Skip to main content

Yamaha's MusicCast-enabled lineup continues to expand with the R-N402 receiver

Yamaha R-N402
Image used with permission by copyright holder
A/V receivers featuring Dolby Atmos or DTS:X might be all the rage these days, but for music lovers, a simple but solid stereo receiver is still a beautiful thing. With its new R-402 hi-fi network receiver, announced on Tuesday, Yamaha is embracing that simplicity, but giving it a touch of modern convenience with support for high-resolution audio and the addition of MusicCast multiroom audio streaming.

“The R-N402 hi-fi network receiver redefines the hi-fi experience through the addition of our state-of-the-art MusicCast wireless multiroom audio system,” Bob Goedken, Yamaha Corporation of America AV division general manager, said in a statement. “This groundbreaking experience bridges the simplicity and sophistication of hi-fi listening with the exciting lifestyle enhancements provided by Bluetooth, Apple AirPlay, and MusicCast wireless multiroom audio technologies.”

The R-N402 offers 100 watts per channel, more than enough to power even large speakers. In addition to the standard analog input for CD players, both coaxial and optical digital inputs are provided, making for crisp, clean playback of your favorite music. Digital playback is also supported from USB flash drives thanks to the built-in USB port.

If you’d rather connect wirelessly, the R-N402 offers a wide range of options. In addition to Bluetooth and AirPlay, the receiver supports streaming audio over Wi-Fi from DLNA servers. Wireless streaming is supported from a number of services including Spotify, Pandora, Rhapsody, Napster, SiriusXM internet radio, and vTuner.

Introduced last year, Yamaha’s MultiCast has shown up in most of the A/V products the company has launched since. A number of speakers, sound bars, and other devices support the format, meaning that audio from the R-N402 can easily be streamed simultaneously throughout your home, without the need for a Sonos-style hub.

For the audiophile set, high-resolution audio is supported in a number of formats. This includes AIFF 192 kHz/24 bit, FLAC 192 kHz/24 bit, Apple Lossless 96 kHz/24 bit, and WAV 192 kHz/24 bit, as well as playback of the DSD 5.6 MHz format.

The Yamaha R-N402 has a retail price of $450, and will be on sale beginning in September. For more information, see the Yamaha website.

Kris Wouk
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kris Wouk is a tech writer, gadget reviewer, blogger, and whatever it's called when someone makes videos for the web. In his…
New $129 Moto Buds+ tap Bose for boom and Dolby for head tracking
The Moto Buds in Forest Gray.

Three new phones under the Edge 50 branding weren't enough for Motorola this week. The venerable manufacturer also dropped a pair of earbuds to go along with the new Android fare.

The main contenders for North America will be the Moto Buds+, which are available now for $129 in the U.S., and $179 in Canada. They look as you'd expect wireless earbuds to look; that's worth mentioning because Moto had some wood-clad phones in its drop this week. They're sleek and stylish and apparently available here only in Forest Gray, though press images show other colors, too. (More's the pity -- those other colors look slick.)

Read more
Walmart is having a clearance sale on Vizio TVs — From $148
People watching sports on the 50-inch Vizio V-Series 4K TV.

Walmart is frequently the home of some of the best TV deals around with the retailer being particularly great right now. It’s currently hosting a clearance sale on Vizio TVs with many models on sale ranging from HDTVs up to feature-rich 4K TVs. If you’re looking to buy a new TV, you need to check out this sale. Hit the button below to check it out for yourself or keep reading while we take you through some of our favorite highlights.

What to shop for in the Walmart Vizio TV sale
Vizio is one of the best TV brands for variety and this sale shows how varied it is. One TV that we instantly gravitate towards is the It usually costs $628 but it’s currently $100 off so it costs just $528. The instant highlight is the large screen but it’s packed with features too. It has Dolby Vision Bright Mode for more lifelike accuracy, color saturation, black detail, and brightness. There’s a full array backlight to ensure LEDs are evenly distributed across the backlight, while active pixel tuning provides intelligent pixel-level adjustments that tune the contrast levels frame by frame in over 2,000 zones. An IQ Active Processor ensures excellent 4K upscaling while the V-Gaming Engine ensures you get the optimal gaming experience automatically with sub 10ms input lag, variable refresh rates, and a finely tuned picture mode. It’s sure to be the best TV for many people.

Read more
Anker’s Soundcore Sleep A20 earbuds are next-level sleep aids to block out noise
Anker Soundcore Sleep A20 earbuds worn while sleeping on side

If you had asked me years ago what kind of earbuds I'd be wearing while I sleep, I would have called you crazy. To sleep, I need silence, and anytime someone has a TV or tablet on or makes any noise, it makes me restless. With two kids and a wife who are all loud sleepers, it's safe to say I often have trouble sleeping. Believe it or not, there are earbuds for that. Anker's Soundcore Sleep A20 TWS earbuds, for example, are the second generation of its sleep-aid product. They're specifically designed to be worn while you sleep, thanks to a sleek form factor that doesn't protrude out of your ears or create discomfort while resting your pretty little head -- they're meant for side sleepers.

They also purportedly offer much more substantial snoring reduction than the previous generation via soft ear tips and ear wings that help block out ambient noise. If you like a little background audio, they pair with a mobile device that’s using the Soundcore app and allow you to play sound effects to serenade your slumber. A 4-point noise masking system uses not just the twin-seal ear tips and wings but also masking sounds and smart volume controls to drown out distracting noises. If you snore or your partner snores, it won't wake you up anymore as long as you're wearing these.

Read more