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Review 1 of 11
Price Paid:
$699.00
from The A/V Room, Fremon Summary:
While it may seem a bit late in the day to be reviewing this piece of equipment, one gets a very good feel for it after many years of use. In addition, any reliability problems will have surfaced.
When I first bought the Sherwood Newcastle R725, I did not have any Dolby Digital sources, only a stereo TV and Hi-Fi VCR. I bought the R725 because it could accommodate a surround sound processor being added later and in fact, that is what I did. When I bought a DVD player, I also bought a Technics SH-AC500D Digital Surround Processor which I have also reviewed.
Originally, the R725 drove a pair of JBL L65 Jubals, a B&W CC3 (later a JBL SC305, also reviewed) and a pair of Realistic Minimus 7s with no sub woofer. It now drives B&W 604s for the front, LCR600 center and 602s for the rear along with an ASW 650 sub (also reviewed).
In stereo mode, this receiver has ample power to drive the JBLs and the B&W 604s to high sound levels without distortion. The sound is always clean and clear, whether the source is digital or analog or its tuner. One of this receiver’s strengths is its excellent FM tuner. The sound quality from my local Public Radio classical station is always very good, approaching the sound quality of a CD at times. However, there is no signal strength indicator, which makes orientating the antenna problematic. These days, one should just be thankful that one can get a receiver with a good tuner section, tuning meter or no.
Another feature is its phono preamp, something lacking in most A/V receivers. The phono section of the R725 is quiet and the RIAA equalization is accurate. The sound quality, with a high quality cartridge, is very good.
The R725’s Pro Logic decoding is quite good with excellent separation and no noise. The amps have no trouble driving all the speakers even on demanding bass passages. There is no sign of strain on the amp’s part, even when it was driving the Jubals without a subwoofer.
With the Technics SH-AC500D switched in, only the R725’s amplifiers are used. Again, loud passages, even with lots of bass are handled with ease and no sign of strain. The sound is always clean and clear, free of noise and distortion.
I have not used its remote control for the past five years because I bought a Marantz RC2000 MkII remote (also reviewed).
The R725 has plenty of inputs and can handle two tape decks and two VCRs along with a CD/DVD player and turntable. It's quite a versatile receiver, even by today's standards. Unfortunately, it cannot switch S-Video sources. Being able to label the video inputs and tuner station names is a handy feature as it makes the display more informative for family members who are not well versed with A/V receivers' nomenclature. The manual is easy to understand making the setup and operation go smoothly.
After seven years of use, the R725 has not had any problems. It has been an excellent performer and will be for some time to come.
Complete system:
Mitsubishi WT-42315
LG LST-3510A
Sherwood Newcastle R-725
Technics SH-AC500D
B&W DM604 S3
B&W LCR600 S3
B&W DM602 S3
B&W ASW650
Philips CD-960
Akai 630D
Advent 100A Strengths:
Excellent sounding amplifiers.
The FM tuner section.
Ability to add a SS processor.
Very good phono preamp. Weaknesses:
No signal strength meter for the tuner.
No S-Video switching. Similar Products Used:
None.
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