Customer Reviews

Sherwood VR-670 Hollywood at Home Virtual Theater System

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

This system by Sherwood was designed to provide "virtual" surround by only using two front satellite speakers and a subwoofer. This eliminates the need for rear speakers and a center channel.

Of course it doesn't work like a high-end, 6-speaker surround system but it does what it does very well.

I purchased this for much less than the advertised price of around $260. While this system was originally listed at $430, I don't think it would quite be worth it. But for around $250 you are getting a very nice system in a very small package.

First off, the main unit is a VERY sleek, somewhat heavy unit which gives off the impression of a much pricier piece of equipment. It has a light on the front that glows amber when idle, and blue when in use. There is a coordinating light on the subwoofer as well. Capable of decoding Dolby digital 5.1 and Dolby VS (virtual surround), the main unit plays DVD's, cds, most burned cds with mp3's, and more.

The two small speakers have a silver finish (as does the main unit) that matches perfectly with my Toshiba television. So far they have provided more than ample sound with no clipping whatsoever. True audiophiles who like to watch their movies at deafening volumes might be a tad disappointed, but for most Friday-night movie watchers they perform wonderfully. They are crisp, clear, and can be mounted to a wall, speaker stand, or simply placed beside the television (manufacturer's recommended placement). I disagree with the "pro" review on Amazon.com about the power of this system. I can turn it up as loud as is enjoyable and it performs awesome. Any louder and you're just the idiot neighbor who's gotta have the best of everything and to heck with anyone else who doesn't like hearing "Star Wars" from a block away.

The small subwoofer comes in an expresso-colored wood cabinet and looks very nice. Besides the power cord, only a single small wire is needed to run back to the main unit to provide the sub with the proper signal (provided). Featuring a 6" woofer with two ports (all hidden), this sub puts out quite a nice sound for it's size. Again, don't expect it to shake the neighbors (a good thing) but it does vibrate my coffee table during action sequences in "The Incredibles".

All in all I am very impressed by this unit by Sherwood. There is an upgraded unit that features a larger sub, but for my money this system works better than I ever expected. I recommend this to anyone looking to add great sound to their modest home theater setup.

UPDATE: (11/30/09)

So I've owned this system for 4 years now and we still use it daily. Here's the good and the bad. The system still cranks out full, deep sound especially for only having 3 total speakers. My wife regularly plays her cd's over this while cleaning the house, and it can flat out rock our smaller house. Watching movies is still a nice experience too, and the little sub still provides very nice bass. Just over the Thanksgiving holiday my brother in law was helping me move some components around, and he commented on how heavy the main unit was. It does not look dated at all, but still looks and feels like a very high quality system.

The bad is that like another reviewer here, the dvd/cd drive quit working. It still has one of my cd's inside though I don't know which one as it won't play it, and won't eject it. However, we play cd's by putting them in our Philips DVD player which runs through this Sherwood unit and setting it to the "Aux" mode. I can have my Xbox 360 play Guitar Hero music through it by hooking up the audio portion of the component cables at the rear. So it's still very useable, just not as a stand-alone DVD player. Of course if it was my only DVD player I'd be upset, but since the Sherwood does not offer up-conversion anyway (it's too old) then it doesn't really bother me.

But be aware that you might experience dvd/cd drive issues with this unit in the future, although I never went about contacting Sherwood to try and get it fixed. I still think it's a great sound system for the price, and with 4 years of use I'd still purchase it again.

I began looking for a 2.1 channel system for my bedroom. I went and listened to the Denon S101 and S301, Sony Dav X1, Bose 321, and the Sherwood VR670. After listening to each unit and reading the online reviews/propaganda I decided to purchase the Sherwood. It has all the power and fullness of sound you'd need in a 350 sq ft. room, the DVD produces a quality 480P image, and the unit, its speakers, and subwoofer are aesthetically pleasing and compact.

I really wanted to purchase the Sony DAV X1 but I just could not justify paying nearly 3X as much for something that I did not feel sounded appreciably better.

I've got this unit hooked up to a 32" Sony LCD and it took all of 10 minutes from cutting the box open to putting in my Serentity DVD.

P.S.- The virtual surround feature on ALL the 2.1 systems I listened to was less than stellar.

This is a very impressive theater system. Probably the best in it's class. I prefer it to my Bose 123 system, which cost 3 time as much. I love it. Great sound, compact, sleek design.

I don't need to vibrate the walls or let my neighbors down the street know what I'm listening to. This unit is sharp looking, easy to install and has ample sound for me. I watched a couple of movies this past weekend, and I really felt like I was watching them in a theater (at less than half the volume). If you are really into the full surround sound system, by all means pay more, but for this price and sound quality, I don't see how you can go wrong. For those that think this will only work in a small room, I have mine in a 500sf room and have more than enough power to rock the walls if I wanted to.

I had been looking for a small home theatre system that did not require wires spider-webbing themselves under carpets, through the walls, and into the basement. In considering a few 2.1 options, I really liked the Denons (S-101 and S-301), but the prices were -- and still are -- ridiculous. However, in my research, I came across the Sherwood system. I have had the Sherwood VR-670 for nearly a year, and the DVD player component is not operating properly. Inexplicably, the drawer will not open after several attempts, then mysteriously opens. The system has caused stops/starts in every DVD I have used in the last several weeks. And, trying to reach service or technical assistance is nearly impossible.

The sound is amazing. The hook-up was fairly easy as well. It gives us the extra boost that we needed. It also is great having a cd player along with the dvd player We spent very little and received loads. We would highly recommend the system to anyone with a smaller room.

As other reviews have noted, the DVD player is very unreliable. I had the unit for six months and the frustration level has reached the point where I am replacing the unit. I can not play DVDs received from Netflix without numerous problems. The DVDs will play fine on other DVD players, however. I have also had a significant problem with interference with my cable remote control. Changing channels with my cable remote will change the volume on the Sherwood. One time it will go up, next time it will go down. With the problem with the remote and the poor performance of the DVD player, I can not recommend it to anybody, despite good sound quality and a low price.

We've owned this product for about four months and it has been everything it was billed to be. Don't expect 7 speaker sound, but it does have the capability to bounce sound off close-by walls and does a nice job of imitating bigger system sound. But the remote is lacking, or rather the way the system interacts is. We have DirectTV and there is no code for the Sherwood system therefore we still need both remotes. When you channel up on the DirectTV remote, the sound increases or decreases rapidly, and no manipulation of the controls will stop it. So you must have both remotes in hand when changing channels. Very frustrating. The sytem overall has smooth lines, small footprint and we've been happy with the richness of sound in a smallish family room. At top volume it has significant distortion, but you really never need the volume above 14 or so.

Amazing home theater sound from only 2 speakers. much better value than the Bose system. The DVD player is very nice.

I got this system to replace my surround sound in my living room area. I ended up not needing it there (I got the old set working again) so I put it in my bedroom instead. The set up took only a few minutes and everything was well laid out for easy recognition directly out of the box. It took less than 10 minutes to have my old system unhooked, put aside, and this system hooked up! That was GREAT!!!

The look of the system is very nice and is eye catching to everyone that sees it. It is compact and blends well with my TV and stand. I especially enjoy the glowing light effect and the way it changes from orange to blue when activated. I know that is a small thing but it is attractive.

The sound doesn't give the full "surround" effect but does an excellent job of replicating the overall sound. The system is small but packs a good punch with the subwoofer being sturdy but not overpowering. Also, I don't normally listen to my music loud anyways but I this system pumps out MORE than enough sound for fine listening pleasure.

I have been very pleased with this purchase and would highly recommend it to anyone...if you are cramped for space but still want huge sound get this and you will be very happy.