Buena Park, Calif.-Yamaha shipped
its first two three-piece microsystems that dock and charge an iPad.
The $399-suggested MCR-332 and $349.95 MCR-232, part of the company’s
PianoCraft series, feature two-channel CD-receiver, iPod/iPhone dock on top,
and top-mount USB port that charges an iPad and delivers iPad-stored music to
the systems. The USB port also plays music from mass-storage devices such as
USB drives and other-brand MP3 players.
Both models use the same CD-receiver, which will also be sold as the
CRX-332 without speakers at a suggested $299.
The systems capture iPod/iPhone/iPad-stored music in digital PCM form to
deliver better sound reproduction through the systems’ internal DACs, whereas
the two systems that they replace captured iPod/iPhone output in analog form.
The new systems also feature black piano-like finish, two-way
bass-reflex speakers, a subwoofer output and aux inputs.
Their speaker cabinets are supported by three legs to prevent external
vibrations from diluting sonic accuracy and deliver what the company called
exceptionally good imaging, the company said. Using its expertise in building
musical instruments, the company also added proprietary Vibration Control
Cabinet Structure (VCCS) technology to the speaker cabinets to further reduce
vibration-related distortion. The technology uses strategically placed pieces
of composite material inside each cabinet.
Both systems come with large-size, screw-type speaker terminals, and the
MCR-332’s speakers also offer banana-clip connections, not often found in
Microsystems, for additional connection reliability over time.
