So you've decided you are ready to invest the money to move beyond the entry level A/V receivers out there--but what is it you are paying for? Plenty of power, video up conversion to component, and all the major surround sound decoders are some of the things you get with this receiver. The Sherwood RD-8901 is advertised as Sherwood America's Flagship receiver; however, we were disappointed that it does not offer any HDMI connectivity, and only two component video inputs. But while it does not have the features and functionality offered by other Flagship receivers, it doesn't have the price tag associated with other Flagship receivers, either.

Six discrete 100 watt amplifiers provide plenty of power for most home theaters. The RD-8601 offers all the popular surround sound modes, including Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital EX, DTS, DTS ES, DTS Neo 6, and DTS 96/24. Plus, the Dolby Pro Logic IIx decoder (with modes for movie, music, matrix and custom) and 3 DSP surround modes (theater, hall, and stadium) allow you to enjoy 2-channel recordings in 6-channel surround sound as well. Dolby Headphone mode allows simulated surround sound listening through headphones.

The unit has two component video inputs and one component video output, two S-video inputs and one input, and two composite inputs. One impressive feature of this receiver is its Universal Video that up-converts all video input signals to the component video output. Its audio inputs include two coaxial and two optical digital audio inputs, and four analog audio inputs.

Setting this receiver up in your home theater is about as simple as it gets. Speaker set up can be done manually or automatically using the included microphone. We were disappointed that the input for the automatic set up microphone was on the back panel of the receiver, making access less than ideal. The unit also offers on screen display to help control all the inputs and features. These features can be tweaked from the front panel or from the 8-unit preprogrammed remote control. The remote can operate other Sherwood DigiLink components as well.

We were a little confused by the designation Sherwood has put on this A/V receiver., as the features and functionality (and price) of this A/V receiver a bit short of our concept of a "flagship" model. However, at this time of this review this unit can be purchased around $250 or less at several stores. At that price, the Sherwood RD-8601 offers an impressive list of features (especially video up conversion to component from all video inputs), plenty of power and adequate connection options for video and audio inputs.

Pros: Plenty of power, video up conversion, on-screen display
Cons: No HDMI connectivity, only 2 component inputs

Warranty
2 years, parts and labor