Customer Reviews

Yamaha WXA-50

I love the sound of this little amp. Very musical, not harsh at all. For Class D, it's stellar. Unfortunately, the app isn't the best and is pretty limited. It is functional. The lack of Amazon Music is also a bummer. Because of the poor app, I've been looking for a replacement. If the app isn't that important to you then this is a great unit.

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Not worth it

2 Problems: huge lack of power for the money and drop in wifi signal. I have 7 total musiccast devices with 11 total zones and it is a constant disappointment and frustration. It has all the potential to be a better experience and value than Sonos, but Sonos crushes musiccast, particually this amp based on power alone. If you don't believe me, join one of the musiccast forums or Facebook groups and read the thousands of comments about musiccast connectivity issues. Connectivity is problem #1. Problem # 2 is the power in this amp, it's only 55 watts into 8ohms. Compared to sonos, with 125 watts, for another $100, and way more reliable connectivity, are you kidding me? I have heard them both, and it is such a clear difference. Sonos has such a better sound because it is powered appropriately. Given what I have invested, I personally will not be switching soon, but if I were to buy all new, at new prices, it wouldn't even be a question - sonos all day long. Yamaha has all the potential to be a better product, better multi-zone ecosystem for it's userbase, but they must improve their power and connectivity issues. Please do not waste your money until you hear this is fixed. I'm not software person, but I honestly don't think they will ever fix the connectivity issues. They clearly must have screwed something up from the beginning and don't have the resources to re-write or fix it given how long it has been out. The power, well, they are just cheap on the power.

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Crutchfield response on 8/7/2023

John, we're sorry you're having issues with your amp. If you purchased this product from Crutchfield, feel free to contact our Tech Support team. They can help you solve the problem or set up a return within 60 days of purchase. Lifetime tech support comes with every Crutchfield purchase.

ALMOST perfect

At first glance -- and second, and third -- this unit does exactly what I wanted: optical from the TV, RCAs from the turntable, and a choice of wifi/Bluetooth/ethernet for streaming. It plays nicely with Tidal. It's generally powerful enough. It fits neatly in the space I had available. The DAC chip is solid. My Apple TV 4k Siri remote can easily be programmed to handle volume control. It's got a subwoofer output. I've paired it with KEF Q150 bookshelves and an RSL Speedwoofer 10S MKII (via wireless adapter) and it makes movies and music shine. But there are little things. There's no high-pass filter, so my speakers and the sub overlap. I've already filled up both of the available inputs -- there's no coax digital and only one pair of RCAs -- so if I wanted to add a CD player I am out of luck. At maximum volume, the Q150s are still comfortable... another ten or twenty watts for overhead would be ideal. The Bluetooth is ancient, not aptX or aptX HD. I get that it's a seven-year-old piece of kit. It's simplicity itself and perfectly serviceable! But the missed potential is frustrating. If Yamaha released updated hardware with a few more inputs, a bit more power, and a high-pass filter, I would POUNCE.

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Yamaha WXA-50

Works great. A tad bit difficult to figure out how to get it all in sync with the rest of the system. A little more info with product delivery, web site referral, etc., would have helped. Once I got it up and running, very pleased with it.

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Yamaha WXA-50

Great sound, easy setup and control via the MusicCast app. We have installed several MuscCast systems and have not had any problems.

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High recommend this one

Great power in the small receiver

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Exactly meets my use case!

So I have a very specific use case: I just need it to play Pandora. That's it. I need something that I can turn on and it'll automatically log into my Pandora account and play the last station it was on when it was turned off last. That's exactly what the WXA-50 does. It plays Pandora on my deck. I don't have it integrated into any other devices. It connects to a pair of Niles Audio weatherproof speakers. I may use it to play from SiriusXM or perhaps music files off my phone on occasion. The unit is small and compact and built with Yamaha's outstanding quality.

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Yamaha comes through with this solid performer

I had been looking at adding the Yamaha WXA-50 to my extensive existing Yamaha MusicCast environment for a while but the unit has been continuously on backorder. When I got the email late Friday afternoon saying Crutchfield had "limited stock" on hand I called right away and ordered mine. Maverick, my Crutchfield sales advisor, made the ordering process simple and easy. The funny thing was I was on the email list for availability with both Yamaha and Crutchfield and Crutchfield had units available first! Set up was quick using the MusicCast App. I am using the WXA-50 in my garage to run two Klipsch R-51M Bookshelf Speakers and they sound great out there! Plenty of power and volume for my needs. The only thing I am disappointed with is the WXA-50 is not compatible with the Yamaha AV Controller App which I happen to like better than the MusicCast App, but that is just my personal preference. Found out about the AV Controller app incompatibility issue after a phone call to Yamaha AV Tech support. Shout out to Dale and Tim at Yamaha who are always there when you need them. MusicCast App works just fine for this installation, and I have it all set up to work with voice commands through the MusicCast/Alexa apps. Overall, I am very happy with my purchase.

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Just get it.

Easy set up, great sound and sturdy and nice looking gear that fits everywhere!

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True Yamaha quality

This is the first worthwhile streaming Amp. The built in amplifier is very clean and you immediately know this is a piece of hi-fi equipment and not to be confused with any of the myriad cheap items you can buy for half the cost on any online retailer (the modern day equivalent of a couple of guys driving around selling crap out of a van claiming it is 100% genuine). This amp has an app which makes configuring and using the system easy as well as allowing for firmware updates and integration with many of the services which we all know.

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Yamaha WXA-50

Works well with Musiccast. I'm taking one star off because streaming options don't include Amazon Music.

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Yamaha WXA-50

Great sound in a small package, exactly what we were looking for. Compliments the two "large package" MusicCast" rooms elsewhere. Easy to set up. The MusicCast software could use more polish though. Playing from your server library requires too many layers of interface to get to playing your music (but when you do it sounds great as you walk from one room to the next). As folks have mentioned here, it does run a bit hot (regularly ~95 F.). It defaults to not sleeping, which certainly doesn't help. Setting it to sleep after 20" idle does help. Also, set the fan to always "On" instead of the default "Auto." Initially, I talked to both Yamaha and Crutchfield support about the heat issue. They were both very responsive, and I had a replacement unit from Crutchfield in two days. Unfortunately the second unit also ran hot. I made extended feet for it so that there was better circulation underneath it. Overall, we are very happy to have replaced four rooms of Sonos w/ Musicast.

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Yamaha WXA-50

Easy to install, the WXA-50 fits the bill.

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Yamaha WXA-50

I really wanted to like this product, but it was a complete miss for my needs. Apparently, all Musiccast products introduced prior to 2018, even if they're still current, do not support Qobuz or Amazon Music. Somehow, Yamaha doesn't quite understand that consumers don't exactly know when a product was designed or introduced. All we can determine is if a product is current or discontinued. After four frustrating hours of research, I found a file buried on the Yamaha website that shows most of the Musiccast products they've ever produced don't support Qobuz, yet their marketing material gives the impression that this service is readily available. On paper, this product has many cool features and should be a home run, but the lack of Qobuz support is not only a show stopper for me but mystifying. I suppose the lack of Amazon Music support is also a mystery. If you're a Tidal fan, this product also lacks MQA support. If I've ever seen a product that needs a MKII version this is it. Because of products like this, it's why I shop at Crutchfield. The amp has been returned for a refund.

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Yamaha WXA-50

Works great with additional speakers. I did hear that they came out with a newer unit that can handle additional rooms and not have to have separated units for each room of speakers. Crutchfield emailed when they were in receipt of inventory very helpful and efficient. Received merchandise in a timely matter Thank you!

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Yamaha WXA-50

Like the unit. Still learning alexa voice commands. Setup was not easy.

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Awesome machine

This little machine does what's supposed to do I will recommend to all my friends and family

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Amazing little monster

Amazing little monster

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very good but short on sound and tone

very nice well built amp. great and easy to setup, great control from phone. tons of options to connect other devices, i got it hooked it up in less than 10 minutes and off i went. power was a little short even for 50 watts when i raised the volume i got lots of mids nothing else. so i tried the eq settings and raised the bass and treble and it was still short on sound. only reason i returned it was the music was very neutral. some people may like that i don't.

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WXA-50

Delivered fast , easy to hookup and use , music cast makes ii convenient to put in any room. nice little amp.

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Great product!

This product has been sold out or backordered for the last year. I was a little apprehensive about buying it "open box" from Crutchfield, but it was in great shape - no obvious nicks or scratches, and it works like a charm. I use it to power my outdoor speakers (Klipsch 650s) and it works perfectly for enjoying some tunes in the back yard. I'll look for more open box deals from Crutchfield in the future.

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Yamaha WXA-50

Powerful. Clean. Easy

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Yamaha WXA-50

Purchased this amp/streamer to power my vintage Dahlquist  M-905's.  It works well with the MusicCast app and allows me to access my music library on a NAS.  The ability to access all of my music, online sources, and link other Yamaha MusicCast  speakers ( I have 3) is wonderful.  Setup was a breeze and it works flawlessly. My only issue is that the amp isn't powerful enough to really drive these old speakers at high volumes.   I will be exchanging this unit for the WXC-50 pre-amp streamer and connecting to a Denon amp.  Great unit and I would recommend for a different application.

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Compact Amplifier for digital times

Fantastic addition to the home office. Easily hooks up our speakers to a compact amplifier that hides well on a desk, and the airplay feature is seamless. Would highly recommend.

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Yamaha WXA-50

Nice small factor with MusicCast connectivity.

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Maybe a 2and antenna.

Has trouble being found. MusicCast is always searching for it. But nice when connected.

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Good Choice

Works well and as described. App is intuitive and it works with all our existing music apps

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Really nice amp for stereo streaming!

I was looking for a small stereo amp for my home office to replace a Pioneer VSX-70 which sounded fine, but took up too much space and was overheating in the cabinet I use. After a month of use, I am loving this WXA-50. Using 2 x Martin Logan Motion 4 bookshelf speakers and a B&W powered sub. Plenty of power and sounds great. I love the app and that it has many built in streaming sources (SiriusXM, Pandora, Spotify, etc.). Very responsive with "auto on" almost instantly when I start streaming. Auto power off is nice too. Would definitely buy this again.

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Great product

Super easy to set up and sounds great

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Small unit, BIG SOUND.

First and foremost, I bought this unit to power my Elac UB5's speakers which are 4ohms. Power hungry bookshelf! Also the size of the amp is ideal for my set-up, I'm placing this on top my fireplace mantle, right next to my Smart tv and a conventional av receiver wouldn't fit depth wise.. I've previously had a Samsung sound bar unit, but it was old and it was time for a change. Sound is amazing when playing music, no issues in that department, Bluetooth connects with ease. The Wi-Fi and music cast feature are good to have but honestly I'm not one to use them. Well, at least for this time being. All my music I can control with the Spotify app in my phone or the app on my Samsung TV. I'm replacing this setup to be as my main music/tv/movies listening unit. I will be adding a SVS subwoofer soon to complete the listening experience. My only concern at the moment is that the unit does run a bit hot than what I expected. So try to not put anything on top of the amp if you're laying it flat. Also the try not too loose the credit size remote control. Too small for my liking.

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Yamaha WXA-50

runs very hot sound not that good

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Crutchfield response on 7/29/2020

This customer contacted our Customer Support team and set up a return. Purchases from Crutchfield can be returned or exchanged within 60 days.

Works great

Works great. Does just what it advertised to do.

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Nice package with great iPhone App.

I bought this to replace two Sonos devices. One was their AMP and one a pre-amp. Sonos stopped supporting the software updates due to age so I was looking for a more up-to-date replacement. Also, the Sonos continued to have problems with the SiriusXM app and the final software update removed the ability to ply music from my iPhone. I received the Yamaha WXA-50 last week and installed it. The install was a snap and it replaced BOTH Sonos units. The apps work great. With the Amp I can control the volume via my smartphone, however, using the aux out to connect to my older Yamaha amp on zone 2 requires me to control the volume on that via the Yamaha Amp. It's not a problem as I have wall mounted volume controls for each pair of speakers and I connected the Amp output to the pair out by the pool so I can control volume via my iPhone. The other speakers are in the house so controlling volume while in the house, while not ideal, is acceptable via the wall mounted control. Because of my choice to connect the way I did, I don't have the option of selecting different music sources for each pair of speakers. Would I recommend this to you! Sure. Would I buy it again, absolutely. I may decide to purchase a second unit so I can truly control each zone independently and also have iPhone volume control for the in house speakers.

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Great wireless little amp

Using this to power 2x Definitive Technology outdoor speakers (AW6500). I crank them to about 80% and the bass/clarity is great. Not sure how loud Max volume is, but i'm assuming they'd be powered enough. Does not get as warm as i'd have thought. Great if you have Musiccast devices already. (I have 7 zones)

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Yamaha WXA-50

Using this amplifier with bookshelf speakers and a subwoofer for the desktop computer in our study. So far it's been pretty nice. I have a few other MusicCast components, so the ability to have whole-house audio is nifty (thought I don't know how often we'll use it).

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Forget vintage HiFi technology today is so much better.

Originally ordered the WXC-50 preamp but two days later my vintage Yamaha receiver(pic1) started to act up. Never took it out of the shipping carton. Called Crutchfield and requested a exchange for the WXA-50 (pic 1) no problems. Even sent the new amp by 2nd Day Air, Nice. Had trouble adding it to my MusicCast app as room 2, tech support hung in with me until it work. Turns out had to click something in settings on the iphone xs. Plenty of room filling power and drives my Fluance Signature Series bookshelf with great soundstage. I already own the Yamaha R-N803 for the living room, wanted this for the bedroom. Used the app to stream my turntable to the unit and sound was the same as the den could not tell the difference (see pic 2). Net radio, XM, Amazon music just a good as the R-N803 has the same DAC as the $750 R-N803. All I can say is buy it! and Crutchfield is the only place to purchase from! These people really want to make you happy with your purchase. They have a customer for life. When I get the bug to update the living room speakers(after my taxes are done) I know who to call. Thanks Drew for you help.

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Yamaha WXA-50

Excellent addition to my home stereo system! Easy to connect to MusicCast and the app works very well. Nice to be able to control so much from your phone or iPad.

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Like it, music cast can be better tho

I use this to power outdoor speakers. It works as advertised and was very simple to set up. The only knock is the music cast app. It works great if you use streaming services like pandora and Spotify, but Apple Music isn't well connected. You can't select multiple speakers to play the same source via the app (again with Apple Music, it does work with pandora), it must be done with a computer. Thats more of a knock on the music cast system vs Sonos than this piece of equipment. The equipment is well built, heavy and powers great sound through my polk speakers.

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Yamaha WXA-50

Hooked it up to a pair of B&W 685 S2's which were being wasted in a cheap home theater setup and am extremely happy with the outcome. The sound is full and tight. The MusicCast app is functional enough to not need to use remote control or approach the amp. Very happy with the purchase.

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Fun little streaming integrated amp

Added this little gem to the house a few weeks ago in a small office space. Configuration via the app was easy. The amp provides a clean 50w and fills a small room driving inefficient speakers. Streaming Spotify Connect and from a network server. Some problems with Spotify podcasts tagged as multimedia. The musicast app links to the upstairs AVR. It performs as advertised and is a joy to use.

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Tiny but mighty

This thing is tiny but has a lot of power and just the right features for our tiny row house. We had tried some other proprietary wireless speakers and Roku speakers and all were inadequate in terms of sound quality. Also, you have to ONLY use proprietary equipment. This amp allows you to use the MUSICAST wireless system and connect wired speakers of your choice. We connected our Canton Karat speakers and they sound great. Note, we are more into hifi stereo than surround sound. If home theater is your thing, look elsewhere for other musiccast products. In this tiny package we can connect to WiFi, connect TV to our speakers and stream to amazing sounding speakers Through a whole house system. We have yet to encounter any distortion in sound regardless of how high the volume goes. Small size is perfect for our needs. We love it.

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My patio is complete.....

This is a neat little amp. It was relatively easy to set up and integrate into the MusicCast network. The basic setup instructions are worthless. On the Yamaha website - the advanced manual will save you a lot of headaches. I have it set up to drive a pair of Yamaha outdoor speakers on a back patio. It's not quite as "punchy" as I would have liked - but it's not reasonable to expect that type of performance in an outdoor environment. I'm quite impressed with the performance and value.

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Good Solution for Patio Music

Works exactly as specified after linking to WiFi network. Good sound. Simple control via Musicast App. We play music via Pandora since our main receiver doesn't have WiFi link. I could purchase the WXC-50 preamp to add that functionality to the main receiver, but that isn't necessary for our purpose. I couldn't get the WiFi linking procedure to work in the instructions which came with the amplifier. I downloaded the advanced manual for the amplifier which discussed using the WPS feature on the router to link the amplifier to the router. That worked flawlessly. This amplifier does generate a lot of heat. The picture showing the amplifier stacked vertically between books is not a good idea.

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WXA-50-a great find!

The Yamaha Music Cast platform and network enabled receiver offerings including the WXA-50 wireless streaming amplifier have provided a solution to our recent home audio upgrades and expansion! Just perfect-the WXA-50 powers a pair of outdoor Klipsch speakers with either the same or different music sourced with the Yamaha RX-V780--all via a single app on the smart phone. Crutchfield staff was very helpful and took the time in providing the options for various whole house audio systems. Thanks!

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Love MusicCast

Awesome product. I have two I use to run my deck zone and beach zone. The main advantage is MusicCast. Perfectly synced music through the house and outside. All zones

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Yamaha WXA-50

Really awesome streaming device!

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Yamaha WXA-50

Great little unit. Easy to hook up, Connects to the network and can link easily between the units. Great component for a whole house system.

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Yamaha WXA-50

I Recently Added this amplifier tomorrow system so that I have music outside. It works really well I'm really happy with everything it works in sync with the inside receiver or you can have music throughout your house and backyard or whatever room you would like to use it In.

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Yamaha WXA-50

Overall this little puppy is impressive. But first and very important: Ignore the mini manual provided and download the full manual which is very good and which provides several options for connecting the device to your home network. Because, as others have stated, that was problematic. But the connection options provided in the full manual solved that for me. Once connected, and you have the app up and running, the unit really shines. The sound shaping, room setup, network, Bluetooth, all are easily configurable as was the Apple Airplay output which was my biggest need. Really nice, sturdy, design to this amp. For those comparing to Bose SA5, the actual amp aesthetics, app controls and features are superior. A big concern I have is that for an amp this sophisticated, it only outputs 55 watts per channel. The Bose did 100 wpc. I have a pair of Definitive Technology 6500 high end outdoor speakers and they want power so I have to crank this amp up to get it there. Hopefully not an issue if playing for longer periods of time. But, all in all, pretty impressive.

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Will not connect

I just bought 6 of these at a very expensive price. You would think for that kind of money they would work. Tried setup, failed, failed, failed. I only tried 3 of them but none of them would connect. I spent over an hour each trying to get them to work. Major fail. I talked to Crutchfield support and they tried but nothing is working. Yamaha is totally no help. I was really looking forward to this system, now back to the drawing board.

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Crutchfield response on 11/14/2017

Greg, we're sorry you had issues with your amplifiers. Whenever you encounter a problem with anything you purchase from Crutchfield, especially a situation like this, please contact our Customer Support team at 1-800-955-9091. Purchases from Crutchfield can be returned or exchanged within 60 days of the purchase.

Yamaha WXA-50

The amp's MusicCast system is difficult to match to home network. Written instructions not clear. After getting app installed, the source receiver and the remote amp will not sync sound, eco delay stinks. Support from Yamaha has been hard to reach with only periodic, brief e-mails that have not yet solved the issue.

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Crutchfield response on 9/19/2017

We're sorry you're having issues with your amp. If the problem continues, please just reach back out to our tech support team. They can either help get it working the way it should, or possibly return it for an exchange or refund.

Yamaha WXA-50

Really enjoying this Yamaha product. Sounds great with Yamaha 8" ceiling speakers or Bose 251 speakers. Easy to connect, but instructions could be a bit more specific and detailed when adding it as a new zone and connecting to the MusicCast system. I figured it out fairly quickly though. Yamaha tech support takes many days to get any response so I'm really glad Crutchfield has friendly, good, and responsive customer and tech support.

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Yamaha WXA-50

Great solution for multi-room audio and am pleased I purchased, but important to understand the limitations. Switched to wired ethernet connection after poor performance over wifi when trying to stream same source to multiple rooms. MusicCast app is mediocre and works well for linking rooms and playing some sources but problematic if you're tied into the Apple universe. Since Apple Music/Radio is protected, can't play from within app (purchased content is fine). Can use AirPlay to stream, but AirPlay is limited to connecting to one device at a time (Apple limitation). The workaround is to stream from iTunes on a mac/PC as that allows selecting multiple destinations. If you have a MusicCast enabled receiver, use AppleTV as an input to stream and the receiver will then allow you to connect to multiple streaming amps. Currently using 4 of these and will likely add more.

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Yamaha WXA-50

I ordered 4 amplifiers unfortunately one of them was not working!

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Yamaha WXA-50

Easy to set up and use

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