Yamaha MusicCAST MCX-2000 Review

[gene]

<P class=MsoFooter style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: .5in"><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT size=2><A href="http://www.audioholics.com/news/uploads/YamahaMusicCASTMCX20002.jpg"></A><A href="http://www.audioholics.com/productreviews/avhardware/YamahaMusicCASTMCX2000p1.php"><IMG style="WIDTH: 150px; HEIGHT: 62px" alt=[YamahaMusicCASTMCX20003] hspace=10 src="http://www.audioholics.com/news/thumbs/YamahaMusicCASTMCX20003_th.jpg" align=left border=0></A>The Yamaha MusicCAST MCX-2000 is a dream come true to anyone looking for an easy to use, intelligent file management and server solution for their music database.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </SPAN>This product truly redefines the way you listen to music and anyone previously unfamiliar with the power and flexibility of a music server, especially one that can stream music wirelessly, is really in for a treat.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </SPAN><?xml:namespace prefix = o /></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoFooter style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: .5in"><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT size=2>&nbsp;</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoFooter style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: .5in"><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT size=2>[Read the Review]<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [First Look Intro Article]</SPAN></FONT></SPAN></P>

 

[sts9fan]

I will admit up front that I am a huge Squeezebox fluffer. So I would like to compare this unit vs SB3 or even the Olive Musica.
First I think 160g is WAY to small. Compare that to the Musica's 400 and the SB3's(which if you spent the cost of the Yamaha you would have well over a Terabyte). Also I don't trust hard drives at all and there is no back up with this system.
So...
SB3 wireless $300
2 X 300GB HDs $300
Wireless Router $ 70
Cheap PC $400

Total $1070

So for almost half the price you can have almost twice the storage plus redundant backup. Even less money if you use your current computer or a old one like I did. Also this setup allows you to use Softsqueeze to access you collection from any PC in the world(firewall permitting). It has internet radio, Pandora, The Live Music Archive plus it can stream news and sports scores over its hugh and sweet looking display.

I am not attacking your review at all just looking at the options.

 

[awesomebase]

Gene, what's up?

Gene, I have to admit that while I was reading your review on this system, the whole time I was thinking that Yamaha made a MAJOR blunder in not being able to, at the very least, distribute AAC and AAC+ encoded music from iTunes (never mind the protected format that is the default for iTunes purchases).
I'm no expert and I don't profess to be better at this than anybody else, but these are major features that have been left out! I encode my CDs in AAC because it sounds way better than MP3 does at even 1.5x the sampling rate. iTunes is a major player in the music space and one would think that including the technology to recognize and distribute this format would be included in a $2K system.
The other point I have to make on this is that while this system does many things very well, almost all of it can be replaced with a $129 Airport Express with AirTunes and a Mac/Windows system (which most people already have). I had looked at the older model (the 1000) by Yamaha but could not justify the $600/room price + the server when it was easier to buy Airport Express modules and plug them in wherever I want music. You can distribute any music to any area from any computer on the network that has access to iTunes. So it seems weird to me that this system would have much more to offer than simply relieving your computer system of the processing hit it takes when sending music around (which is not a lot anyway).
Don't get me wrong, it looks like a great system and I like the improvements made over the previous system, but the price is difficult to justify for what it is doing, especially when you consider that you can do the same on a regular computer. Heck, with the new Mac mini, the MacBook Pro, and the iMac, you can use FrontRow to do all of those things over the network both wired and wirelessly with music, photos, videos, and DVDs as well and for a lot less money. Just my $0.02. I was surprised that iTunes was not mentioned in the review, even in your wish list... despite the obvious marketshare it holds.

 

[Audioholics]

It's no big secret that this is a custom install product. Comparing it against anything else is somewhat apples to oranges. Dealers like set top solutions like this because they are specifically geared to work well when integrated into a custom install environment. They can be rack-mounted, do exactly what they are set up to accomplish, and don't need to interface with an "always-on" PC to function correctly.

Drawbacks? Yes. Limited use? Yes. Higher per-room cost? To the installer, not really. To the end-user? The target audience probabaly doesn't care because this is part of a larger install who's focus in usability and convenience.

I love the Squeeze box and those other products as well - it's just a different market, budget and focus.

 

[sts9fan]

Don't you think that a quick comparison to the alternatives is a important part of judging/rating value of a componet? That way if a person reads the review they can also look for reviews of similar products.

 

[joebob]

FLAC support

Another issue I see with the Yamaha server is the lack of FLAC support. It would make sense to me to include a format that provides CD quality in half the disc space. I would be interested in this product at half the cost with double the hard drive capacity if it had FLAC support.

 

[Audioholics]

Don't you think that a quick comparison to the alternatives is a important part of judging/rating value of a componet? That way if a person reads the review they can also look for reviews of similar products.

Yes, but you'd have to compare it to an Escient box or similar, not something like the Squeezebox. Again, this is only when considering the target market (who Yamaha designed this box for).

 

[awesomebase]

Of course

Clint,
I can understand your reasoning for this being a custom-installed solution as there is no doubt that there is a big market for this. But I still find it inexcusable to leave out an entire market in the comparison.
I am not trying to offend anybody at all. I'm merely trying to understand why the handling of iTunes music is not mentioned. Most all of my friends have already ripped their entire music collections to iTunes. I don't think it is unreasonable to expect that they don't want to have to do it all over again for another product. I certainly don't want to. That doesn't mean that I'm the target market of this review either.
However, I do think that this review should, at the very least, acknowledge that one of the most major forms of music storage and handling is unsupported, and that based on this fact, the score for the product should be lowered appropriately. It makes no sense to me that you would not consider this in what is supposed to be an unbiased review. There is no shame in stating the problems or shortcomings of a product. It brings to light the limitations of the product and may actually help improve the next versions of the product if enough people ask or petition for those features.
Reviews should be objective and should include, at the very least, the most obvious comparisons. When something as deliberate as AAC-encoded songs or iTunes software is left out of the mix for digital music distribution, you create the sense that the review is misleading. This in turn can create mistrust as the reviewer will not be seen as objective, especially, again, when the review has left out something so blatantly large and obvious.
I'm a great fan of this web site and of the resources that are freely available, but I can see from this latest review that it is not providing full disclosure and an equitable comparison. This leaves me to question how many other reviews have been doing the exact same thing...

 

[sts9fan]

It's no big secret that this is a custom install product.

Drawbacks? Yes. Limited use? Yes. Higher per-room cost? To the installer, not really. To the end-user? The target audience probabaly doesn't care because this is part of a larger install who's focus in usability and convenience.

Why is this not in the review? I think it is quite relevent.

Yes, but you'd have to compare it to an Escient box or similar, not something like the Squeezebox. Again, this is only when considering the target market (who Yamaha designed this box for).

Why no mention of the Olive?

 

[gene]

I am not trying to offend anybody at all. I'm merely trying to understand why the handling of iTunes music is not mentioned.

It was mostly an oversight on my part since I don't normally mess with these encoding formats, NOR do I own an IPOD. If you are looking for a conspiracy you wont find one, other than complete lack of interest on my part for compression and portable music devices.

If you want my official opinion on this topic, here you go:
Dumbing Down of Audio

That being said, I emailed Yamaha to see if they plan on supporting this format in future upgrades. We shall see.

I'm a great fan of this web site and of the resources that are freely available, but I can see from this latest review that it is not providing full disclosure and an equitable comparison. This leaves me to question how many other reviews have been doing the exact same thing...

Yes I recommend sticking with CNET or Consumer Reports. Their 200 word reviews will likely cover all bases more thoroughly.

 

[sts9fan]

Yes I recommend sticking with CNET or Consumer Reports. Their 200 word reviews will likely cover all bases more thoroughly.

What do you see as the purpose of your reviews?
Do you want people to use your review as a useful tool in making a A/V purchase? Don't you think a comparison is key to this function?

 

[MDS]

Why give the Audioholics so much heat over the review?

I agree with the prior comments but the review is just fine. I personally would not spend $2,000 on this device when you can achieve the same thing with far fewer headaches for 1/10 of the price. These types of device are definitely aimed at the custom installer market where people just want a set and forget setup and are willing to pay an exorbitant price for it.

All similar devices suffer from the same drawbacks:
- One fixed hard drive that is not sufficient in capacity for large music collections. When it eventually dies, you are left with an expensive boat anchor.
- No way to use other non-supported formats or codecs without a firmware upgrade (which most likely will never come).

It's a real concern if you have ripped all of your music to one format and don't want to have to do that again, BUT there is an easy solution for that: Rip the WAVS and save them on an external drive and then transcode them to any format you want. If you save the WAVs you never have to rip the CDs again - you just have to have a backup strategy for the external drive or buy a new one every few years (which is a LOT cheaper than buying the MusicCast system in the first place).

 

[sts9fan]

Why give the Audioholics so much heat over the review?

No heat here. Just suggesting something that imo could make the reviews more helpful to the consumer. I mean even if they just list similar products at the end to checkout I think it would help. The olive products do seem to fit the same mold for much less money and a bigger HD to boot.

 

[awesomebase]

Lol

Hey, woah Gene, let's not get carried away (re: going to CNET for reviews)!!
If you can, please post Yamaha's response to your request... I would be very interested in hearing what they have to say about it. Thanks!

 

[MUDSHARK]

I just recently purchased a used MCX-1000 with an 80hdd. When it arrives I will decide if the 320mp3 is good enough or whether the cd equivalent will be the way to go. If the latter my plan is to repace the harddrive with a 300gb one.

This is the perfect solution for combining a cd recorder and juke box in one unit of moderate size. I have no desire to have a dedicated PC attached to the music system in the den. The on-screen display for creating playlists or selecting albums is especially convenient. Since I do not download music, I cannot comment on the i-tunes criticism. I must agree that at the unit's new price a larger harddrive should have been included (both the 1000 and the 2000). I'm looking forward to the units arrival.