Yamaha MusicCAST2 MCX-P200BL Network Music Player 1 - Each, Black Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I have 3 Yamaha receivers right now and have owned and sold a couple in the past. I like their receivers and was hoping to play my digital music collection through a Yamaha system. So far they have no come up with a product that meets my requirements.
My requirements are pretty basic. Some of them are met but not all.
1. Ethernet interface (met)
2. Optional wireless interface (met)
3. Play WMA lossless without transcoding (not met)
4. Have a front panel display for selecting music and showing what is being played (not met)*
5. Display more detailed ID3 information on a built-in or TV screen with album art in color (not met)*
6. SPDI/F (optical or coax) output to my Yamaha receiver (not met)
7. Controlled by my Yamaha receiver remote (not met)
8. Priced competitively like many current Yamaha receivers (not met)
Items 4 and 5 are kind of met by the remote (MCX-RC100) but at the extra cost. The MCX-P200 alone is costing more than my current Yamaha receiver that supports HD audio and 4 HDMI 1.3 inputs!
For the combined price of the MCX-P200 and MCX-RC100, one can get the Logical equivalent for much less and with the digital output plus the better format support.
To be fair, I would have to assume the DAC in the MCX-P200/MCX-A300 is the same as the one in my Yamaha receiver but neither supports multi-channel audio other than the stereo plus sub. By the way, how would one wire the MCX-P200 subwoofer output to the existing subwoofer that is connected to the Yamaha receiver?
I prefer not to use the remote for this purpose. I like the media player with a front panel display such as the old Turtle Beach Audiostation or Roku's SoundBridge SB-1000.
Currently, I am using a Dell slim desktop with a Roland USB soundcard as HTPC to play music. It is cheap and functional. The Windows 7 Media Center works well for this purpose. I am still waiting for Yamaha to come up with a media player that meets my requirements.


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Yamaha MusicCAST2 MCX-P200BL Network Music Player

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Pioneer AVIC-Z130BT 7" In-Dash Navigation AV Receiver with iPod/iPhone Control, Bluetooth, Pandora Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is the first In Dash double din GPS head unit that I have installed. My first impression is that it works well.
I got the optional Ipod cable (Pioneer CD-IU51V) and it connects to my phone (iPhone 3GS) right away every time. I know others have tried to connect with the provided cable and will see connection problems I have seen none with the extra cable.
Pandora and Aha Radio works great. This is my favorite feature. Thumbs up / down, skip songs from the head unit.
The GPS system seems fast and even finds my house which others in the past haven't. I have had several portable (stand alone) GPS units from Garmin and in my opinion Garmin is the best. This unit works well enough for what I need it to do though.
I installed the back-up camera (Pioneer ND-BC4) to this unit and it works very well. I was impressed with the image quality (see picture in image gallery).
The EQ settings are numerous and have allowed me to dial in an excellent sound quality even with the factory speakers.
The voice recognition seems to work OK. I have never found any that seem to work flawlessly OEM or aftermarket.
Ipod controls work well, Album art loads quickly and you can control in easily.
Built in HD tuner seems to work well.
Antenna booster works well.
CD/DVD playback works quickly. I have had no issues with the DVD playback or MP3 CD's I have used.
The Bluetooth connection seems fast and has worked every time for me. Incoming calls (auto mute) works well.
Phone contact transfer worked first try.
The supplied microphone works well and the cable length is great even for longer runs. I ran mine up the A-pillar to the mirror and still had about 3 extra feet of cable.
I'm not sure where the 2 star ratings are coming from but every aftermarket unit will have it pluses and minuses. I did a great deal of research before buying and I am very happy with my purchase.

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Pioneer's flagship navigation receiver, the double-DIN AVIC-Z130BT features built-in navigation with maps of the US, Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, and Puerto Rico. Get there fast with spoken street names, lane guidance, and a wealth of GPS features, and stay in touch on the way with built-in Bluetooth for hands-free calling. The motorized 7-inch WVGA touchscreen display is great for GPS and for navigating your entertainment, whether it's DVDs or CDs, your digital media from USB drives or microSD cards, or content from your iPhone. Speaking of iPhones, the AVIC-Z130BT features enhanced integration with Pandora and Aha Radio apps, along with GPS features through the free AVIC FEEDS app.
Pioneer's in-dash navigation systems allow drivers to stay connected to social networks, local searches and traffic services while keeping their focus on the road.

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