Sherwood Newcastle Adds Two Digital Receivers To Audio Line

Sherwood America Inc., a leading manufacturer of high performance audio equipment, expands its digital A/V receiver line with two new additions: the Newcastle R-956 and the Newcastle R-756.The flagship Newcastle R-956 receiver is among the first to offer full support for the 6-channel surround sound format recently introduced in ""Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace."" Operating solely in the digital domain, the R-956 can decode all 6 channels from a Dolby Digital or DTS program, including the center rear channel, perform 6.1 channel bass management and route each decoded channel to one of six on-board 120 watt per channel discrete amplifiers. With the complete playback capability for Dolby Digital 6.1 Extended Surround and 6.1 channel DTS-ES already built into the receiver, Sherwood has insured that owners of the R-956 will be able to receive full enjoyment of this new surround sound format in their own systems as it migrates from the movie theatre into the home. This new surround format maximizes audio effects from behind and over the listener with the addition of a center rear speaker to the traditional surround sound system. Extended Surround reproduces back surround information via a rear center speaker, while side speakers reproduce left and right surround information. The additional surround channel and properly placed speakers enable a filmís sound designer to create true ""fly-over"" and ""fly-around"" effects that are smoother and much more accurately placed, either directly behind or directly beside the listener. Thus the center rear surround channel makes front-to-back and back-to-front transitions more realistic.""We have always believed that a receiver should be a ""one box"" solution for audio in the home. By building all the decoding and amplification necessary for 6.1 Extended surround into the R-956, "" said Jeff Hipps, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales, Sherwood America, Inc. ""We can help enthusiasts and their families experience and enjoy such films as ""The World Is Not Enough"" at home just the way they did at the theatre.""Other recent theatrical releases encoded with 6.1 Surround Sound include ""Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me,"" ""The Bone Collector,"" ""The Haunting,"" ""End Of Days"" and ""Toy Story II."" DVDs that are encoded with this new format will play normally with current systems and provide the extra surround channel when played over systems properly equipped for 6.1 Extended Surround.In addition to its six 120 Watt per channel discrete amplifiers and seven channel preamplifier outputs to support the R-956ís 6.1 Extended Surround capability, the R-956 boasts 24-bit, 96 kHz D to A converters for all channels, 6.1 channel direct input to accommodate future formats, six digital and five analog audio inputs, 5 A/V inputs all with S-Video and two component video (Y Pb Pr) inputs.Other key features of the R-956 include: On-Screen display, dedicated second room A/V output, digital audio output for a CD or MD recorder, Dolby Virtual Surround for a multi-channel experience from only two speakers and Circle Surround for improved matrix decoding and multi-channel music reproduction. The Newcastle R-956 begins shipping in March at a suggested retail price of $1,499.95For those audio perfectionists who believe that five channels is enough, Sherwood offers the new R-756 A/V Receiver. Like the R-956 the V-756 has on-board decoding for Dolby Digital, DTS, Dolby ProLogic, Dolby Virtual Surround and Circle Surround. Like its bigger sibling, the R-756 also includes 24-bit, 96 kHz D to A converters for all channels, component video switching, automatic format detection, on-screen display, analog bypass for purist stereo reproduction, optical digital output, cinema EQ, tone defeat, heavy duty binding posts for all channels and multi-step dynamic range control.In a few areas, the V-756 does offer less than the R-956. The V-756 has 4 digital inputs, 4 audio inputs, 4 AV inputs all with S-Video, 6 channel preamp outputs, and a 5.1 channel direct input. Power output for the V-756 is 100 watts per channel x 2 in stereo mode with no more than 0.05% THD into 8 ohms and 100 Watts x 5 in the surround mode. All show the substantial capability of the R-756 yet all are below the R-956. The Newcastle R-756 ships in March at a suggested retail price of $899.95""These two new digital receivers update our award winning Newcastle line."" said Hipps. ""They provide uncompromising performance for even the most demanding home theatre enthusiast. Weíve continued the philosophy set out with the design of the first R-945 receiver - use the best parts, get the basics right, skip the frills and make it easy to use.""With a discrete amplifier for all channels, the receivers have substantial output and current capability. They deliver up to 175watts @ 8 ohms, 325 watts @ 4 ohms, and 570 watts @ 2 ohms (R-956, EIA Standard Dynamic Power Rating). Like Sherwood Newcastleís other receivers, the R-756 and R-956 feature 24k gold plated input / output jacks, headphone jacks, Digi-Link III remote control of other Sherwood components, auto function one-touch operation, and large, user-friendly display.

For more information, contact Jeffrey Hipps, Sherwood America, jeff@sherwoodamerica.com, 714-228-6511.