Sherwood Newcastle AVP-9080R A/V Preamplifier
Sherwood Newcastle AVP-9080R A/V Preamplifier
USER REVIEWS
[Sep 23, 2002]
qwikdo
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Great in Digital/DTS for movies. Plenty of analog inputs.
Weakness:
Not enough digital inputs. When connected to a dolby digital DSS receiver can't play two channel mode, only can watch movies in 5.1 (My denon 3200 receiver could do this). Have to make analog connections with the dss receiver to get pro-logic sound, very annoying. After reading many reviews I thought it was time to upgrade my system. Before I was using a Adcom GSA-700 connected to Sony DVP-650V for Dolby digital and DTS. I listen to the system 50/50 for movies and music. I thought with all the features and rave reviews I would try the sherwood to see if it would improve my system. For movies it does the job very well. The sound is very spacious and great during demanding passages. I tried all types of movies and overall it did a fine job. When switching to two channel music I was very dissappointed. I thought this preamp made my music sound thin and bright. I thought that amps really make the difference in sound, boy was I wrong. I couldn't believe how much of a difference in sound it was from my adcom. My adcom was very smoooth in the highs and midrange. Playing the music loud and for a long time I notice I began to get listeners fatigue which never happened before. I switched back to the adcom which took about an hour to hook everything up, but I noticed the sound of the adcom to be more nuetral. It presented the music in a coherent manner which was lost with the sherwood. For movies the sherwood beat my adcom by a little bit. The panning of sounds in DigitalDTS was better with the sherwood. I wanted to keep the sherwood so bad because of the features and price but I will end up selling it. For movies I highly recommend it, but for 2 channel music it doesn't cut it. If music is of concern for you don't get this preamp. My system includes: Sherwood 9080R preamplifier Sherwood 9080AM for 2 centers and rears PS-Audio CX200 Amp for fronts Parasound CD-1000 CD Player Sony DVP-650V DVD Player Mirage M3Si fronts Mirage MCSi 2 centers Mirage 595is rears Kimber 8TC speaker cables all around Kimber PBJ interconnects |
[Jan 10, 2000]
John Lee
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Great sound in stereo and multi-channel modes, clean styling, & DTS!
Weakness:
Not enough coax inputs, minor hiss sound, but not much else.. Primarily purchased as a home theatre processor, this preamplifier from Sherwood Newcastle is one which has few shortcomings in home theater or music listening alone. Similar Products Used: Golden Theater and Acurus pre/processors. |
[Jan 19, 2000]
Rich
Audiophile
Strength:
Sound Quality
Weakness:
Few Digital Inputs After submitting the first review on this site of a very early production AVP-9080R, I am providing an updated review. I know this is not considered proper form as many individuals continually re-post reviews (sometimes under bogus names) in an effort to raise a products ratings - a very annoying habit that is all too common on this site. However, I do have several legitimate reasons for re-reviewing this product. First and foremost I have been able to evaluate four different units for extended periods. Second, I have now had over a years experience with this product and am very familiar with its sound in relation to other preamp processors. Similar Products Used: Sony9000ES, B&K3090, Sunfire Cinema Grand, MarantzAV550, many more... |
[Jul 03, 2001]
Jim Marr
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Excellent value for the money
Weakness:
Lack of local dealers for tryout prior to purchase Due to the lack of local dealers, I took a chance and purchased the amp and preamp from smarthome.com during a limited-time sale of $1099! I have found this combo to be just right for my needs. My usage is 50/50 music and movies (including vinyl) and the Sherwood combo has handled my Magnepan MG3's and MG1's very nicely. I plan to add a center channel and sub in the near future. My overall rating is based on four-channel usage. |
[Aug 27, 1999]
Greg R
an Audio Enthusiast
I just bought this preamp to replace my JVC 1024 receiver. My current system is:JVC 1024 |
[Jan 02, 2000]
Eric
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Elegant styling, Clean and dynamic preamp, component video switching, 6ch Input, value,OUTSTANDING CUSTOMER SERVICE
Weakness:
few digital ins/outs, voltage problems galore (see below ), poorly written manual. This product represents a superior concept in design and function. In a nutshell it performs as beautifull as it looks. Minor problems were quickly rectified with superior customer service. Jeff Hipps at Sherwood said "We will move Heaven and Earth" to make it right with when I reported problems with the AC inputs on the back of the unit. A word to the wise; do not plug your power amplifiers into these AC inputs. It will blow the fuse and could potentially damage other aspects of the component. Speaker hiss has also been a problem. An addition of an advanced MR application would be well received, but, for under $1k... |
[Sep 01, 1999]
Craig
a Casual Listener
Just got this piece into my system and hooked up. I used to have an Angstrom 100 DD preamp which sounded great with music but had too many quality control problems and operating quirks in my opinion. (snaps,pops, clicks etc... that seem to be all too prevalent in DD preamp processors). The Sherwood is ultra-silent and works very well. It does feel like a well made piece. It decodes DD with no problems and provides good sonic detail but the bass is a bit loose and the imaging is mediocre for music. It always sounds as if the music is coming from the middle of the 2 front speakers. BUT.....Overall, I am very happy with it, and do not regret the decision at all. I paid $740 by mail-order and am more than impressed for the price. |
[Jul 08, 1999]
scorchy
an Audio Enthusiast
I bought the Sherwood pre-pro 3 weeks ago from Stereo Trading Outlet in Jenkintown, PA. The improvement (along with my new Sherbourn amp) over my old Denon AVR-1400 with Technics DD decoder is night and day. Of course, it should be considering the price difference :) |
[Apr 09, 1999]
Frank Parisi
an Audio Enthusiast
Just got a new unti and it works great. I would like to up my rating on this preamp. I'm very happy with it since it now works properly. |
[Oct 23, 1998]
rstone
an Audiophile
Sorry for the length, bear with me. |