# Sherwood Newcastle R-972 Looks like a Winner



## Adz (Nov 18, 2006)

Nice price point at $1500 with a ton of current features.

Sherwood Newcastle R-972 HDMI 1.3 Receiver


MSRP: $1499

Sherwood revamped their entire line of A/V receivers and displayed them at CES. Not only did they acclimate into the 21st century with their first HDMI enabled receivers but they went above and beyond the status quo by incorporating new features not currently available on the market.

Some of the most noted features include:

HDMI 1.3
Video Scaling to 1080p
Converts HDMI video to analog
GUI OSD
DTS Master Audio HD
Dolby TruHD
RF Remote Control
Automatic Audio Set-up
Audyssey MultEQ XT
RS-232 Control / Upgrade
Multi Source, Multi Zone
A/V Sync Delay by Input
XM Connect & Play
Installer Memory
Built in bi-amp capability

The R-972 boasts 100 wpc x 7 and is powered by TI DA-710 & 708 bit DSPs. Want flexible bass management? No problem, Sherwood includes a quadruple independent crossover scheme.


Contact your Next Level AV rep in your area for more details.


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## Sonnie (Apr 11, 2006)

Sounds like a nice receiver... a real serious contender.


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## MrPorterhouse (Jul 29, 2006)

Sounds like a GREAT feature set. I'm not familiar with Sherwood. If memory serves me correctly, the only association I have of them is of a cheap brand from the big box retailers. Does Sherwood have seperate lines of products of a premium and affordable range, such as Pioneer and Pioneer Elite? or, has Sherwood just jumped way up with their new line? I'm actually very interested in this receiver, but want to get more feedback before getting too excited.


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## Guest (Jan 16, 2007)

Yes the Sherwood line is their entry level product line. Sherwood Newcastle is the top tier line up which is where the R 972 sits. The Newcastle line is vastly different and competes with the Elites, Rotels and upper end Denon's etc.


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## Brian Bunge (Apr 21, 2006)

I've been a huge Newcastle fan for years. They are very robust receivers and are quite capable of running 4 ohm load speakers all day long. I am still using one of their first gen 7.1 receivers (R-863 or something like that) on my huge 3-way mains with a nominal 3 ohm load running full range and it never seems to break a sweat.


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## ralphjb (Dec 23, 2006)

I saw this unit at CES. Had read about it prior to the show and made a point of checking it out. Really like the feature set at the price. They also had an HDMI switching unit with an MSRP or $999. It did not have the GUI interface. Not sure what else it was missing compared to this $1499 unit. But looked like a good deal too.


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## Eddie Horton (Nov 8, 2006)

This looks killer. Great feature set and the price is right. Personally, I'm looking forward to seeing what the pre/pro version will look like.


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## Brian Bunge (Apr 21, 2006)

The real question is when will these new units actually be available? The one negative thing I can say about them is that they are notorious for missing availability dates. But that's a minor issue to me considering their track record for quality products.


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## Eddie Horton (Nov 8, 2006)

Brian Bunge said:


> The real question is when will these new units actually be available? The one negative thing I can say about them is that they are notorious for missing availability dates. But that's a minor issue to me considering their track record for quality products.


Very true. Even if they are late, with that feature set the price will still put them in a competitive place with the likes of Yamaha, Pio Elite, Denon, etc.


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## Brian Bunge (Apr 21, 2006)

Eddie Horton said:


> Very true. Even if they are late, with that feature set the price will still put them in a competitive place with the likes of Yamaha, Pio Elite, Denon, etc.


And at the same time sound better than those other brands, IMHO.


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## bricor (Apr 27, 2006)

I had seen an expected date of June or July from another site, don't remember which. (maybe engadget)


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## jagman (Jul 8, 2006)

I remember reading that, too.


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## Brian Bunge (Apr 21, 2006)

I can't tell you the number of times I've seen time lines like that, only to wonder if they actually meant this year or not. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the Newcastle products. I just hope their guesstimates have gotten better.


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## Sonnie (Apr 11, 2006)

Not bad lookin' either...


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## basementjack (Sep 18, 2006)

Holy cow, I want one of these!

I've got a rotel now, and love it - NLAV - do you think this will sound as good?
3 component and 4 hdmi, plus Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD? 
I'm nearly sold!
Does anyone know if it will convert component to hdmi?
I saw it mentioned the other way around.
lastly, does anyone know if it down converts?
many of these 'multi room' systems don't work if your source isn't composite


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## HionHiFi (Feb 18, 2007)

Looks like a world beater


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## bgarcia17 (Jan 8, 2007)

I'm sure by now most know that this receiver has been pushed to Mar. '08. However, I'm interested in it's little brothers, the 872 and 772, which I believe are shipping. Problem is finding a local dealer. Soooo, anyone know an online dealer with decent discounts for a quick order? I saw a post in the marketplace for a Newcastle r-965?, but it's no longer available and I can't figure out the dealer for that listing. Any help is appreciated.


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