Any opinions on Sherwood stereo amplifiers ?

vinayde

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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
 
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.
 
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
 
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.
 
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
 
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
 
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.
 
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
 
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
 
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.
 
Thanks again, that makes sense!!
I almost bought the 340A, I think I would have to budget for a 540A now.
Cheers
Vinay
 
You're certainly welcome. However, the amp you buy depends on the speakers you have chosen as they should complement each other. The CA works very well with the MS 902i/904i but a bright speaker like the Sonodynes would be better off with a warmer amp like the Marantz.
 
Hi Vinay,

By any chance are you from Pune? And did youy audition these at the Jamo shop in Koregaon Park, North Main Rd?

I went there last to last weekend but they couldn't arrange an audition, and in the meantime i happened to speak to Viren.

If possible please do consider his setup as well.
 
You're certainly welcome. However, the amp you buy depends on the speakers you have chosen as they should complement each other. The CA works very well with the MS 902i/904i but a bright speaker like the Sonodynes would be better off with a warmer amp like the Marantz.

Hey I'm a newbie :) Can you please help me understand the terms "bright speaker","warmer amp","laid back amp" ? How do understand these ?

Thanks
 
No replies :sad:

How will a CA 340A SE/540A V2 sound with mission m33i ? ( music type : rock,fuzion,jazz)

slightly bright - cambridge is neutral (almost) mission 33/34 are bright - you get my point.

CA is good - but if you afford the Nad - thats the best bet. The soundstage sweeps one of their feet
 
No replies :sad:

Sorry, HH, was away for a bit. This page might help out:
Stereophile: Sounds Like? An Audio Glossary

The terms above, defined:
  • bright, brilliant: The most often misused terms in audio, these describe the degree to which reproduced sound has a hard, crisp edge to it. Brightness relates to the energy content in the 4kHz-8kHz band. It is not related to output in the extreme-high-frequency range. All live sound has brightness; it is a problem only when it is excessive.
  • laid-back: Recessed, distant-sounding, having exaggerated depth, usually because of a dished midrange. See "Row-M sound." Compare "forward."
  • dark: A warm, mellow, excessively rich quality in reproduced sound. The audible effect of a frequency response which is clockwise-tilted across the entire range, so that output diminishes with increasing frequency. Compare "light."
 
Thanks but sadly I couldn't find a dealer for NAD in New Delhi :sad:

try to do a "sunoh" of the marantz with the missions - do you have the m33? If not and are planning for the missions - then go for the m34. Much better overall response. And should sound better than the cambridge in this combo.

Personally i felt disappointed with the cambridge (paired with wharf 9.5/ms906 etc) - felt marantz much better.

For your missions marantz would be better IMHO
 
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