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Yamaha announces it is bringing Alexa voice control to its MusicCast products

Kris Wouk
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Amazon’s Alexa voice-powered assistant is continuing to gain traction and it’s only thanks in part to the companies devices like the Echo and Echo Dot. The speed that Alexa is being adopted by other hardware manufacturers is a big factor in how quickly it is catching on. Now Yamaha is joining the club, as it announced on Monday that it is bringing Alexa voice control to its MusicCast audio-visual products.

“MusicCast is the most versatile and powerful wireless multiroom audio system on the market, and the integration with Amazon Alexa makes it even easier to control,” Yamaha Corporation of America AV division general manager Bob Goedken said in a statement. “Telling Alexa to play your music and hearing it synchronized throughout your home with Yamaha sound quality is an extraordinary experience.”

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The feature will launch on more than 40 MusicCast-enabled products beginning this fall via a firmware update. At the same time, an Alexa Skill that adds MusicCast commands will arrive on Amazon’s Alexa-enabled devices, including the Amazon Echo, Amazon Echo Dot, Amazon Tap, and Amazon Fire TV. Once both the MusicCast product and your Amazon products are updated, you will be able to control both music playback and other functions using only your voice.

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Yamaha first launched MusicCast in 2015 via the WX-030 wireless speaker. Since then, the wireless multiroom technology has been included in AV receivers, soundbars, streaming amplifiers and more. The company even added a pair of products in 2016 that let you use your older speakers, receivers, and other audio gear in your MusicCast setup. No matter where in your house you would like to add a MusicCast-enabled product, the only two things you need are a power outlet and strong enough Wi-Fi signal.

Outside of the fall launch window, Yamaha has yet to share any specific launch information. For more information on how you will be able to use Alexa and Yamaha’s MusicCast products together, see the company’s website.

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