opinions on the new Sherwood Newcastle R-963 (1 Viewer)

[Joris R]

The new Sherwood Newcastle R-963 should be available in the US at this time and i am looking for opinions on this receiver.

In Europe we have to wait a bit longer.

I can pre-order it for the equivalent of $900,-

At about this price I can also get the Onkyo 797 (1100,-) , Denon 3802 (850,-), H/K AVR7000 (european model 900,-) and Yamaha 2200 (1000,-).

The retail price for the SN R-963 is $1999,- in the US and as far as I know by far the highest retail for any receiver I mentioned.

To me it seems like it is a bargain, but how does it compare to the receivers I mentioned above.

The SN has the best remote I guess with the Home Theater Master MX-500 (or MX-1000) and a second remote for a Second Room.

It looks like it has a lot of power, especially the dynamic power:

7 x 120 Watts into 8 Ohms (

 

[Jeff Hipps]

Probably not many opinions, yet, as the first shipments to dealers are occuring today and Monday.

Stereojeff

 

[Pete K]

Jeff,
Has a unit been forwarded to any of the major a/v mags for review.
This product truly sounds like it may be outstanding and I
eagerly await the opinions.
Hopefully this will be a 5 :star: product.

 

[Joris R]

bump

 

[Jeff Hipps]

Sorry I missed your question.

Two units have been sent to Sound and Vision. Danny Kumin will be reviewing. We are also slated to send one to John Kotches, shortly, for his opinion.

I feel certain that there will be more placements after the Christmas/CES madness.

Jeff

 

[John Kotches]

Jeff,
I think I liked it better when I was a reviewer to be named later as opposed to being mentioned by name
I'm looking forward to getting the unit in -- and will e-mail you with a couple of questions later today as I'm going to set it up initially as a 2nd system.
Regards,

 

[Joris R]

bump

 

[Joris R]

A bump.
I checked out their website, http://www.sherwoodusa.com
and there was some interesting news.
There are two pdf pages with info and pics of their 2002 new products.
The new pre/pro and 7 channel amplifier, new dvd-players and a few other items.
check it out if you are interested.

 

[Joris R]

I'm asking my initial question again, hoping by this time there are finally people who have had experience with this receiver or the R-863.

My main question is how does it compare with other receivers i mentioned in my initial post.:

Denon AVR 3802

Onkyo TX-DS797

Onkyo TX-DS898

Yamaha RX-V1200

Yamaha RX-V2200

My main concern is obviously sound.

 

[John Sully]

There are reviews on it in the new Sound & Vision and Link Removed Both reviews were at best lukewarm and the bass management came in for severe criticism.
Given both of these reviews I don't think that I would put it on my short list.

 

[Karl Englebright]

I wouldn't call those reviews lukewarm. Both reviewers had high praise for the sound this thing puts out. If you don't have an issue with it's bass management, this would be a great choice.

 

[John Kotches]

Karl,

Agreed. At issue were some flaws in bass managment (which was, for lack of a better word, managable with some thought) and I thought ease of use could be improved.

As I said in another thread, if you want to write that this is the "best product, ever, ever, ever*" I'm not the guy for you.

The fact that Sound & Vision and I had similar conclusions with respect to bass management means you need to give it a careful look. I have yet to see the S&V review to see what Daniel thought about the usability of the receiver.

* In this issue

Regards,

 

[Lewis Besze]

In the 6ch input the bass gets filtered from the 5 mains[@80hz, if engaged]but it won't redirect it to the sub,essentially loose that info.

That's even worst then no BM at all,IMO.

Other then that DK really liked the unit in most ways.

 

[Jeff Hipps]

Lewis:

Or, you could set the speakers to LARGE when using the 7.1 analog input and literally have "no bass management at all".

With the R-963, when all speakers are set to LARGE and one is using the direct analog input, the R-963 has no bass management and that is the norm for the category. Similarly, when all speakers are set to small using any other input, the R-963 engages high pass and low pass filters at 80 Hz and redirects the bass as appropriate. That is also the norm for the category.

There are two places where the R-963's bass management differs from standard industry practice.

1. When using the 7.1 analog input and setting one's speakers to small, we engage an 80 Hz HPF to remove bass from the satellites.

2. When using any other input, if front left and right main speakers are set to large and subwoofer is set to yes, the sub receives both LFE and normal bass. Standard industry practice would restrict the sub to LFE only.

The only other "Low Point" reported by Danny Kumin was "limited user settings for some ambiance modes."

On the other hand, Danny also reported that the R-963 was "quiet, accurate and powerful."

If one has to pick one's poison, I'm on the side of "quiet, accurate and powerful."

Jeff

 

[Lewis Besze]

2. When using any other input, if front left and right main speakers are set to large and subwoofer is set to yes, the sub receives both LFE and normal bass. Standard industry practice would restrict the sub to LFE only.

In other words double bass.

The industry is right to choose the other path on this one.

 

[Marshall Sander]

At issue were some flaws in bass managment (which was, for lack of a better word, managable with some thought)

John - your review reads that bass management is "unacceptable". To me that means "don't buy it." From my reading of your review, I agree with John Sully and would say it appears that you are lukewarm, at best, about the 963. You do write that you were "quite pleased" with the way the 963 performed in "subjective aspects" -- I assume this means you liked the sound. But that is one of the few positive things written in the review.

John, thank you very much for a thorough and honest review of the 963. It was on my list to buy, but now I'll probably look elsewhere.

It does seem, however, that your posts in this forum are backpedaling from your written review of the 963. Any reason?

 

[John Kotches]

Marshall,

Not at all.

Bass management is problematic and I have pointed it out.

There are workarounds that are inconvenient, but livable. I presented my findings, and leave it to the individual to determine whether the product is right for them.

Toggling between Large/Small (5.1 in / Digital In) with an ICBM in the 5.1 input path solves the problem quite nicely.

In the end, it is the subjective performance, how one feels it "sounds" that is the final arbiter.

Regards,