! Ok so as long as the speakers have Bluetooth this device will be able to send audio through to them?
@@inikphoto Yeah it will be able to do that. But it may not work as well. Is there any reason why you are sending audio signal from an amp -> music cast via the network -> bluetooth output to speaker? What amp are you outputting from?
@@polawo thanks mate all good sorted it out!
Nice review. How's the gapless?
As in gapless playback from spotify? It is just your standard spotify which plays continuously. It does work really well for spotify in that sense as it just jumps to the next song.
@@polawo Thanks
Can I use it as Headphone amplifier ? I could not see Headphone jack input ? thanks for great video .
This cannot be used a headphone amplifier. You would need to have a separate headphone amplifier for this
@@polawo Thanks mate, if you could recommend me good amplifier as speaker and headphones amplifier at the same time ? I will really appreciate that, I am gonna pair it up with Elac Debut reference DBR62 speakers and shenhiser HD58x. and also subwoofer in future.
@@frantotti9754 If you need a subwoofer output I would recommend the following:
1. Yamaha A-S701B
2. Marantz PM6007
3. Cambridge Audio CXA61
Those are excellent options!
What is the bundle? What amplifier? What acoustics?
So I use Dali Zensor 3 speakers. The amplifier is a Sony TA-A1ES. I just positioned the speakers as per Dali's recommendation. They have a really big sound stage which I like and very nice warm sound.
what is the DAC chip inside?
ESS Sabre ESS9006 and PCM Burr Brown PCM5101A
Have you checked the optical output?
I have not checked it as this is my only DAC. My amplifier is using analogue so I couldnt give it a go.
hi, does this support Qobuz? Thanks.
Hi, I just checked my unit and this doesn't come up as an option sorry 😕
What type of speakers are you playing?
These are Dali Zensor 3
Is this box still worth it today... Seems pretty old (2015 or 2016 when it came out)??
And what amp is that??
Yeah it is still working well. The amp still works with Spotify and the optical input still works stereo codec. So I believe it still works well eventhough it is 5 years old. I paired this one with a Sony TA-A1ES amplifier and the sound is great
Which Sony amp are you using?
It is the Sony TA-A1ES
Can you play vinyl and stream on music cast?
So provided your turntable either has a built in preamp or you use am external preamp, you can connect it to the AUX input on this unit and then stream it to any other yamaha units which support music cast
@@polawo Many Thanks. In that case, I am tempted to give this unit a go in stead of my current NAD hybrid 3020 for the turntable. Any thoughts if this is a bad idea?
@@aceofworld well the NAD has a built in phono input. Whereas the Yamaha does not have this so you need to make sure your turntable has the built in phono amp. What turntable are you using? If you already have the NAD, I would keep it. Why don't you like it?
I like the NAD it's been great. Only reason for considering swapping was the Yamaha ability to stream music cast as well as act as an amp. Turntable has a phono box
playing music via usb, can I play all the tracks ,regardless the number of folders, at random?
So I just checked this now. Unfortunately it wont do that - you need to go into the folders 😞
@@polawo thx,anyway. I'm likely to grab this device soon, your video explained a lot. BTW my Denon cdp900 can do that,so it's not a big deal.
@@marioplus321 I think you'll be really happy with it! I still use mine after eight years of owning it!
@@polawo last but not least; does it accept 512GB USBsticks?
@@marioplus321 I don't have a usb stick that large so I cannot test it for you. Sorry about that!
I wish that Yamaha had put HDMI ARC into this.
As far as I understood this device only reproduce music from his own App? I means, if I use the Bluetooth connection of the WXC-50 Can't reproduce music directly from my device using the Amazon Music App or any other different source than the Yamaha App? If is this the use scenario, Is a shame!
This does NOT need to go through the app. You can connect your phone through Bluetooth or airplay and it will act exactly like a Bluetooth headphone.
@@polawo Thank you. Great!
Can this connect to internet wireless or does it have to be hardwired?
Hey mate where did you get this from? $400 ?
There are a couple of places such as Shelby.com.au
www.selby.com.au/yamaha-wxc-50-musiccast-streaming-pre-amplifier-wxc50.html?gclid=CjwKCAjwjuqDBhAGEiwAdX2cj0xlyI5pVrNWG5w6nVuDkqYAgyJvkl2qDyxhhPzPoHyW8p6jkn-xixoCm_kQAvD_BwE
@@polawo thank you!
Very cheap. 400€ in germany.
can play from other apps not yamaha?
You can play directly from the spotify app. I haven't tried anything else. However, you can stream audio through airplay or Bluetooth from your devices which will allow that app audio to go through.
Thank you for this very informative review. Could you compare this device to YAMAHA NP-S303?
Glad you enjoyed the video! Unfortunately, I do not have a NP-S303 so I cannot do a comparison. Sorry about that!
@@polawo Thanks anyway.
Sound's Good But No High Res From Spotify Yet !
I've seen reviews from 2016/2017 of this Yamaha.. So guess the used technologi isn't that fresh..?
Yeah I wouldn't say the technology isn't that fresh. But it does everything you need for a great price and that is the beauty of it.
@@polawo Got it myself, and love it.
He has a headphone socket?
It does not have a headphone jack.
this is bullish i bought it and the Bluetooth option does not control the volume. im very disappointed.
So remember, if your yamaha is set to "Player Mode" the volume is always fixed. This by definition means you cannot control the volume. If you want to be able to change the volume from bluetooth - change it to the "Pre amp" mode. This is the setting which allows you to change the volumes. Try that and it should help. It syncs really nicely with my phone. For example, if on the yamaha I decrease the volume - it always shows this on my phone.
No way to search? If you connect a USB with your 800G music library? That's a deal breaker
This device has Bluetooth from year... 2007.
Yes, hard to believe. So answer yourself if really nothing happened last 15 years in develpment of this protocol
Yeah the is a good point. I guess for me, I do not use Bluetooth on this device. I use network streaming for spotify and I use optical input for receiving a digital source.
How is this affordable?
It is quite well priced compared to the competition. For example, the Cambridge Audio cxn v2 costs about four times as much. For this price you get many features and great sound. What would you consider an affordable price for such a device?
What about Qobuz, the best streaming service (24 bit/192kHz)!!!!?