Sherwood Newcastle's R-771 audio/video receiver will appeal to both consumers and custom installers with it's wide array of features and multi-zone audio capabilities. Consumers will be pleased with the system's ease of use, while custom installers will appreciate features such as high component video bandwidth, re-configurable amplifiers, and RS-232 control.

Setting up the R-771 for optimal sound with your room and speaker system is easy with the included microphone. It is as simple as plugging it into the port on the front of the unit and then using the remote control to select "speaker/room EQ setup>auto setup." The system takes measurements from two different listening positions in your room. After approximately 5-10 minutes of test tones and processing, the receiver is ready to go, optimized for your room and speakers. Once you have performed this auto setup feature, it is not necessary to adjust the Speaker Configuration, Speaker Distance, Speaker Crossover, or Channel Level Setup, although these settings are able to be set or adjusted manually as well.

The R-771 is packed with power, as it incorporates seven fully discrete 100 watt amplifiers for rich, full surround sound setups or multi-room applications. There are three component video inputs, as well as three S-Video and three composite video inputs. Video outputs include one component, two S-Video and composite, and a Room 2 composite video out. There are two digital optical inputs and one output, and two digital coaxial inputs. The R-771 includes analog audio inputs for multi-channel audio sources such as DVD-Audio and SACD, as well as CD, Tape and Video 1, 2, and 3 analog audio inputs.

The R-771 offers upconversion of all video inputs to component video output, and also includes component video switching. It does not have any HDMI inputs, which we feel should be offered at this price point when you consider this product's competition.

Configuring the inputs is also a breeze via the OSD (on screen display), with all inputs able to be renamed, and audio inputs assigned as necessary, as well as several other user-definable options. These are features that allow excellent flexibility to the custom installer as well as consumers who want a more customized experience.

The menus are clear and easy to navigate with the included remote control. Although the remote control is not backlit, the buttons do glow in the dark after exposure to bright light. The buttons are arranged in a very easy to understand and traditional layout. There is also a credit-card sized remote control included for use in another room with an optional multi-room system kit (which includes an IR receiver).

The R-771 performed well in our listening tests, providing plenty of power to drive our reference 5.1 speaker system anchored by floorstanding tower speakers. Dialogue was crisp and intelligible from the center channel, and imaging was excellent. Both stereo and multichannel music sounded great as well, benefitting from the 100 watt per channel amps.

Although there are receivers on the market offering more DSP surround modes and HDMI inputs and outputs in the same price range, the Sherwood R-771 offers excellent flexibility and multi-room capabilities with plenty of power to satisfy most consumers.

Pros: Video upconversion, component video switching, assignable amps, multi-room and multi-zone operation
Cons: At this price we would expect HDMI inputs/outputs, remote control is not backlit

Warranty
3 years