Excellent sounding amplifiers. Automatic detection of surround format.

No signal strength meter for the tuner. Remote control.

This was a new unit purchased on eBay for half its regular price. To get a Sherwood Newcastle receiver (even an entry-level one) at half price was too good to pass up. This receiver is not in my main system. Instead, it’s used as the heart of a surround sound system in my bedroom. In stereo mode, this receiver has ample power to drive the JBL loudspeakers to high sound levels without distortion. The sound is always clean and clear, whether the source is digital or analog or its tuner. One of this receiver’s strengths is its FM tuner. The sound quality from my local Public Radio classical station is always very good, approaching the sound quality of a CD at times. Since it has only a 3-gang FM front end, it needs a good antenna to receive stations without noise. There is no signal strength indicator, which makes orientating the antenna problematic. These days, one should just be thankful that one can get a receiver with a good tuner section, tuning meter or no. The R765’s surround sound decoding is quite good with excellent separation and no noise. It automatically detects Dolby Digital and DTS feeds from the DVD player’s digital output. The amps have no trouble driving all the speakers even on demanding bass passages. There is no sign of strain on the amp’s part, even when it was driving the JBLs without a subwoofer. I set the center and surround loudspeakers to “small” and the left and right loudspeakers to “large” and subwoofer to “none”. The R765 has switching for two video inputs and can switch composite, S-Video and Component Video signals. It also has a 7-channel input for DVD-A and SACD players. Its on-screen display makes setup fairly easy. The manual is easy to understand making the setup and operation go smoothly. The receiver’s remote leaves something to be desired. It is long and narrow and the labels are small and hard to read (at least for old eyes). It’s preprogrammed to operate other devices, but does not operate all functions. For example, it does not operate the transport functions on my DVD player. It does not learn codes, so if it doesn’t operate a desired function on another device, you’re out of luck. This receiver does generate some heat, so it should be properly ventilated. Leaving several inches around the sides and top should suffice. Complete system: Zenith A27B33W84 27” TV Panasonic DVD-A110 DVD Player Sherwood Newcastle R-765 JBL L65 Jubals (front) JBL SC-305 (center) Realistic Minimus-7 (surrounds) RCA DRD430RG DirecTV Receiver JVC HR-S4600U S-VHS VCR Dual 606 Turntable Realistic 42-2109 Phono Preamp

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