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.

Once you've decided where to install the WXA-50 and connected the speakers, all you need to do is connect your various sources to the amplifier using the optical digital input, stereo analogue input or the USB port. We started off by using the WXA-50 as a simple two-channel system by connecting a variety of sources including a YouView PVR, an Apple TV, an Ultra HD Blu-ray player and a PS4. We also paired the amplifier with our iPhone 6 using both Bluetooth and AirPlay and naturally we created a MusicCast multiroom system in conjunction with the RX-A1060 AV Receiver that we were reviewing at the same time. We used a number of different speakers including a pair of JBL Control Ones and a pair of B&W 686 bookshelf speakers, as a way of replicating a two different types of possible installation. It has big, high capacity speaker terminals, which are powered by a 55 watt per channel amplifier. That’s 55 real watts, not one of those made up figures often seen with lesser equipment. It’s also rated to work properly with low impedance – four ohm – loudspeakers. 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. Sound quality is dependent on the quality of your speakers, but pair the amp with something decent, and it will deliver an assured and composed performance.To use the WXA-50 you first need to hook it up to your network. If you’re using Ethernet, you just plug it in; if you want to use Wi-Fi, you need to follow the simple setup routine using the MusicCast app on (iOS or Android). 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). The Yamaha WXA-50 is a great little amplifier that offers a number of genuinely useful features. It's attractively designed and well made, whilst its small size means you can fit it just about anywhere. The fact that you have the option of vertical or horizontal installation is also a nice touch. There is a decent set of connections at the rear and the inclusion of WiFi, Bluetooth and AirPlay means that you can stream almost anything to the WXA-50. Of course the headline feature is the inclusion of MusicCast which allows you to create a multiroom system or add the amplifier to an existing network. The fact that MusicCast is included in the majority of Yamaha products means that it's a great way of building a multiroom system without even trying. It's also easy to set up and very flexible to use, with a robust performance and support for high res audio. When choosing an amplifier, you should always rely on the level of the rest of the audio system components. Also, when choosing, it is not recommended to choose expensive models for entry-level systems. Usability The WXA-50 is compatible with all types of music sources and services, such as streaming services. Provided with various types of terminals for connecting a TV, CD player, computer and other AV equipment, you’ll be able to enjoy music from around the world throughout your home from just one component.

There are two main things you need to know about a music streamer. First of all, consider the largest bit depth and sampling rate that it can accept. The sampling rate is the number of times the computer took a digital snapshot of a specific second of a music file. Thus, the more pictures it takes, the more detailed the sound will be. You can find this value in hertz (Hz), sometimes with the abbreviation of kilohertz (kHz).This is a classic case of swings and roundabouts. Compared to the Yamaha WXA-50, I found the sound of the NAD D3045 richer, more refined, more three-dimensional, and providing a more palpable feeling of music being played in a real acoustic space. I suspect that the Bluesound PowerNode 2i shares these characteristics, but of course can’t say for certain. On the other hand, I found the Yamaha more dynamic and expressive. It imparted to most of the music I played an infectious swing and momentum. Be the first to know when the WXA-50 Dark Silver is available to ship. Plus, stay up to date on new products, special offers, promotions and events! 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. Both units offer an attractively small footprint that bodes well, obviously, if you are bereft of desk and shelf space. The little integrated amp offers just enough connections to satisfy most music fans. This little amp also offers a big sound: powerful and detailed for the low price it demands. Excellent value.