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S H E R W O O D N E W C A S T L E R - 9 6 5
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When I looked closer, it quickly became
apparent that the R-965’s underlying architec-
ture resembles that of a personal computer. A
horizontally oriented motherboard occupies
the central rear portion of the chassis, with
slots for six vertically oriented expansion
cards, which in turn expose arrays of connec-
tors through the rear panel. The cards are
labeled Processor, DSP, Input1, Input2, S-
Video, and C[omposite]-Video. A separate
daughtercard serves up the component-video
connectors. Among other advantages, this
modular design should make upgrades and
repairs much more practical.
The R-965’s similarity to a PC ended when
I examined the top-flight complement of DSP
chips that populate its expansion cards. The
centerpiece is a Cirrus Logic CS-49400 32-bit
audio decoder that ably crunches just about
every DTS and Dolby algorithm known to man
or beast. All eight output channels are handled
by Analog Devices AD-1852 24-bit/192kHz
D/A converters; AKM AK-5380 24-bit A/D
converters take care of business on the input
side. An Analog Devices AD-1896 sample-rate
converter “remasters” 2-channel PCM sources
to 24/192 resolution.
No PC case ever held anything like the pair
of shiny, machined-aluminum heatsinks that
flank the Sherwood’s motherboard on both
sides. These finned beauties are each 15 inch-
es long and 5 inches high, spanning the full
depth and height of the cabinet. Large ampli-
fier boards are mounted along the outside of
each heatsink. Ventilation slots stamped
into the bottom of the chassis directly
below the all-important power transistors
create a chimney effect to draw air
across the sinks and out the slots in the
top cover, so be sure you don’t block ’em.
Numbers Game
According to Sherwood’s website, ampli-
fier output in Stereo mode is an ample
120 watts per channel into 8
Ω
, from
20Hz to 20kHz, with <0.02% THD; the
R-965’s manual lists the THD at a
slightly higher 0.05%.
I was sad (but not surprised) to see
that the R-965’s multichannel output
power is not fully specified with all
channels driven. Sherwood’s website
claims “120 Watts per Channel x 7 in
Surround Mode,” a meaningless,
unqualified spec. The R-965 manual
lists 140Wpc into 8
Ω
at 1kHz with 0.7% THD
“only channel driven”; i.e., only the front-
channel pair, center, surround-channel pair,
or surround rear/Room2 pair are driven dur-
ing the test. This “only-channel-driven” rating
at 1kHz is a far cry from the fully spec’d,
20Hz–20kHz, all-channels-driven rating we’d
like to see.
Another specification that raised my eye-
brows is the amp’s apparently limited ability to
drive low-impedance loads. A note in the man-
ual warns that speakers of at least 6
Ω
should
be used all around when connecting one pair
of surround speakers; i.e., for a 5.1-channel
configuration. This is not exactly reassuring,
as the ability to remain stable into low imped-
ance loads is something I take for granted
when dealing with a high-end, $2000 compo-
nent. That said, I used a pair of 4
Ω
M&K S-
90s for surrounds throughout the review peri-
od without incident.
If you’re planning on implementing a 7.1-
channel configuration, however, I’d think
twice before using any 4
Ω
speaker. The man-
ual cautions “use only speakers with imped-
ance of over 12
Ω
” when using both Surround
A and Surround B connections and “other
[LCR] speakers with impedance of over 6
Ω
.”
This could pose problems, as few decent
speakers are rated at over 8
Ω
, and a great
many high-performance models are rated at
only 4
Ω
. It will be interesting to see how the
R-965 behaves when we put it through its
paces on the test bench (see sidebar,
“Measurements”).
Of course, Sherwood is hardly the only
audio company to indulge in a bit of specs-
manship—it’s rampant in our industry. And I
don’t want to give the impression that the R-
965 lacked sufficient amplifier
oomph
—any-
thing but! The point is, you can’t shoehorn an
advanced digital processor plus seven chan-
nels of amplification into a single cabinet
without making some sacrifices—not if you
want to sell the thing for less than a king’s ran-
som. To their credit, Sherwood acknowledges
this fact on their website: “Our R-965 flagship
receiver is identical to its more advanced par-
ents [the P-965 processor and A-965 amp]
except for the necessary compromises due to
the use of a single power supply for both the
preamp and main amp sections and in its ulti-
mate power capability.”
For the record, Sherwood’s A-965 7-chan-
nel amplifier has two toroidal transformers
and separate amplifier “monoblocks” for each
of the seven channels, vs. the R-965’s single
transformer and two amplifier blocks, each
with multiple channels. The A-965 amp is
fully spec’d at 100Wpc into 8
Ω
,
20Hz–20kHz, <0.02% THD, all channels
ULTIMATE AV
| DECEMBER 2004
Sources
Pioneer Elite DV-F07 DVD Jukebox
Sony DVP-NS700P DVD player
Sony SAT-W60 digital satellite receiver-recorder
ProScan PSVR75 HiFi VCR
Adelphia analog cable
Display
V, Inc. Vizio RP56 56" DLP rear-projection TV
Speakers
B&W 801 Matrix Anniversary Edition (L/R)
B&W HTM (center)
M&K S-90 (surrounds)
Cables
Digital: Monster, MIT
Interconnect: Monster, AudioQuest
Speaker: 14 AWG copper w/banana plugs
R E V I E W S Y S T E M
