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The System Setup screen is where you
reassign digital and component inputs, turn
Digital Re-Mastering on and off, etc. The
Surround Setup screen selects a default
decoding mode and adjusts a variety of Dolby
Digital parameters. Finally, the Room2 Setup
screen has settings for volume level (fixed or
variable) and source.
When an S-video or composite source is
active, the white menu lettering appears on a
transparent background, and so appears to
float above the live video image. This can, of
course, make it difficult to decipher the
menu. On the other hand, the live video
image is muted and replaced by a blue back-
ground when a component-video source is
onscreen. This can be disconcerting, but at
least the Sherwood’s OSD can be invoked
from all outputs, even component. And yes—
if you wish, you can turn off all onscreen dis-
plays, including the volume indicator.
Two remotes are included with the R-965.
The main one is a universal learning model
that Sherwood repackages from Universal
Remote Control, who sells it as a standalone
product. It’s a good-looking remote, with
large, well-spaced buttons and a nifty central
rocker control. It feels great
in the hand. An LCD shows
the current function of ten
“soft” buttons. It’s even
backlit. But it’s missing one
critical thing: there are no
dedicated buttons for input
selection! The LCD page
labeled Main shows the
operating layers. To get to
the input-selection buttons,
you have to first hit Aud1.
Many other frequently used
operating functions are
buried in subpages. I quickly
grew tired of the whole affair
and programmed my trusty
Marantz RC-2000 Mk.II
with the Sherwood’s com-
mands. This worked
much
better for me and my family.
A secondary remote is
provided for Room 2 opera-
tion. This simple remote
has buttons for Zone
On/Off, Input selection,
Volume, and Mute. To use
this IR remote, you must
purchase and install a
Xantech multiroom IR
repeater kit.
The front-panel fluores-
cent display is uninspiring,
at best. The currently
selected input (named as you prefer) appears
in large characters, but everything else is indi-
cated by tiny, sometimes confusing legends. I
frequently had to get up and walk across the
room to peer at the display just to determine
which of the many possible surround modes I
was listening to.
I know I’m beating a dead horse, but I just
can’t let it pass: the R-965’s manual is a joke.
This is a very complex product, with numer-
ous parameters that must be set correctly for
optimal performance. Beginning and ad-
vanced users alike deserve logically organized,
clearly written operating instructions, which
they don’t get here.
Curtain Time
The Sherwood Newcastle R-965 was one
great-sounding receiver. My notebook is
sprinkled with comments like: “Detailed but
not harsh. Solid bass. Conveys sense of
acoustic ambience. Instruments are rendered
3-dimensionally. No sense of strain . . . ” I
can’t remember the last time I had this kind of
reaction to a receiver, even one that lists for
two grand.
But before I played even a single note
through the R-965, I was struck by how quiet
it was. There’s very little self-induced noise,
even with the volume cranked.
In 2-channel mode, the R-965 reproduced
all my favorite tracks with aplomb. Bernard
Haitink and the Concertgebouw Orchestra’s
recording of Shostakovich’s Symphony 15
(CD, London 417 581-2) has long been a
touchstone. The first movement is an orches-
tral tour de force, with delicate flute and
glockenspiel passages, stirring trumpet fan-
fares, soaring woodwind solos, and a variety of
percussion, including snare drum, cymbals,
and a truly massive bass drum. All of this is
beautifully recorded, with instruments clearly
positioned in space and enveloped by the glo-
rious acoustic of the Amsterdam
Concertgebouw, one of the world’s great con-
cert halls. Through lesser electronics, the
sense of 3-dimensional space so wonderfully
captured on this disc disappears, resulting in
a flat, emotionally uninvolving presentation.
But everything was right there with the
Sherwood.
Moving to a completely different genre, I
spent a great deal of time listening to the Nitty
Gritty Dirt Band’s
Will the Circle Be
Unbroken: Volume Two
(Universal UVLD-
12500). The subject of a recent PBS docu-
mentary, this groundbreaking 1989 recording
was one of the first in decades to gather a
group of musicians in a single room and have
them actually play together with the tape
rolling, rather than bring each performer sep-
arately into the studio to overdub a recording
track by track. The result is a superb-sound-
ing, musically joyous experience.
With John Prine singing “Grandpa Was a
Carpenter” in the background, I switched
back and forth between the coaxial digital and
analog outputs of my Pioneer Elite DV-F07
DVD/CD jukebox. Even though it’s a bit of a
pain to use as a single-disc player, the Pioneer
has been a fixture in my system for several
years now. The reason is simple: I’ve yet to
find a receiver or processor with D/A convert-
ers that sound better than the Pioneer’s
Legato Link DACs. I also experimented with
the Sherwood’s Re-Mastering function, which
upconverts garden-variety, 16-bit/44.1kHz
PCM audio to 24/192 resolution.
With Re-Mastering turned off, the
Pioneer’s Legato Link DACs sounded slightly
smoother and cleaner than the Sherwood’s in
the high frequencies. But with Re-Mastering
engaged, the Sherwood’s high end seemed to
snap into focus, becoming at least the equal of
the Pioneer. I still haven’t decided which I like
better, but at this point I’m leaning toward the
Sherwood.
Turning to multichannel soundtracks on
DECEMBER 2004 |
ULTIMATE AV
