Sherwood Newcastle Questions (1 Viewer)

[Micahel C]

I'm currently in the market for a new receiver. I want a good mid to high end unit but I'm limited to around $1500.00 (street) max. I've been looking at the Sherwood Newcastle R-963 for several reasons. First off, it's the only receiver in this price range that I've seen that has both 192/24 DAC's and full bass management for all 8 channels which would be a nice match for my Pioneer DV-47A player. This would save me money by not having to buy something like the Outlaw ICBM. Does anyone here have this receiver or familiarity with it so as to provide pros and cons of it. Any other recommendations for other similar receivers in this price range.

 

[John Kotches]

Micahel,
I think that bass management on the R-963T is mildly flawed.....
What happens on the R-963T bypass input is that an 80Hz High-pass filter is installed on any speakers defined as small, however no redirection to the subwoofer occurs.
Here is my review which shows the in-room results of the R-963T through the 5.1 inputs:
Link Removed
That being said, the receiver sounds very good, and if you don't mind toggling speaker size between small and large, adding an ICBM gets you a killer setup for somewhere near the US$2K price point.
I have been using the R-963T in my main review system for a while until my new pre/pro arrives. It has performed admirably in that time -- although it can be a PITA to toggle between small and large when switching from the 5.1 inputs to the digital inputs.
Regards,

 

[Micahel C]

John, Thanks for the response and for the link to your review. I have a question that I hope you can explain to me. When playing a dvd-a with a 192/24 stereo track from my Pioneer DVD-47A to the R-963, will I hear it at that resolution or will it be down-sampled at input to 96/24 and then up-sampled back to to 192/24 by the receiver for output or is it a straight through signal path? Maybe a strange question, but I'm confused by the way the numbers are thrown around in the spec sheets. BTW any other receivers with similar statistics of the R-963 that you've reviewed?

 

[Dan Cabral]

I have the R-956 and while I'm not sure of the differences between the 956 and the 963, I can relay my experiences as they relate to your questions.

DVD-A> My experience has been that the DVD-A decoding takes place in the player, not the receiver. I'm using a JVC XV-FA95GD, and if I try outputting the signal through any of the digital connections, I get no sound. JVC says this is by design, and that the signal will only play when outputted via the direct 6-channel analog outputs.
From my understanding, this method of hookup and decoding is common.

So, to answer your question, I think it has more to do with the resolution your player will output at, more than what the receiver will do with the signal, since it receives it already decoded.

I'm curious as to the difference between the Newcastle 956 and the 963. I picked up my 956 on Ubid for under $500. Did I just get a great deal, or is the 963 that far and above the 956 to warrant the extra $1000? I know the 956 is 6.1, and the 963 is 7.1, but what else is different?

 

[Philip Hamm]

Dan,
You got a great deal.

 

[John Kotches]

Micahel,

The only way you can hear the 24/192K track @ 24/192K is to use the analog outputs and use the internal DACs on your DVD-A player.

I have not worked with the DV-47A, and don't know what (if anything) is on the digital output when playing back DVD-A discs.

Regards,