Many people seem to be searching for, but not finding, the perfect compromise: a full featured A/V receiver that also delivers great stereo sound and doesn’t cost too much. I beleive the Sherwood Newcastle R-945 is as close to this as you’ll find. I’m puzzled why it is almost never listed by the numerous disappointed seekers who say “I have auditioned Yamaha, Denon, HK, etc....”., especially since its excellent value and performance have been consistently praised by Stereophile, Stereophile Guide to Home Theater (SGHT), Video Magazine, etc., since it’s release. In his review of Onkyo’s TX-DS939 receiver, SGHT’s reviewer concludes “Has Onkyo succeeded, once again, in creating the best receiver in the world? Until the TX-DS939 appeared, I would have said the crown had passed to Denon’s AVR-5600.....Where would I put my $2800?...I’d buy the well made, potent, albeit non-THX Sherwood....” For $1200, I agree. I have owned one for several months and love it. It has 5x100 Watts into 8 Ohms (although this is questionable), AC3 and DTS and pre-outs for all channels. It’s beautifully built and solid - it weighs over 35 pounds. Has a great back lit remote that can adjust the surround and sub levels. Nice touches like gold plated binding posts, customizable input labels, independent memory for each input configuration. A great tuner. And it sounds wonderful, both in stereo and surround. DTS music CD’s are stunning. My only complaints are: (1.) I would like more power (I have had the protection kick in when I’ve played it at very high levels). Fortunately, with the pre-outs I can. (2.) The DSP modes suck, but then I have yet to hear anyone’s DSP modes I would want. Overall, and especially for the money, I recommend this receiver without reservation.

I hooked this reciever into my system in hopes of ascertaining the future performance of Sherwood Newcastles' forthcoming AVP-9080 preamp processor. I DID NOT evaluate the 945s internal amps - I used the 945 as a PREAMP ONLY Let me dispense with the NEGATIVES up front:
1) NON INTUITIVE CONTROLS/POOR MANUAL - takes a little to get used to and adjusted to work right (ex. I had a very annoying feedback/hum when connecting my subwoofer, took quite some time to figure out the bass management functions but I think I figured it out - or it just went away)

2) NEEDS AT LEAST ONE MORE DIGITAL INPUT - it has an RF input (good for Sherwood!), a coaxial, and toslink.

3) NO BASS MANAGEMENT FOR REAR SPEAKERS - default is to small

Alright now the POSITIVES:

1) BUILT-IN DD, DTS, PRO-LOGIC - (good for Sherwood!)

2) VERY QUIET IN STEREO MODE - I detected NO noise when listening in stereo mode through the analog inputs even at maximum volume. Some noise (not enough to quibble over)was apparent when listening in stereo through the coaxial digital input with HIGH volumes and CD player paused - very minor and hardly worth mentioning. Similar noise was detected at HIGH volumes with the LD player paused in Pro-Logic, although I did not use the digital input so the sound went through an extra set of A/D converion.

3) OUTSTANDING SOUND WITH MOVIES - Sound in Prologic was extremely accurate and very dynamic nearly matching my Rotel RSP-960AX w/ Analog Devices chip (if you haven't heard Rotels implementation of this you haven't heard straight Pro-Logic at its' best). I did not evaluate the Dolby Digital or DTS performance but I expect they are even better. Very impressive. Stereo sound was quite good, neutral, dynamic, decent soundstage - maybe a LITTLE forward at the top end. I tried to A/B it with the Rotel which proved difficult since it takes a minute or two to change cables, but overall I did not detect significant deficiencies (the Rotel may have had a superior midrange - I felt a little more involved with the music; however without proper level matching, double blind and immediate switching no conclusions can be drawn).

4) DECENT REMOTE - Subwoofer adjustment from my seat is something I could learn to love. Lots of buttons though, it might be confusing to operate an entire system with. Although I think my wife would love the MACRO commands so she has less to turn on and no worries about proper mode, settings ect (the 945 also remembers the settings and associated digital input - if selected - for each input).

Overall, a fine piece of electronics for the money. Maybe not the most refined (I'm hoping the AVP-9080 is an improvement), however, I found no major problems with the sound or operation once I dialed it in. I was a little surprised since I have never considered buying anything from a company like Sherwood. By the way I did order an AVP-9080 (my dealer is guarantying my satisfaction), and have high hopes. The following rating is as a PREAMP ONLY and is compared with products of similar price. I would probably give it three stars if it was'nt such a great value.

Asscoiated Equipment:
Polk RTA-11TL
Polk Monitor 3 (Series 2)
Carver TFM-35
Carver TFM-6cb (2)
Pioneer Elite PD-54 Compact Disc Player
Pioneer Elite CLD-52 LD Player
Techna Sonics Speaker Vibration Absorbers
Monster Cable M1.2S M-Series Speaker Cable
Monster IL-400MKII Interconnects

I was a little hesitant about purchasing a unit as inexpensive as the R945 was. In attending the CES in Las Vegas during January of this year I had a chance to to listen to alot of the receivers that had all of the audio functions that I wanted. (DTS, Pro Logic, & Dolby Digital) By far the Sherwood Newcastle R945 was everything That I wanted and the price was in the "affordable" catagory. The unit was delivered and I haven't any regrets in its purchase. The only regret I do have is in the software in the DVD format and NO discs available in DTS as of this writing. Thanks Sherwood for a product that is as good as all of the products it produced in the earlier.

There is not doubt that this is a great unit. Packed with Dolby Digital, DTS, Dolby Pro Logic, Theater, Dolby 3 Stereo, Hall, Theater, Church,and Stadium Modes. 100Watts x 5 Channels, 6-audio and 4-video inputs, 5-main-amp inputs, 6 line-level outputs and more. It also has Cinema Bass, test-tone generator, programmable video-input labeling, direct station access, surround-channel level controls, multiroom capability and pre-programmed universal remote. The Titanium front panel and white display make it an attractive unit also. For the most part, at $1300, there are other options I would consider first, but the fact that it can be mail ordered for only $849 makes it more of a first pick for a Home Theater Receiver.

i just got one last week and i love it for the $$ it is a great product. Ilooked at the yamaha dsp-a1 and the b&k 202 they were $1000 dollars more and
IMHO in the same playing field..I will say that the sherwood is not = to the above mentioned products, but save the money now and in the future upgrade to a more powerfull amp pre-amp set up..Once again this is not the end all be all of recievers, but it is in the top (5) for features, quality, and price..So if you dont want to fight back and forth over the king of the mountain, but are content just being one of the kings GET THIS RECIEVER.

This receiver retails for $1299 and I feel it is not worth its sticker price.
However, it can be had for only $799 and at that price point, it represents a good value.

It has 100 watts X 5 @ 1KHz, translates to about 80 watts X 5 full bandwidth.
It has no 6 channel inputs :(
However, it has DPL,DD, and DTS, who really wants another decoding scheme anyways?
The DAC's are 20bit and sound pretty good, better than most cd changers in the $300-$500 price range.
The DSP modes are average.
DD and DTS are decoded perfectly and that is where this unit truly shines.

I believe that most potential purchasers are not just interested in hearing about one brand and model, but how that brand/model compares with others on the market. I have extensively auditioned and compared receivers from $800 list to $1200 list over the last 2 months, including the Sherwood Newcastles, Yamaha 795, Denon 2700/3200, Nakamichi AV-10, Rotel RSX 965, some Rotel separates listing for $2800, an Arcam 9 stereo integrated amp, a Nakamichi stereo amp, and an NAD stereo receiver. They were all acceptable to very good -- from 3 to 4.5 stars.
First of all, the sound quality: The Arcam had probably the best, most accurate and pleasing sound. To convert it to AC3 though would be very expensive --over $4000. The Yamahas (all of them) had the most clarity and definition, although this accuracy does not sound good with cheap or bad speakers. The Yamaha sounded superb with good speakers and classical music and vocals. The Yamaha with 85 watts was a touch short of the Nakamichi in the bass. The Yamaha 995 is rated at 100 watts and with a bigger transformer, so it's bass should be slightly improved but I have yet to hear it. The Nakamichi was very close to the Yamaha on clarity and slightly punchier in the bass. The Nakamichi was perhaps a better choice for most jazz, but also very good for classical. The Newcastle 945 was very close to the Nakmichi in definition, but very slightly sweeter. The Rotel 965 seemed equal to the Nakamichi and Newcastle in definition, but was slightly sweeter still. All of the above sounded very good and very close. I found a little dropoff in accuracy and clarity in the numerous Denons that I heard (including a $3000 integrated amp). They were rich and sweet sounding, perhaps a little bit artificially so, but most importantly did not have the resolution of all the previously mentioned brands. There was only 1 Nad unit I listened to and I don't remember the price or model number. It had a very deep and substantial bass, but the bass was muddy and even the mid and treble were rounded off and not very clear. The dealer that listened to the NAD in a 90 minute blind A/B/C comparison with the Nakamichi and Yamaha was a big NAD fan. Even he was disappointed by the NAD's showing. Other dealers and NAD enthusiasts have a hard time accepting my description of the music as muddy and unclear and unfortunately I don't remember the model number. However, most NAD dealers would say that product lines sound was more rounded off or something similar. I would have been happy to own the Yamaha, Nakamichi, Newcastle or Rotel based on sound quality and accuracy.

On build quality, I am pretty sure Nakamichi and Yamaha are well made. I am not knowledgeable enough about the Newcastle. I am very skeptical about the build quality in the Rotel. I have seen one unit short out and heard of others.

On features, I believe Yamaha has the most for the buck with the Newcastle a very close second.

For value and in considering all of the above, I like Yamaha the best, with the Newcastle and Nakamichi very close behind.

One special note about the Sherwood Newcastle: I did not like the ergonomics and aesthetics at all. The previous reviewer disagrees with me on this point, but I feel strongly about this point.

I hope this helps would-be buyers that perhaps have not heard the units I have heard. I would give the Newcastle a 4.5 for value and features, a 4 for sound quality, and a 2 for ergonomics and aesthetics.

this sherwood is a sold 5!! to me the sound is all that counts. and here sherwoods only peers are yamaha's A1,the b&k 202, denon 5700. and thats all there is to it! does it run hot? yes. is the power over rated yes. does the manual stink yah it does! But the sound is as good as it's peers. and nothing else i have herd comes close. if you want a pretty box and a name brand get bose. if you want the best sound for the money get the sherwood newcastle 945.

1. Sound. Five stars. The only reciever I auditioned that is listenable on music. This reciever nails the midrange on voices and dialogue. Smooth, sweet top end and nice, articulated bass. Have yet to beat on it with DD sources, but so far, all I could ask for.
2. Ergonomics. Four and a half stars. Home theater magazine gave this reciever poor marks for ergonomics. Ignore them. This reciever is a pleasure to use. It's got the best remote control in the industry, plus just about all important tweaks can be made on the reciever. Everything is very intuitive. Things just work the way they should. Save a few connection issues, you barely need the instructions at all.

3. Looks. Five stars. IMHO, this reciever just looks like it's in a different class than the Denons and Yamahas of the world. Styling is elegant and understated, and all knobs and buttons have a solid feel.

4. Value. Off the scale. Well made. Beautiful to look at. Flexible. Great sound. And a remote control normally found on high-end separates. Got mine for $799.

Complaints: The DSP modes suck big time. And it would be nice if the unit recognized the type of incoming signal (IE, DD, DTS, etc).
Also, the unit runs a little hot. I'd be interested to hear from other owners if this has been a problem inside AV cabinets, racks, etc.

On a side note. Be careful taking advice from Home Theater Magazine. It seems like they don't spend much time with the equipment they review. When you read a review from SGHT, you know they've gone over that piece with a fine tooth comb for weeks on end. Speaking of which, SGHT just named the R-945 the best budget piece of gear in any category for the entire year. Enough said. As close to a no-brainer purchase you'll ever find.

This posting is also “Dave the Audiophile”
Hey Dave, guess what? You normally like Harman Kardon? That’s great, I do too. The funny part is that the same company manufactures Harman Kardon receivers and Newcastle receivers! They share a majority of the same parts. Both have the same number of inputs, both analog and digital. The amplifiers are of nearly the same design. The only problem is that the Harman was poorly engineered and the Newcastle was not! Both pieces have excellent build quality.

The truth is that INKEL manufactures Harman, Newcastle, and Marantz. They also make parts for many others as well.

You clearly don’t have a clue about what is happening behind the scenes which forces me to strip you of your ‘Audiophile’ title. You don’t even qualify as a casual listener.

Just go refurbish your old Fisher and stop bashing on equipment you don’t understand!