Sherwood R-904N 700 Watt 7.1-Channel Dual-Zone receiver (Black)

by Sherwood

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 12 x 17 x 2.9 inches ; 12.1 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 16 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B002S4084O
• Item model number: R-904N
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #32,630 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)

Product Description

This Sherwood R-904N Internet AV Streaming Receiver features a new form factor, new "green" amplifier technology and the unprecedented ability to play physical, Internet and streaming media. This continues Sherwood's 50-year standard of audio excellence will be comfort to the millions who have previously purchased Sherwood audio gear.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Nice small receiver - no aux out, May 27, 2011

By 

Philbgood - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sherwood R-904N 700 Watt 7.1-Channel Dual-Zone receiver (Black) (Electronics)

I chose this to replace a Panny SA-XR70 which died . The small form factor and digital amp = low heat were critical and it fits the bill perfectly . The automatic speaker setup worked well but i had to bump up the subwoofer for my taste . After a few weeks of listening i find the sound to be a little harsh compared to my memory of the Panasonic which I loved .
The biggest problem for my setup is the complete lack of any line level outputs . There is no aux out or tape out meaning this can't be hooked up to any non-hdmi recording equipment - older tape decks vcrs etc . In my system i have audio and video distributed through distribution amps to several remote locations . This unit can't do it . I screwed up by not noticing the complete absence of outputs other than the single hdmi out .

The blue lights don't bother me but it is odd that you can turn off some of the lighting but not dim or turn off the rest .
The vu-now functions are completely half-baked - the load time alone is enough to put me off and once it's loaded theres nothing there that has any use to me . I've used different media players over the years - currently WDTV , LG BD570 , PS3 and AppleTV and Vu-Now is a complete joke in comparison . It plays almost no currently used formats . Don't buy it thinking it will do double duty as a network media player.

Pros Size Digital amp ; Easy setup ; Decent sound
Cons NO AUX OUT ; Network (Internet) and media player functions pretty useless.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bought it for Dolby Volume, January 19, 2010

By 

D. Anderson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sherwood R-904N 700 Watt 7.1-Channel Dual-Zone receiver (Black) (Electronics)

This is my first review on Amazon.

I live in a small house with my girlfriend who watches a lot of soap operas. I can hear them right through the wall and am always asking her to turn down the TV. I heard about Dolby Volume in a podcast (Dolbycast podcast) and was intrigued. Dolby Volume is a new technology they've licensed which basically allows you to hear the full spectrum of audio content at much lower volumes. It also smooths out the volume changes during commercials. After researching the price of a receiver with the technology built in I found I would have to spend in the $1,000 neighborhood which was above my price point. Then I saw that the Sherwood unit included it for $649. I placed my order with Amazon back in November, but it was backordered until late December. When it finally shipped, I noticed that Amazon's price had dropped to about $525. I asked them to refund the difference and they did, so I'm a happy customer.

The receiver is surprisingly light weight when compared to the old Sherwood unit I replaced, but feels like solid construction. It comes with a full featured remote, but I programmed my Logitech Harmony One to replace it and haven't looked at it since.

The back connectivity is full featured enough for my needs. The audio and video switching allows me to hook up my TiVo and Cinematube media streamer via HDMI and make just one video connection to my Sony LCD 1080p tv. I also have three additional audio sources which are a combination of analog and digital. All good. I have an open HDMI input if I want to add another video source. One thing is that this receiver doesn't do any conversion or upscaling. You cannot use a component video source and play it out the HDMI port. Not a big deal in my case, but worth mentioning. This came into play when I tried to hook up a Wii which has only composite video out. I had to extend the video up to the TV and plug the audio into the Sherwood. Again, not at all a big deal. My Harmony One makes all this a breeze.

The Dolby Volume feature is great. You absolutely can turn it waaaay down at night and still be able to enjoy what you are watching without blasting everyone else in the house.

My only real complaint is that they use blue LEDs on the front which are too bright.

I would recommend this to anyone who wants the Dolby Volume in an affordable package.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars R-904N is a fun product to explore and enjoy, February 14, 2010

By 

Paul W. Lowry "Media Nerd" (Manhattan, NYC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sherwood R-904N 700 Watt 7.1-Channel Dual-Zone receiver (Black) (Electronics)

UPDATE: 7 Oct 2010 - If you use both the HDMI and COMPONENT output of the Sherwood to those inputs to your HDTV set, you can switch between those formats although you are using the same designation on the Sherwood. In other words, if you choose Video 1 on the Sherwood and an HDMI cable signal connected to Video 1 but you also have a COMPONENT device going connected to Video 1, then you can switch between the HDMI and COMPONENT inputs on your HDTV set and see either inputs. However, you do have to use your remote to change the audio assign for the Video 1 choice. For example, I use the HDMI cable to carry the audio from my cable box so the AUDIO ASSIGN when I'm using that is H. But when I am using Video one for my COMPONENT input, I may have to change the AUDIO ASSIGN for that signal to analog, optical or coax - all of which are options for AUDIO ASSIGN.

UPDATE: 1 Oct 2010 - The VuNow feature on the unit suddenly stopped working one day. However, I still use it as my media center for feeding my HDTV cable, DVD, Wii and S-VHS player to my HDTV set. I love the surround sound and the rest of it. Please look below for the replacement product I got for the VuNow feature - Westerm Digital - Western Digital WD TV Live Network-ready HD Media Player WDBAAN0000NBK-NESNWD-TV Live HD Media Player


This product (Sherwood R904-N) works perfectly in my small New York apartment when matched with the compact set of ORB surround speakers. It's one of very few AV/Rs low in height but packed with the latest features like connection to the web and automatic room equalization of the speakers. The three HDMI inputs from cable, DVD and my FLIP HD camera flow through beautifully to my HDTV. . The web service input gives you direct access to on-line YouTube videos, web video sites all over the world, web radio as well the front USB port from which I play downloaded movies (with their surround sound),mp3 files and any of my own home-made videos and pictures I've saved to a USB memory device - all displayed on the HDTV and surround speakers. I had a nearby desktop PC with an optical audio output that I connected to the Sherwood playing some of the newer web radio sites that now stream in 5.1 Surround - cool! And speaking of sound, there are enough options for Dolby, speaker adjustment, etc. for the audiophile to play with. However, since I believe critique of sound quality varies with the individual, I will only say it sounds great to me.

Needless to say - I love this unit.