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Bluetooth Speakers

True Score Methodology v1.0

Yamaha Musiccast 50 Review

November 16, 2023

True Score

Mixed Reviews

Experts

Consumers

Expert Rankings

(

)

The Yamaha MusicCast 50 delighted experts with its expanded connectivity and user-intuitive companion app, which they used to adjust sound preferences. They also lauded its well-balanced sound profile but were disappointed with its lack of speakerphone functionality and poor portability.

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Table of Contents

Overview
What Is Not on the Box
Product Comparison
All Stores
Score Card
Expert Score Breakdown
Customer Score Breakdown
Learn More About Bluetooth Speakers

Overview

The Yamaha MusicCast 50 is a high-end indoor speaker launched in early 2018. The speaker is available in either black or white, and it is capable of both Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity. Its 360-degree speaker design allows it to create a wide soundstage, thereby creating an immersive listening experience that is relatively hard to come by even among the best speakers in the industry. Its connectivity is also pretty good, and when streaming music or movies through WiFi, its AirPlay latency is low enough not to cause any lag. The best Bluetooth speakers have a user-friendly companion app, which also applies to the MusicCast 50. Owners can customize their audio through its graphic equalizer or choose from various presets. This Yamaha speaker can also be paired with a similar Yamaha speaker (e.g., the Yamaha YAS 101 soundbar, which we’ve covered in our Yamaha YAS 101 Soundbar review), but if its design takes up a bit more space than is convenient, then maybe our Sonos One SL review or our Hitachi HSB32B26 Bluetooth soundbar review may present an alternative that is easier to place.

What Is Not on the Box

What the brand doesn’t always tell you…

our Verdict

The Yamaha MusicCast 50 was admired by expert testers for its WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity and its easy-to-use companion app. Reviewers from Rtings liked that the MusicCast app was easy to navigate and had a graphical EQ for quick sound adjustments. After their sound tests, they were also delighted to note that its sound was well balanced and that it also had a stereo output. Since it is AC-powered, it is not meant for outdoor use like the WONDERBOOM 2 is (see our Ultimate Ears WONDERBOOM 2 review), and although its bass response was not as deep as that of the best passive soundbar, testers were still satisfied with it. Specialists from Trusted Reviews also commended its rich mid-tone and liked its compatibility with Amazon Alexa.

Still, the MusicCast 50 isn’t quite as well suited as a computer speaker, but you can explore our AmazonBasics USB Powered PC Computer speakers review for that. Testers also didn’t appreciate its missing speakerphone functionality or its poor portability.

True Score

Reasons to Buy

Works with Amazon Alexa
User-friendly app
Balanced sound profile
WiFi connectivity
Multi-directional sound

Reasons to Avoid

No speakerphone functionality
Poor portability

Specifications

	Battery Life	n/a
	Built In Microphone	n/a
	Charge Time	n/a
	Size	15-3/4" (w) x 4-3/4" (h) x 7-7/8"(d)
	Smart App	Yes
	Speaker Pairing	Yes
	Water Resistant	n/a
	Wattage	35W + 35W (6Ω, 1 kHz, 10% THD)
	Wireless Range	10 m / 32.8 ft

All Specs

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Product Comparison

	Yamaha Musiccast 50 Review	Sonos Move Review		Ultimate Ears Hyperboom Review
True Score	79	86	NR	NR
Ranking	# 21 / 81	# 3 / 81	# /	# / 81
Market Context	The Yamaha MusicCast 50 is a high-end indoor speaker launched in early 2018. The speaker is available in either black or white, and it is… The Yamaha MusicCast 50 is a high-end indoor speaker launched in early 2018. The speaker is available in either black or white, and it is capable of both Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity. Its 360-degree speaker design allows it to create a wide soundstage, thereby creating an immersive listening experience that is relatively hard to come by even among the best speakers in the industry. Its connectivity is also pretty good, and when streaming music or movies through WiFi, its AirPlay latency is low enough not to cause any lag. The best Bluetooth speakers have a user-friendly companion app, which also applies to the MusicCast 50. Owners can customize their audio through its graphic equalizer or choose from various presets. This Yamaha speaker can also be paired with a similar Yamaha speaker (e.g., the Yamaha YAS 101 soundbar, which we’ve covered in our Yamaha YAS 101 Soundbar review), but if its design takes up a bit more space than is convenient, then maybe our Sonos One SL review or our Hitachi HSB32B26 Bluetooth soundbar review may present an alternative that is easier to place.	The Yamaha MusicCast 50 is also AC powered while the Sonos Move is battery powered, but the Sonos Move has voice assistant functionality while the… The Yamaha MusicCast 50 is also AC powered while the Sonos Move is battery powered, but the Sonos Move has voice assistant functionality while the MusicCast 50 does not. Also, the Sonos Move is both waterproof and dustproof, while the MusicCast 50 is not, but the MusicCast 50 is capable of stereo output, while the Sonos Move is not.	The Yamaha MusicCast 50 and the Yamaha MusicCast 20 are two very differently styled speakers; however, the MusicCast 50 has a rechargeable battery that the… The Yamaha MusicCast 50 and the Yamaha MusicCast 20 are two very differently styled speakers; however, the MusicCast 50 has a rechargeable battery that the MusicCast 20 does not, and it has also got an AUX input that is missing from the MusicCast 20.	The Yamaha MusicCast 50 is capable of a WiFi connection, while the Ultimate Ears HYPERBOOM is not, but the HYPERBOOM is battery-powered while the MusicCast… The Yamaha MusicCast 50 is capable of a WiFi connection, while the Ultimate Ears HYPERBOOM is not, but the HYPERBOOM is battery-powered while the MusicCast 50 relies on an AC connection. Still, the HYPERBOOM is also water resistant while the MusicCast 50 is not, and it can handle two simultaneous connections while the MusicCast 50 can only handle one.
Battery Life	n/a	10 hrs	–	–
Built In Microphone	n/a	Yes	–	–
Charge Time	n/a	2 hrs	–	–
Size	15-3/4" (w) x 4-3/4" (h) x 7-7/8"(d)	9.36" (h) x 4.88" (w) x 6.24" (d)	–	–
Smart App	Yes	Sonos app	–	–
Speaker Pairing	Yes	Yes	–	–
Dig Deeper		Read review →: Sonos Move Review

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$499.95
Availability
In Stock
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Score Card

Expert Score

*.75

We place a 75% weighted value on Expert Test Scores

Customer Score

*.25

We place a 25% weighted value on Customer Scores

True Score

Any product with a True Score above 70 is a Mixed Reviews

Expert Score Breakdown

Publications with higher Trust Scores are given more weight

A
Trust Score
56
The Yamaha MusicCast 50 is decent for music. With its ‘Bass Booster’ sound program enabled,… read more
By:
Andrew Williams
C
Trust Score
85
“No bottom line found for this product” read more
By:
Unknown
D
Trust Score
80
This large speaker offers sweet-sounding audio and generation-spanning features, but the bass needs to dig… read more
By:
Dagobiet Morales Alfaro
D
Trust Score
NR
Yamaha is a multi-room audio specialist, alongside companies such as Sonos and Bose, and it… read more
By:
Unknown
F
Trust Score
100
Very happy with the sound quality and interconnectivity with our Yamaha amp. We are jazz… read more
By:
Unknown