Customer Reviews

Sherwood RD-6105 500-Watt 5.1-Channel Audio/Video Receiver, Black

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this tuner to make the change in my home music system from stereo to 5.1 surround sound because I wanted to play super audio CDs. This model had good ratings by consumers everywhere, was said to be simple to manage, and carried a modest price tag.

Having grown into music in the 1960s and never having moved beyond traditional stereo, this transition was not simple for me. Having to program my SACD player and having to setup everything on the tuner by remote was a new experience for me. It was not without some frustration.

It took me a week of evenings to program everything including the tuner. I now enjoy five-channel sound on stereo CDs and radio and SACDs made in 5.1 format. The sound is better now than it's ever been and I am very pleased that I was able to make this transition using this device for a relatively small investment.

One element I like a lot is you have a number of listening options outside of stereo and SACD, which is calls 6 DIRECT. There is an option that's supposed to sound like a theater, another that's supposed to be used at night, one called Pro Logic, and another.

I've found listening to stereo CDs in the Pro Logic mode delivers the best sound through my five speaker system. It seems to spread the signal and deliver a more natural sound that matches highs and midranges to the center speaker and booming bass through my larger bookshelf speakers. Compared to this, stereo seems unnaturally loud and artifically spread.

It's too early to make comment on the lifespan of this piece of equipment. I don't expect it to last 25 years, like my old Marantz receiver. Today it plays wonderfully and is easy to setup after spending time with the manual and making a few calls to the Sherwood tech help line.

It would have helped a lot if Sherwood had published their tech line somewhere in the manual. I had to locate it by calling the operator in Sherwood's California city home listed on the manual. They have no 800 help line, either.

These shortcomings aside, I am pleased with this tuner, the wonderful sound it delivers in my home, and its ease of use and setup.

For a basic surround-sound and home stereo on a tight budget, it'll do the job. I have my cable, VCR and DVD player running through it just fine by using the front inputs for the cable. The biggest drawback is no s-video or composite video input connectors at all. It has a single s-video output for the monitor. It does have 5-channel direct audio input and one digital optical audio input. There are just two video inputs on the back, along with the usual stereo audio inputs.

This is a fine unit at a very affordable price. [..]. It's no-frills. Just 5.1 (not 6 or 7). The remote is very basic, the is no on-screen guide. The video input is only the most basic (so S-Video and certainly no component). But, it does a very nice job just pumping out sound. DTS is included. I have it paired up with the Athena Point 5 speakers, and I'm very happy.

The daily frustrations are: remote is not very well designed, only one optical input (but 3 digital overall).

As the other reviewer commented: very good for the budget-minded.

This replaced the AMP in our sound system that died. It works just fine and is easy to use. Sound is great.

I bought the Sherwood RD-6105 for my family for Christmas (well, mainly for myself! But they now also enjoy earth-shattering sound with movies!). It is excellent in quality and has premium Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1, and DTS 5.1 sound. (Good quality speakers are a prerequisite)

It took me a few weeks to get everything to work on this unit, The controls are a bit complicated at first, and one has to make sure that the source devices are putting out the Dolby Digital or DTS signal (it has to be programmed), else one will only get stereo sound no matter how many buttons one pushes on the Sherwood! The RD-6105 has three digital inputs, two of them being coaxial digital and the third optical ditital. I wish it had more digital inputs! But the component is satisfactory in it's features (especially considering that it is inexpensive).

Overall, the quality of the RD-6105 component is excellent, with crystal clear amplification and all the power to shatter the windows in ones house!

The Sherwood RD-6105 provides perfect sound on my home theatre. The shear number of features is its only vice. You must provide yourself the time necessary to learn the many options you have.