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Yamaha has added a number of new RX-series home theater receivers to its lineup, with the two at the top getting some noteworthy features. The RX-V773WA and RV-V673 both get 7.2-channel support and Apple's AirPlay standard for wireless music streaming from iOS devices. Full control over the receivers is also possible through dedicated apps for the devices.
Yamaha has announced a series of new music apps for iOS devices. Just released is NoteStar, an iPad-only sheet music title. The app turns pages automatically, accompanied by backing tracks recorded by studio musicians, including lead vocalists. As needed, though, a person can configure the app to play full accompaniment, a metronome, just the keyboard section, a mix of these or none of the above.
Yamaha has posted a clip showing Siri controlling a Disklavier piano over Wi-Fi. The demonstration uses an implementation of Apple's Airplay technology that sends an audio signal through an Airport Express to the analog MIDI inputs of the Disklavier. User's can ask Siri to play songs from their iTunes library, and the piano will reproduce any audio file that contains MIDI data.
Yamaha has introduced its latest home theater system, the BDX-610, which pairs an A/V receiver with six speakers. The 5.1-channel receiver features a 3D Blu-ray player, along with a network connection that enables users to access BD-Live and Netflix, among other services. Users can attach iOS devices via USB, with audio from iPhones or iPods sent as a digital PCM signal.
Yamaha on Tuesday revamped its Aventage home theater receivers with an increased focus on mobile. The entire line, the RX-A710, RX-A810, RX-A2010, RX-A1010, and RX-3010, now has complete support for both iPhone remote control as well as front USB ports to play music directly from iOS hardware. Android is also finally getting support and will have its own remote app in the fall.
Yamaha has introduced a new iOS app that serves as a virtual representation of the company's Tenori-On musical arrangement hardware. The app, titled TNR-i, offers the same 16x16 button grid, which is used to control time and pitch of looped samples. Users can simultaneously configure a variety of different sound layers and song patterns, while six different performance modes further change the presentation style.
Yamaha has added the YSP-2200 digital sound projector to its YSP range. The slim line sound bar has a much narrower profile than the other sound bars in Yamaha’s current range. At just 3.5-inches high, it allows for a user to place the speaker in front of a flat screen TV without blocking the image.
Yamaha has just announced its latest iPod dock, the TSX-140. Its unique feature is said to be the IntelliAlarm that gradually fades in music as to not jolt sleepers awake. The dock is compatible with Apple’s iPod touch and iPhone 3G, 3GS and 4, and has a USB port for playing MP3 and WMA files from a thumb drive. An AM/FM radio is likewise built-in.
Yamaha has introduced the BD-A1000, a "universal Blu-ray player" that pairs an optical drive with streaming capabilities. The device allows users to play Blu-ray discs, DVDs, SACDs, DVD Audio discs or web-based media such as Netflix, YouTube and Blockbuster. Dual USB ports can also be used to attach an external hard drive or thumb drive.
Yamaha has taken the wraps of its portable PDX-31 speaker dock for Apple’s iPhone and iPod. It also includes an auxiliary in (stereo mini-jack) for use by any media player. The premium sound system is built for durability with a dual-wall “box within a box” construction that houses a high quality amplifier with matched 3 ¼-inch speakers.
Yamaha has dipped into in-ear headphones for the first time with the late Friday launch of its EPH line. The EPH-50 is considered the pseudo-audiophile model with 13.6mm (0.53in) drivers, tougher construction and a quarter-inch adapter for home stereos. The EPH-30 is the mainstream entry with 9mm (0.35in) drivers and a more conventional build, and the EPH-20 caters to entry-level listeners with slightly larger drivers (10.7mm or 0.42in) but low-cost sound and five color choices.
Yamaha on Friday brought the Tenori-on Orange to the US. The unique musical instrument was previously available in Japan and is a lower-cost version of the original pad, which centers on pressing any one of 256 LED buttons to create both light and sounds. The Orange is meant for personal more than public performance and omits the lights on the back, can no longer run on AA batteries and uses a plastic frame instead of magnesium.
Yamaha Electronics earlier this week launched its latest home theater audio system, the YHT-S400, meant for small living rooms. The two-piece system consists of a slim sound-bar speaker and a unique subwoofer integrated into the receiver. The HD Audio compatible system has three HDMI inputs and one output and uses Yamaha's own Air Surround Xtreme techonology for a simulated 7-channel surround sound environment.
Yamaha on Thursday introduced the latest addition to its Digital Sound Projector range with the YSP-5100. Compared to the YSP-4100 on which it's based, the YSP-5100 is 6.7 inches wider and packs two more tweeters into this extra outside space for better sound dispersion for a better virtual surround sound experience. It otherwise has the same HD decoding abilities that include Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD, the same 55W power output and the same audio connections.
Yamaha late yesterday introduced two new mini audio systems built for iPhones and iPods, the MCR-140 and MCR-040. The former is unique in that it can play back music from an iPod wirelessly through Yamaha's proprietary yAired standard. The MCR-040 lacks this feature, but both systems otherwise sport a CD player, a front panel USB port, an FM radio and auxiliary audio jack inputs.
Yamaha has recently introduced three new audio products in its home market of Japan, all of which can charge and playback the content of docked iPods and iPhones. The MCR-140 mini system has a USB port, and a CD player, as well as an AirWired Cradle that plugs into iPhones or iPods and wirelessly connects it to the system. The range is 33 feet, and the dock and connected Apple device can be charged simultaneously by plugging them into the top of the system. The stereo puts out 30W of total power and plays both MP3 and WMA files from CDs and USB drives.
Yamaha on Friday announced the upcoming release of its SoundGadget SoundGadget PSG-01S and Projectphone PJP-25URS speakerphones that are certified to work with Skype calls. Besides providing a microphone, the two are entirely USB powered and don't need drivers. The PSG-01S is meant as a personal speaker, while the larger PJP-25URS is meant to cater to small conference rooms where more than one individual is at one end of the conversation.
Yamaha on Friday upgraded its multi-room audio system with the MusicCAST2. Similar to a Sonos system, the combination dock and touchscreen controller pipes Internet and network-attached audio over the local Ethernet or Wi-Fi network to as many as 32 different receivers. The controller supports sharing iTunes libraries thanks to TwonkyMedia's service; the central cradle also supports media from USB devices, including iPods, and has internal Bluetooth to receive audio from cellphones. It also directly supports RealNetworks' Rhapsody and generic Internet radio.
Yamaha on Monday announced the availability of four new home theater systems, including the flagship 7.1-channel YHT-791BL. It includes a 90W-per-channel HTR-6250BL receiver. The receiver has four 1080p-compatible HDMI inputs, HD Audio internal decoding and Bluetooth compatibility. There is also a pair of front speakers with 6.5-inch woofers and 0.75-inch tweeters, a center channel with two 3-inch woofers and 0.75-inch tweeter as well as four satellite surround speakers, each packing a 3-inch driver and 0.5-inch tweeter. A 100W, 10-inch subwoofer provides the low bass, and the company's iPod dock, the YDS-11SL, is included with the $850 system.
Yamaha has begun shipping its latest computer recording systems, the AudioGram 3 and AudioGram 6. Both devices offer mic and line inputs and connect to the computer via USB. Various connections are provided, including XLR, 1/4 inch instrument, 1/8 inch headphone, and RCA jacks. Both devices integrate a preamp when using mic inputs and provide 48-V phantom power as needed for condenser microphones. AudioGram 3 features both a mono input that can be used for a mic or instrument, and a stereo channel for connecting line level sources.
At the CEATEC show earlier this week, Yamaha’s electronics arm introduced two new mini audio systems with integrated iPod/iPhone docking stations, the TSX-120 and TSX-130. Both systems also share a built-in FM radio tuner and the same 15WRMS x 2 amplifier to drive the pair of 3.1-inch speakers. The main difference between the two is the TSX-130’s inclusion of a CD drive, USB port for reproducing audio files from flash drives or other MP3 players, along with a black color option that includes a darker wood grain finish as well. The TSX-120 replaces the USB port with a more common 3.5mm stereo jack.
Having waited out the HD format war safely, Yamaha is getting ready to jump into the Blu-ray market with its BD-S2900 player, according to a leaked report, pre-empting the player's expected release at the CEDIA show at the start of September. The unofficial specifications have the BD-S2900 compatible with the Profile v1.1, allowing users to view extra BonusView content without turning to their PC's Blu-ray drives, capable of 1080p/24fps HDMI video output, and upscaling of standard DVDs.
Low-cost flat panel HDTV maker VIZIO recently said it will enter the home audio market with its simulated surround sound system comprised of a slim speaker and a wireless subwoofer. Earlier this year, the company's only other attempt to make a sound system came in the form of the wireless speaker Jive SV5.1 upgrade kit for its Black Tie- and XVT-series of HDTVs.
Yamaha has launched the YDS-11SL iPod dock, which allows users to play the digital music stored on their iPods via their home theater system. The dock is made to connect to Yamaha's receivers as well as the company's YSP-3050 speaker bar, providing full control via the home theater electronics maker's remote. The iPod screen comes up on users' video displays via Yamaha's On-Screen Display visual interface.
Electronics builder Yamaha has released the YSP-3050, a new speakerbar in its Digital Sound Projector line. Like other speakerbars, the 3050 attempts to mimic separate surround speakers through a single unit, by using a multitude of tiny drivers aimed in different directions; the 3050 has has some 21 drivers, with 23 amplifiers and two woofers. This allows 5.1-channel sound under codecs such as SRS, DTS Neo:6 and Dolby Digital. People can additionally switch to a variety of unique combinations, such as My Beam, which isolates sound to a single listener.
Yamaha says it is bringing a formerly Japanese-only digital instrument, the Tenori-on, to the United States. The instrument consists mainly of 256 LED buttons, which can be touched and swiped to create different patterns, in turn affecting how loaded sound samples are looped. By adding or deleting various layers of sound, a musician can theoretically play multiple parts of a song by himself, improvising on the fly.
Taking its own turn after Sony, Yamaha has announced five new AV receivers for 2008. The base model is the RX-V363, which supports 5.1 channels with 100W of audio each. It is 1080p-capable, but has only two HDMI inputs (plus three component ports), and is only compatible with iPods and Bluetooth devices through optional accessories. Pricing is set at $230.
