Any opinions on Sherwood stereo amplifiers ?

vinayde · #1 06-03-08, 10:29 AM

Hi,
I have been trying to cobble together a budget system since a long time now to get max bang for buck, pushed up my bedget from 30K to 40k. I just saw some sherwood stereo amplifiers and I thought I liked their sound, but it was paired with Jamo floorstanders. Does anyone have any idea about this :
Sherwood Europe | AX-5103 Integrated Stereo Amplifier with High power & High Quality
Looks like they deliver 100wpc, irs not RMS so I dont know if their transformers would bust on low impedance speakers.
Any feedback on sound quality / ownership experience would be great.
I am thinking of pairing these with MS avant 902i or Sonus floorstanders ( 2605 ) any comments or direction would be great.
Thanks
Vinay

Kamal · #2 06-03-08, 10:44 AM

There are Tube Amps & Solid State Amps available of a good quality & after sales service back up.
What sort of music do you listen to most,what is your room & wallet size, Qns such as these need to be answered before meaningful recc can be made.

vinayde · #3 06-03-08, 11:07 AM

My budget is 40,000 for speakers ( with a sub ) + player + amp.
I had posted on another thread asking for sugestions and received some valuable advice. After auditioning a bunch of speakers and considering VFM
At this time I am thinking of a pioneer DVD player that plays everything and has decent sound quality.
So now the budget is like :
Pioneer : 5000
Cambridge audio 340 A SE : 14,000 ?
sonodyne roarr 1818 : 9000+
Mordaunt short 902i : 10000 ? or maybe I can wangle for the sonus 2605 for 15,000 ?
Total : 38,000 / 42,000

I have heard only the 540, not the 340 and I liked its sound. still to audition a 340, The dealer has assured me that it has a pre-out.
Any suggestions on reshuffling my budget / other options would be welcome.
Cheers
Vinay

particleman · #4 06-03-08, 11:26 AM

Please be warned that the CA 340A/340A-SE does not have a pre-out for a subwoofer. It is only the 540A and up that have it. The alternative would be to route the signal to the sub first and then to the amp (if your sub supports this). A suggested combination therefore is CA 540AV2 (19k) + MS 902i (9k) + MS 309i sub (18k) = 46k. Music can sound great even without a sub - do give it a try before you opt for one - in this case you can pair the 540Av2 amp (19k) with MS906i (23k) or MS916i (27k) speakers.

vinayde · #5 06-03-08, 12:39 PM

Hi Particleman, thanks for the heads up on the pre-out.
Do you have any opinions on the sherwood amp ? The price is just 10,000 and I think I like the sound of it, but I got to hear only for a few minutes. And the speakers were Jamo.
There seem to be no reviews anywhere on these amps.
Also I kind of liked the Roarr / sonodyne combo, would you think that the 540 is underpowered to drive floorstanders ?
Thanks
Vinay

soundofmusic · #6 06-03-08, 05:39 PM

Hi Vinay

I have heard the Sherwood in Cinebels in Chennai and i was not at all satisfied with the performance , it lacked every thing ......i didnt find any positive points about the sherwood amp ( am not sure about the model) , they have connected the amp in 4 or 5 pairs of diff Jamo speakers using the splitters( dont know the exact name)
none of the speakers sounded good. you can opt for yamaha or marantz or C.A or any amp you wish for that matter.

regards

Kamal · #7 06-03-08, 08:18 PM

So there you have it re the Sherwood.
If you listen to mostly hard rock ,pop,etc and physically feeling the slam of your music is impt,go for SS Amps.
Among the ones well represented/serviced in India are models from NAD,Marantz,Cambridge Audio.You could pair them with cdps made by these companies.
Speakers are a very personal thing so you'll have to hear various ones with the above recc source/amplification,using your fav CDs for Demos.
In case you like Jazz, Blues, Classical,Soft/Classic Rock, then tube amps will heighten your enjoyment more tha SS Amps.

SNV · #8 07-03-08, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamal

Among the ones well represented/serviced in India are models from NAD,Marantz,Cambridge Audio.You could pair them with cdps made by these companies.

Dear Vinayde,

Kamal has recommended the right brands.
These are better than the Sherwood anyday.
Do consider them.

Regards
SNV

vinayde · #9 08-03-08, 12:28 AM

Particleman/ SNV / soundofmusic / Kamal,
Thanks for your inputs.
Particleman, I wanted some more advice on the pre out. Couldn't the record out be used as the equivalent of a pre-amp out as it has the complete left and right audio signals ?
What would happen if I connected the record out L/R to a sub ?

Thanks
Vinay

particleman · #10 08-03-08, 10:31 AM

The record-out sends out a full volume signal regardless of what your amp is set to. You would therefore have to keep adjusting the volume on the sub to match - this would get tiresome pretty soon! Also rec-out is not affected by tone controls, etc. As the name suggests it is there only for sending out a full signal that is not influenced by adjustments made on the amp.

It would therefore be best to buy an amp with pre-out connectivity such as CA 540A V2, NAD C325BEE, Marantz PM-4001, etc. As SNV, Kamal and others have rightly stated these would be a big improvement on the entry-level Sherwood amp.

Similar Threads for: Any opinions on Sherwood stereo amplifiers ?
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
opinions regarding lithos speakers	redd	Speakers	11	14-09-08 11:58 AM
Tube Amplifiers Bangalore	rajstar	Authorised Dealers	24	30-08-08 11:42 AM
Any opinions for Klipsch F3 Speakers	tungstenheart	Speaker Reviews	2	13-02-08 12:33 PM
Amplifiers And Speakers	reiki	Amplifiers	1	01-03-07 07:15 AM
Upgrade for NAD 3020 and 3120 Amplifiers	cyrus	Amplifiers	1	31-07-06 10:27 AM