IFA 2023: exciting releases from Yamaha

Yamaha took advantage of the IFA trade show in Berlin to unveil its new Yamaha R-N600A connected amplifier, as well as the Yamaha MusicCast 200 speaker, which benefits from an all-new design. Both are designed to make the most of a wide variety of music content, including streaming services, high-resolution files and physical sources.

Yamaha MusicCast 200: a new design

Worthy heir to the Yamaha MusicCast 20 and Yamaha MusicCast 50, the Yamaha MusicCast 200 speaker takes on only the name and features of its predecessors. Its design has been completely revamped, inspired by the Yamaha TSX-B232 and Yamaha MCR-B142 compact systems, with a slimmed-down format reminiscent of a stereo amplifier. The front panel features a central LCD screen, plus a CD player to enjoy your entire music library. Control is made easy by the touchscreen interface on top of the speaker, or can be done directly from a smartphone or tablet using the Yamaha MusicCast app.

Yamaha MusicCast 200: extended stereo

Partly visible on either side of the LCD screen, the acoustic design of the Yamaha MusicCast 200 speaker is based on the use of two 3″ woofers. A 1″ tweeter is placed in the center of each driver, to deliver a natural, accurate reproduction of stereo effects from a single speaker. Thanks to Yamaha’s unique sound-processing technology, this Yamaha MusicCast 200 speaker is capable of recreating a breadth that is hard usually hard to achieve with such a compact system.

Yamaha MusicCast 200: streaming

Based on the MusicCast ecosystem shared by many of the Japanese manufacturer’s connected devices, the Yamaha MusicCast 200 speaker can easily access tracks shared over the local network, web radios, as well as streaming services such as Tidal, Spotify, Deezer, Amazon Music and Qobuz, for example. Music from a smartphone, tablet or computer can be streamed directly via AirPlay 2 or Bluetooth. Thanks to its USB port, the Yamaha MusicCast 200 speaker can also play content stored on a USB key or external hard drive. Finally, the front-mounted optical drive lets you enjoy all your CDs, burned and store-bought.

Yamaha MusicCast 200: price & availability

The new Yamaha MusicCast 200 connected speaker will go on sale in October 2023 at a price of €719. A price that demonstrates the speaker’s ambitions and places it alongside benchmark models such as the Rose RS301 and Bluesound Pulse 2i.

Yamaha R-N600A: a next-gen connected amplifier

The new Yamaha R-N600A amplifier is the entry ticket to Yamaha’s world of next-gen connected amps, which also includes the Yamaha R-N800A, Yamaha R-N1000A and Yamaha R-N2000A. It inherits exclusive technologies from the brand’s most prestigious models, including the ToP-ART (Total Purity Audio Reproduction Technology) amplification concept. It preserves the original signal as much as possible by reducing the audio stream path to the strict minimum and using a highly rigid, low-vibration chassis. The latter is equipped with a specially developed resin structure that absorbs and eliminates all undesirable vibrations. As a result, the Yamaha R-N600A amplifier is capable of delivering the high power of 2 x 80W RMS into 8 ohms with transparency, naturalness and precision.

Yamaha R-N600A: 32-bit/384kHz and DSD

The Yamaha R-N600A connected amplifier is also compatible with the MusiCast multi-room system. Like other models in the range, it can access tracks shared over the network, web radios and streaming services. Thanks to its powerful ESS SABRE ES9010K2M DAC, it can read Hi-Res files at a very high resolution of 32-bit/384kHz, and provides native decoding of DSD tracks up to 11.2MHz DSD. As a result, you can make the most of all your digital files. Lastly, streaming is possible via Bluetooth or AirPlay 2.

Yamaha R-N600A: wide range of connectors

Like any self-respecting hi-fi amplifier, the new Yamaha R-N600A boasts a full range of connectors to easily connect all your sources. The digital section features four inputs (two optical and two coaxial), plus a USB port compatible with hard drives and USB sticks. The analog stage lets you connect a CD player, FM tuner or turntable via five RCA inputs, including a phono input. Last but not least, a headphone output on the front panel lets you enjoy your music discreetly.

Yamaha R-N600A: price & availability

The new Yamaha R-N600A connected amplifier will be available from October 2023 at a price of €799. This will place it directly alongside the best-selling Sonos AMP and Marantz PM7000N.