# Sherwood/Denon



## koolfool (Jan 12, 2013)

Hi folks,
I can't stand it anymore. I am stuck between the Sherwood Newcastle 972(brand new) and the Denon(refirb) AVR-3312 both at $600. I am not a big Onkyo fan(now) so that is out. I though I had it nailed with the 972 but now I am not so sure. I know the 972 is quirky and has its problems but I also think that the Trinnov sound has to be worth it. The unit is going in the family room/home theater so it will not be dedicated to movie viewing (TV, video games...). I know if I get the Denon I can have it running in no time and that should be the end of it. I'm hearing about handshake issues and slow video syncing with the 972. I can live with the quirks and I have the patients to get the unit humming. Its my wife and stepdaughter that have me worried. They just doesn't care about the sound they just want to turn the TV on and look at it. We also have some 3D movies and our collection is growing. I am so confused. My wife has assured me that this is completely my decision and she wants nothing to do with it. But a $1800 unit for $600 with Trinnov is very tempting. I love the Denon but letting a unit like the 972 go seems almost criminal.What would you do? Are the quirks that bad? HELP!


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## nova (Apr 30, 2006)

Yeah, tough choice. I have an old Denon that I really like but no HDMI so I have been mulling over the Sherwood Newcastle R-972 as well. Couple of folks here have picked up the R-972 fairly recently and I'm sure they'll comment. There is also a pretty good thread "here" about it that you may want to peruse.

What speakers are you going to hook up to your new receiver?


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## sub_crazy (Nov 17, 2007)

Let me make a little correction first before other get confused. The Sherwood Newcastle you are referring to is the R-972.

I love the sound so much I bought 2 and don't have any regrets. Some people have experienced a lot more problems than I have though. It does have quirks and I do not recommend it to anyone with little patience, it might drive you nuts. Some have even not been that impressed with the sound but those who have are blown away like my-self. 

I replaced a Onkyo 5508 pre-pro in my system that replaced a Marantz AV7005 and Denon 4311 before that to give you and idea of what I was comparing it to. 

Does the place you are planning on buying the 972 have a return policy so you can try it for a week or 2? If so then it is worth a shot to see if it is for you.


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## koolfool (Jan 12, 2013)

I am buying from accessories4less.com. I bought an onkyo 809 and returned it to a4less. I just couldn't get the right sound so these are my next two choices. I am currently running Athena point 5 MK II speakers with an 8"sub.


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## theJman (Mar 3, 2012)

sub_crazy said:


> I love the sound so much I bought 2 and don't have any regrets. Some people have experienced a lot more problems than I have though. It does have quirks and I do not recommend it to anyone with little patience, it might drive you nuts.


I'm one of those who experienced a lot of problems with his Sherwood, as did someone else I know. The only thing that was worse then the receiver was the "service" Sherwood provided, which was nothing short of awful. I know that I'll never buy anything from them again. You burn, you learn... :rant:


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## koolfool (Jan 12, 2013)

nova said:


> Yeah, tough choice. I have an old Denon that I really like but no HDMI so I have been mulling over the Sherwood Newcastle R-972 as well. Couple of folks here have picked up the R-972 fairly recently and I'm sure they'll comment. There is also a pretty good thread "here" about it that you may want to peruse.
> 
> What speakers are you going to hook up to your new receiver?


Nova, I have read the entire thread. That is actually what has placed some doubt in my mind. I was reading about how some people would never buy it for the family room which is exactly where it is going to be. I just don't know.


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## asere (Dec 7, 2011)

I have looked into the Sherwood but since I will have it in family room the wife will get frustrated with the issues that some people claim. One thing I have asked myself if Trinnnov is so good then why aren't there other receivers with it on board? I am not criticizing and don't know just a thought.


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## hjones4841 (Jan 21, 2009)

I have been a Denon fan for many years. The 3312 is a really nice receiver. I have two in the house in a den system and a master bedroom system. An AVR-A100 (anniversary edition of the 4311) drives the HT. Two other Denon setups in the HT before that - they never failed, just needed to "evolve" with HDMI and the HD audio codecs.

I saw that A4L has the 4311 for just over $1K. If you can stretch your budget, the 4311 does add nice features over the 3312 - biggest one is ability to use Audyssey Pro. That's another $700 or so, but it really made a difference in my system and can be added later, as I did. The 4311 also has 2 independent, individually EQ'ed sub outputs, not just two outputs that are paralleled internally.

I have never had Sherwood gear, but my track record with Denon proves that I will be a fan of theirs for many years - their gear just works.


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

The short answer here - go with the Denon. The Sherwood is a great receiver, but you will hear a bunch of grief from the rest of your family. I do have it in my living room, and I am constantly hearing complaints from my wife. The remote is just plain bad, and the quirks drive her up the wall.......


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## sub_crazy (Nov 17, 2007)

asere said:


> One thing I have asked myself if Trinnnov is so good then why aren't there other receivers with it on board? I am not criticizing and don't know just a thought.


That is like asking if Audyssey is so superior to Pioneers MCACC and Yamaha's YPAO then why don't they use it, who knows? 

I hope Trinnov makes it into other brands but right now there mainly a niche product. You can add Trinnov to any system with there standalone EQ or the Audio Design Associates standalone Trinnov EQ, both of which sell for about $10,000. The only consumer available product besides the 972 that has Trinnov built in is the $40,000 ADA Cinema Reference Mach IV pre-pro. 

Trinnov is a fairly new company, there first optimizer were installed for professional use in 2006 according to there company history: http://www.trinnov.com/about-us/company-history/?lang=en_us

Hopefully they garner a lot more support and license the technology to more mainstream brands in the near future.


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## asere (Dec 7, 2011)

sub_crazy said:


> That is like asking if Audyssey is so superior to Pioneers MCACC and Yamaha's YPAO then why don't they use it, who knows?
> 
> I hope Trinnov makes it into other brands but right now there mainly a niche product. You can add Trinnov to any system with there standalone EQ or the Audio Design Associates standalone Trinnov EQ, both of which sell for about $10,000. The only consumer available product besides the 972 that has Trinnov built in is the $40,000 ADA Cinema Reference Mach IV pre-pro.
> 
> ...


I hope they go mainstream


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## JBrax (Oct 13, 2011)

I would be interested in comparing Trinnov to Audyysey. Having read the complaints on the Sherwood 972 I have ZERO interest and would definitely go with the Denon.


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

I agree the Denon makes more sense it also did much better in bench tests at 82 watts per channel 5 channels driven where the 792 only mustered 65 watts 5 channels driven Trinnov is amazing but with the sacrifices you make in the quirks the 972 has I just dont know if its worth it.


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## sub_crazy (Nov 17, 2007)

JBrax said:


> I would be interested in comparing Trinnov to Audyysey. Having read the complaints on the Sherwood 972 I have ZERO interest and would definitely go with the Denon.


The main difference between the 2 is Trinnov has 3D spatial re-mapping which NO other EQ has. I thought as just an EQ that Audyssey XT32 did a better job and got my subs flatter. The Onkyo 5508 with XT32 also sounded better for music IMO. Were Trinnov really excels is with movies for me as it makes the room disappear and you are no longer hearing the speakers but a wall of sound around you. It really is an experience and I have had my first 972 for almost a year now and still am amazed at how huge and enveloping the soundstage is.

It really is a receiver for a dedicated room though unless your family is technically savvy and patient. It really is a shame that the 972 has so many quirks, it would be a real winner if it just worked like a normal Denon or Onkyo.


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## JBrax (Oct 13, 2011)

I'm pretty much 90% movies so I may look into it someday. Until I have a dedicated room and projector I'll just be sticking with my current setup. Maybe down the line Trinnov will be integrated into something more user friendly without the quirks.


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## koolfool (Jan 12, 2013)

So it looks like its the Denon. Excellent! I feel better already. Thanks for the opinions folks I appreciate ALL of them.


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## hjones4841 (Jan 21, 2009)

koolfool said:


> So it looks like its the Denon. Excellent! I feel better already. Thanks for the opinions folks I appreciate ALL of them.


You will not be disappointed.


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## asere (Dec 7, 2011)

I agree! Denon owner myself and very satisfied!


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