had mine for a year and half now. powerful as H*LL...

not any really.

Anyways to get started my system consists:

Klipsch RF-82 (Front Main)
Klipsch RC-52 (Center)
Klipsch RS-42 (Side Surround)
Klipsch RB-51 (Back Surround)
JBL S120II (2 Subwoofers)
Denon 2307CI (Processor/PreAmp)
Panasonic DMP-BD35K (Blu-Ray)

I had a Rotel 1075 amp and I've been wanting to upgrade to a 7 channel amp for a while now. (With my Rotel set-up I was running my Surround Backs off my receiver and the rest through the Amp). I didn't really have room for another (Stereo) amp to add on to my Rotel. I wanted it to keep under $1000 and there were a number of good deals on used NAD, Parasound, and other amps around that price range After a "very" few (GOOD) reviews online I decided take my chances and order the Sherwood Newcastle A965 7 channel amp. About 3 days later I come home to find the UPS guy struggling to get this giant box on his cart. The box was MASSIVE and stickers all over it from UPS stating HEAVY. They weren't kidding, darn thing weighed like 100 freaking pounds and my back paid for it when I was getting the amp out of the box!
Apparently it has 2 massive Power Transformers and uses 7 mono amplifiers; which is usually a greater advantage versus with traditional multichannel amps. At 8ohms it cranks 100x7 @ .02%THD and 125X2 in Stereo mode.

Looks:
It's plain looking but somehow the right way an Amp should look. Built tough and solid. Mine is metallic black and matches perfectly with the finish on my Denon Receiver (Its available in Silver Finish as well)

Movies:
Of course it's much louder than my Denon receiver, clarity and definition. No distortion at high levels. After watching 5 to 6 hours of Star Wars on Blu-Ray at high volumes, the amp never got hot.

I felt it performed the same as my Rotel.

Music in Stereo Mode: (Set to Pure Stereo mode from my Receiver)
Never have I heard my Klipsch Reference Towers hit mid and low frequencies so hard! So clear and again no distortions at high levels. I find myself enjoying listening to music now than I did with my old setup. I am almost dared to say that it outperformed the Rotel 1075.

Bottom Line:
Sure there are better Amplifiers out there but its going to cost you more. Not only that, my speakers don't really need no 200 watt Luxman or Mcintosh amp. It is comparable to the Emotiva UPA series and Older Rotel and NAD Amps (which cost about the same price USED as this new). It is by far the best amp under the 1k mark. I don't see myself upgrading anytime soon. I see it here and there for $700 - $800 new. I guess the only reason why there arnt many people that own this is because they are afraid that "what you get is what you pay for". This is NOT TRUE in this case. It performs like a High End High Dollar amp. I am just impressed.

Just picked up this amp. It is powering my center, surround, and surround back channels. I'm still burning it in, but right away it seems to have no trouble bettering a Harman PA4000 bridged, that it is replacing. (that unit has two transformers as well, but not toroidal) Most prominent is that something in the treble is more pleasing. The center channel is also clearer and more detailed than before. The previous center channel amp was a Harman PA2100 in bridged mode. I am actually enjoying multi-channel music with this amplifier. (neo-6 is my favorite)

All in all a wonderful amp that I have no trouble recommending. I am only using 5 out of the seven channels and this thing doesn't break a sweat. No hum or noise from the speakers, (faintest hiss, ear right up to speaker- maybe it's from my preamp even) no mechanical hum from the transformers. Mechanical hum from transformers is a non-negotiable for me so I was glad this amp is dead silent. Chassis - Beautiful alloy black face with blue power light and amber-yellow standby. I was told the silver/grey faced ones are not part of the current line-up as they are all black now. This amp matches the Aragon Palladium 1k's I use for the mains better anyway, so no complaints here. Binding posts - nothing spectacular, but they get the job done and are good quality.

This amp is made in China, so if that is a problem for some, obviously you'll have to look elsewhere. I do not know where the previous generation ones where made. I do not think this has any negative impact, and if anything allows for an extremely competitive price point. I picked mine up for $800 US with free shipping. MSRP is still $1499 US and is not completely unreasonable at that price. Seven decent quality rca cables, as well as trigger cable where included and where a nice surprise.

Super happy with this purchase. Check your rack though, this amp is 17.75" deep and barely fit mine.

Sound quality, build quality, quietness, 5 year warranty.

None really.

I agree with the first reviewer that this is amp is a hidden gem. I got it in a package deal with the P-965 AV processor, expecting to keep the processor and sell the amp, but would up doing just the opposite. I have used many amps over the years, including amps from Carver, Bryston, Citation, Chiro, Marsh, Threshold, and H/K (PA-5800 and Signature 2.1) and my current reference, the Innersound ESL. In comparision to the Innersound, the A-965 was slightly out of its league, but it impressed me nonetheless. To my ears it sounded very smooth and transparent with little if anything lost in detail, yet with outstanding dynamics. This amp has plenty of power for any reasonably efficient speaker. But what really sold me on it was how quiet and well-behaved it is - no hum, pops or other odd noises at turn-on, which I cannot say for many of the other amps I have owned. It just comes on, does its job and never lets you know its there. I'm not saying I would not trade it for a Plinius Odeon or a Cary Cinema 5 (duh) but for the street price you can get it for I really don't think you can do better.

Similar Products Used:

H/K Signature 2.1; Chiro C-500; Carver 705X; H/K PA-5800; Bryston 4BST; Citation 7.1; Marsh A-200; Threshold S1500e; Innersound ESLII

Seperate monoblock design 2 power supply Wonderful clean two channel sound

NONE!!!

Just like pre/pro I had alot of Amplifiers over the last year, everything from Adcom,Rotel & B&K. Not only does this Sherwood outweigh them, tipping the scales at almost 90 pounds, but it performed wonderfully in 2 channel stereo, which is a rarity for multichannel amps. This amp is built on seven monoblock amplifiers and has two power supplies, which virtually eliminates cross talk. Right before this amp for stereo purposes I was using a B&K Reference 2220 amp, the sherwood is clear more defined in the mid to upper frequencies. The bass is very lifelike and clearly defined. This is a great performer and the build quality is grade A, hats off to Sherwood for this amazing piece. Many people write things off without even trying them, give this baby a test run and witness sonic freedom. You can also check out my review on the Sherwood P965 pre/pro as a set they will out perform systems costing twice as much (easily).

Similar Products Used:

Rotel RMB1095 Adcom GFA7700 B&K Reference 2220