Great DTS, DD, Pro Logic sound...Value!!!!

Remote....no S-video

This is a great product....great sound when watching movie, but i feel sereo is a little bit weird...seems something missing but overall is good. The sound is better than the rest I used before. Don't like the remote. Almost 80% of the remote is useless unless you have Sherwood product. Like the inputs...lot's of digital input and coxial input. Binding post connection is good. Overall...it's a great product. Great value. 5 star for value but 4 star for overall cause the stereo sound weird...something missing.

Similar Products Used:

Kenwood vr307, Jvc R8000vbk.

Great receiver for the beginner!

Weak bass when listening to music, remote, terrible set-up.

I bought this to bring me into the DD/DTS "era" just after I bought my DVD player, so the mere excitement of finally getting has kept me satisfied.

This thing is great for watching movies. Since this is my first DD/DTS receiver, I can't compare it to anything else, but I love the explosions, separation, surround effects, etc. that this receiver delivers. It was a little tricky to set up and calibrate for me, but it was worth the effort.

The problem is listening to music (2 ch stuff). I don't have much of a standard of reference aside from the occasional audition at a dealer, but my old DPL receiver had much better soundstaging, imaging, and bass. Overall, the Pioneer was a more engrossing listening experience than this is.

I find that living with this for over a year hasn't changed my opinion of it much. It struggles to deliver believable music performances, but its reproduction of movies is very good.

(The only other problem is that when I added a subwoofer, I found that the preamp outputs weren't working, but it might have been my fault by shorting them with a bad cable. I think it is repairable.)

Bottom line is: Buy this if you are new and don't have much money to spend. Otherwise, I would save a little more money and buy something you really want.

I give it 5 stars for value (unbeatable in this respect), but only 3 stars for overall performance as the lack of good music reproduction has been killing me.

Similar Products Used:

DPL Pioneer Receiver

This receiver is the best receiver for the money. It has a built in Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS decoder. The sound is perfect!! I have always used Sherwood products and this is the best!!

The only concern I have is withthe remote. I have heard of people having problems with the remote falling apart, but thats not the case with me! I just wish it was a universal remote!!

If you want excellent sound for a very good price this receiver is what you need!! For the price of this receiver, you get the same audio quality and features that you would excpect from a higher priced receiver. The features of this receiver are just as good as any other brand name receiver!! I really like when you switch to another input device the sound level switches to a different level!! If you want a good home theatre system I would recommend this unit!!

Similar Products Used:

I have had 2 different Sherwood receivers (Dolby Pro Logic only) and this one blows away any receiver I have seen for the same price range!!

This receiver is the best receiver for the money. It has a built in Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS decoder. The sound is perfect!! I have always used Sherwood products and this is the best!!

The only concern I have is withthe remote. I have heard of people having problems with the remote falling apart, but thats not the case with me! I just wish it was a universal remote!!

If you want excellent sound for a very good price this receiver is what you need!! For the price of this receiver, you get the same audio quality and features that you would excpect from a higher priced receiver. The features of this receiver are just as good as any other brand name receiver!! I really like when you switch to another input device the sound level switches to a different level!! If you want a good home theatre system I would recommend this unit!!

Similar Products Used:

I have had 2 different Sherwood receivers (Dolby Pro Logic only) and this one blows away any receiver I have seen for the same price range!!

VALUE!!!! DTS,DD,6 channel upgrade available

tuner,but not that crucial if you live in the city w/ lots of local radio or if you have digital via sat. or cable

This receiver really rocks for the money. Got mine on Ubid for 187 & 25 s/h. Was nervous about buying audio w/o hearing it first, but this receiver sounds really great and has given me no problems. When wanting additional info to program my Pioneer DVD sherwood was very receptive and answered all my ?'s w/o hesitation. Their warranty is pretty good too..3years i believe. The remote is usefl to me b/c I have the sherwood CD980.....which really sounds fabulous thru this receiver. I highly recommend the CD980 also. for under 150 on ubid you wont find another new player w/ these Burr-Brown DAC's. If you do get the pair dont use the digital out on the Cd to the Digitals on the receiver b/c you will bypass those great DAC's on the CD.One more note. First thing to do is turn the individual amp settings on the receiver up. The factory settings are low & I think thats why some complained about having to turn the volume up so high.Could use some more DSP modes,but for under 200 you cant comlain about that. My dvd player will rattle your teeth out on explosions and the music is crisp and clear. If you look hard at the specs you will see that this receiver more than matches features w/ others at twice it's price. I could not think of another one near this range on the net that delivers like this for the money. Maybe one day get a Denon AVR 5700,but they are still over a grand on the web......Xmas gift???? BUY THIS RECEIVER FOR UNDER 200!! YOU WONT REGRET IT

Similar Products Used:

carver,kenwood

PRICE!!! DTS, 6ch. direct input, 2 coax., 2 opt., and all the video inputs.

No S-video (kinda doesn't make sense since this is prob. used with a DVD player), without the remote, things get confusing on the front panel.

What could I possibly say bad about this thing for the price? Not much. The s-video problem is kind of annoying. I had to buy a $70 radioshack s-video switch just to plug in my S-VHS player along with my DVD player because my TV only has 1 S-Vid. input. The amp has 2 or 3 for just composite, which is getting more and more useless as higher res. everything comes out. But, aside from video, the audio is amazing. I am so used to having just left and right that I have to stop listening to a DVD just to re-oriente myself with where I am. And this thing really does most DVD's justice. My Metallica DVD does this "stage spin" thing where sound is rotated 360 degrees around you. Crank the volume to 60 and you saved the time waiting in line at the TicketMaster office... As you can see from the other reviews, the bass is kind of wienie. After you plug in a subwoofer, all problems are solved. But again, why complain about these small problems with such an inexpensive amp? 105wX5!

System setup:
Sherwood 8090R reciever
Samsung 709 DVD player
Sharp S-VHS VCR
Sharp 27" TV
Yamaha 5 piece surround sound speaker package (100w, 8ohm each)
KLH 150w powered sub.

Nicola

DD and DTS decoding, 6 channel inputs, and flexability. PRICE

Remote, stereo listening, and instructions.

I have only had this for about a month now but could not be happier with the overall performance. Like the other reviewers have already stated the remote is almost useless, and the quality of my particular remote is bad. The Battery cover does not go on all the way so it always falls off. Thankfully I use a universal remote anyway. I have not noticed any noises when switching between the DD and DTS bitstreams like the others have mentioned. I am actually quite impressed with the DTS format so far, I have listened to it on U-571 and T2 and they souned great. The stereo sound is o.k. but I was expecting better, however my primary use is for home theater. For the price I am extremely satisfied with teh unit so far. I am only giving it 4 stars overall due to the lack of s-video, the poor remote, and somewhat lacking instructions.

Similar Products Used:

Sony STR-DE415 pro-logic receiver

rich, warm sound, digital/coax input (2 each)

Remote is not learning, no S-video in/output

The keyword is rich and warm sound. It sounds *real* and not fabricated. One thing I'd like to mention is the THD level which is wrongly mentioned as 0.2, maybe because the specification from the manual is confusing. The THD of this model is 0.05 and not 0.2 nor 0.7, These THD is for the FM tuner. The Web page from Sherwood shows this value as 0.05. I also contacted Sherwood technical people to find out and told that the *average* is 0.08 which is in line with most other receivers in this category. This unit does not have S-video inputs, but my Sony projector has 3 S-video input, so I just hooked up my equipments directly to it. I am not bothered with this, I am just concerned about the sound which has Coax/Digital inputs (2 each). Why pay hundred more for a newer model for just this Video feature.

Some people complain about the Master Volume control having to be turned way up to hear any sound. I guess it's a special feature of Sherwood that is not found from other manufacturers. I like this feature myself, because it ofers a very small granularity that allows me to adjust volume gradually and adequately particularly with the remote. With my old Pinoneer, when using the remote, the volume control just move way up or down and I ended up walking to the unit and adjust it myself which bothers me.

Another thing about the volume control is you need to make sure the individual channel volume is not set too low, this is also a reason why you have to turn the master way up to reach a decent level. You got to play with the setup a bit to get a decent performance.

This unit is huge and heavy, so if you have a narrow furniture, be ware. Mine almost does not fit my entertainment center. One thing about electronis is the bigger and heavier the better. Bigger capacitors work better. Bigger heatsinks work better. It is as simple as that in electronics.

I bought this unit new at Ubid for 200$ including shipping. Got it delivered to my door in 4 days starting from the time the auction closed. That ain't bad. Maybe I'm lucky.

All I can say now is hope this thing lasts.

My systems:
===========
Sherwood RVD-8090R
Pinoneer DVD-525
Pioneer Laser Disc CLD-840
Sony Projector 61" KP61S70
Acoustic Research 318PS Front Tower speakers
Pionner Center, and Rear speakers.
Sony Video Cassette Recorder.
Technics Tape Player

Similar Products Used:

PIONEER VSX-504S, SONY-STRDE445, SANSUI 7070

Price. DPL,DD & DTS. Binding Posts. Cinema EQ, 5x100 watt.
Pre-outs and 5.1 (6) CH inputs.

Annoying POP when switching to DD or DTS. Does it most of
the time.

I got this because the Onkyo I have doesn't have enough power for HT. Also, my DVD player can decode DTS but not as well as the decoding a receiver can provide. It's not the number crunching ability rather the analogue sound production side of things.

It's quite a bit bigger then the Onkyo, but I like that as there is plenty of space for the heat sinks to dissipate any heat. There is also plenty of room for the binding posts and RCA jacks. The rear panel layout is pretty good, you won't have too much trouble connecting everything up. It's better than my TX-DS474.

Many have complained about the Tuner. This must be a problem in the U.S as here in AUS, it works fine. Easily as well as my Onkyo. The other thing people complain about is the remote. True, there are a lot of buttons that are only useful with other Sherwood gear, but Sherwood aren't alone in doing this. The main functions are available in two clusters and can be found pretty easily.

The manual is OK. If you didn't know anything about setting levels, delays and so on, you may be scratching your head for a while. But as a guide for experienced people it is fine.

I have only one complaint with this unit and that is the 'POP' that occurs nearly every time it switches to DD or DTS. It's annoying.

I like this receiver. It has all the functions I want and seems nicely put together. When you consider the price, it's a great buy.

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo TX-DS474

Excellent Dolby Prologic. Digital Mode is very clean. Huge Performance and ton of audio features compared with cost, Service & Warranty.

Control buttons on unit, LCD

This is my 2nd review of this unit after a month.
My unit broke after 2 days !! but it was my fault, I short-circuited the front right speaker cable, this is a common problem and I could not believe I ran into it. Anyway, I took it to a Sherwood certified service center in Dallas, TX, the unit was promptly fixed, no charge, no question asked. Sound as good as before. Sherwood service people emailed me saying the warranty is 2 years parts and labors, not 1YR as Ubid claimed. I guess Ubid wants to make some extra money by saying the warranty is 1 yr, then selling extended warranty of another year for about $40. Go figure it out.

About THD of this unit, again the web page of Sherwood http://www.sherwoodusa.com/home_audio/hprec70_fs.htm shows at 40-20Kz, 100Wx2, 8Ohms, it is 0.05 for all models 7090, 8090 and 9090 and the New Castle line, only at 1KHZ (defined as the second harmonic) then it'll be 0.7, there is no amp on earth that can deliver less than 0.5 when tested at this frequency. Not today. Anyway, let your ears decide.

Check out Sony, Pioneer, Denon, Harmon Kardon top of the line models and verify for yourself. Some do not list the testing at this 1KHZ, and for those that do list it, it is 0.7 or 0.8 even though at 20-20khz, the number is between 0.03 to 0.08

My friend has a Marantz-5000 and a Energy HT speakers that cost him 1500$ altogether, well, I am not boasting, but it sounds worse than this Sherwood of mine. All i could hear was a mixture of sound. This Sherwood offers totally discrete amps for all channels, and sell for less than $200, wow. That's why the sound is so clean.

By the way, I believe the 8090R bass is a little bit lacking but this can be compensated with speakers that pump good bass or with a Subwoofer, the bass of my Acoustic Research 318PS is so good that I dont feel the need for a sub. I bought a JBL sub and then returned it after hearing not much of a difference.

I often set the master volume at 40db, and all the channel volume at level 5 (out of 10), when going over 70, well, my ears cannot bear it any more, and I am not sure whether distortion come from the walls or the unit. Below that level, all is clean even in 5 channel mode. If you have 4 OHms speakers, this unit is probably not for you. All of my speakers are 8 Ohms.

Anyway, when taking price into account, I'd say go buy this unit, there're plenty at Ubid, it'll please you.

A side note: Sherwood is owned by HaiTai Electronics, a Korean company that used to manufacture Harmon Kardon receivers.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer VSX 509S
Marantz-5000 audited at a friend house