Sherwood RX-4109 Receiver

This is a good thread. Although there are folks who disagree with my assessment of the RX-4109, I find that a good thing. This thread has opened some interesting discussion about gear, and I like that. Who knows? Perhaps I'll tire of the RX-4109 someday, perhaps not. What really counts is what pleases you most.
 
I have a Sherwood RX-4103, and while I'm hard pressed to find a fault with it, I'm not all that excited about it either and looking to go to a pre and a pwr and just ditch the tuner altogether. Does this make sense?
 
Hi Suthernprog,

I have dropped listening to FM because the selection is so bad out here. I've moved to the internet and vinyl for my listening. There are some real great integrated amplifiers out there, both new and vintage. I am using the RX-4109s in two rooms, but rarely use the tuner section. In my listening room I am using the Grace wireless internet radio feeding to the aux input. In my study I am using the audio out from my sound card to the aux input. The music selection on the internet is limitless and of good quality. Perhaps you want to think about that.
 
based partly on this board I bought a 4109 yesterday (Radio Shack, $99). I'm very happy with it so far.
interesting debate; used quality vs new out-of-the-box with warranty etc. I've been running recycled units (Craig, Kenwood) and this is the first big-time receiver I've owned. I'm running an Asian BPC cd changer (Nextec? Nestel? Nesquik?) and using some hand-me-down EPI microtower spkrs. I'm told it's better to have an average unit and good speakers than other.
If I had $ I'd like nothing better than to go out and get brand-new primo brand gear, but you get what you can afford. how much difference can there be between a $300 and a $500 system? and is what difference there is, worth the $? I'm sure there are plenty of hard-core audiophiles that can hear a difference and are willing to pay; me, I'm happy wi what I've got.
ps; the local Circus City is pretty much empty already.
 
Just an update: I am now running three RX-4109's. The third unit is in my living room powering my AR215PS speakers. I use it to hear cable audio. My cable supplier has a number of high quality audio only channels. I found that the neutrality of the RX 4109 really makes it speaker sensitive. If the speaker has anything missing, the RX 4109 will show it. I would like to get better speakers for the living room, but my wife doesn't like to look at speakers there, so I am using the small AR's. They are in our credenza and I open the doors to hear music there. They are not as good as my other speakers, but for their size, they do a decent job. 90 percent of my listening is in my study while I'm at the computer, like right now. I am glad to say that I STILL am very happy with the quality of the sound I get from the RX-4109.
 
Hello. I have this receiver and would just like to chime in on my opinion. I got mine on sale at Radio Shack for $80 and have been absolutely pleased by the performance it offers at this price point. I mainly use it for music listening from my computer at low to moderate volume in a small room. It is hooked up to a great pair of vintage H.H Scott speakers. The sound quality to my ears is excellent; accurate, with crisp highs and warm lows and very enjoyable for every type of music. I don't listen to the tuner often, but it does clearly pull in all stations in my area. Overall quality of the machine is excellent also. I would absolutely recommend it to anyone looking for an affordable stereo receiver for similar applications.
 
Funny this came up. I just got a Sherwood 4105 to hook up to my computer.

$89 at Amazon with free shipping--and I had a $25 gift card.

I don't use it for critical listening but for the price, you can't beat it.
 
Just an update:

All three Sherwoods are still working fine without any problems. Remember, they are among the few receivers that include a phono input section, and all three were bought for a total under $300.
 
Hmmm.... One of these just popped up on the local CL for $50, "brand new with box, got for birthday, don't need"...

Looking up the specs on this, might have to bite. Wife is getting into LPs, wants to replace her cheapie Sony fake-rack system.
 
Hmmm.... One of these just popped up on the local CL for $50, "brand new with box, got for birthday, don't need"...

Looking up the specs on this, might have to bite. Wife is getting into LPs, wants to replace her cheapie Sony fake-rack system.

For $50, it's worth it. They don't have the classy looks of vintage stuff but for something reliable that sounds pretty good, they're worth it.

I've got one in my system in place of my 80 wpc Kenwood KR-7600, and to be honest, I can't really tell a difference in sound. :scratch2:
 
Hello all. I bought the 4109 for my 2nd system mainly because of the phono input and I really like it. I realize it's not a huge upper end product, but for the price, I think it sounds great. I have it hooked up to Polk Monitor 40 speakers and the Sony SCPH 1001 cd player. For approx. $250 total (includes Sony record player), this is a great little system. I also have a much higher end system but my pre-amp doesn't have a phono input, so I listen to this system for my records. I had an older Pioneer receiver (I think it was the SX500 or something like that) and it died on me, so I had to buy another and am very happy with my purchase. Jimmy Magick, how do you hook it up to your compter? Sandra
 
Glad you like it.

As for hooking it up to your computer, nothing to it. If your computer is anything like my Dell, there should be a single stereo out on the back. (Looks like a small headphone jack.) Pick up a stereo-to-RCA adapter at your local Radio Shack and just hook it up from your computer to the TV/Aux In on your receiver.
 
Just found this thread...I'm not a fan of my RX-4109. I use it in my shed with a couple of Pioneers, because the sound quality just wasn't there. No comparison whatsoever to my old 55 WPC Onkyo. I see no power difference, and the sound quality isn't even close.

Bought it for $80 shipped because it had great reviews.

That said, if you're on a strict budget, it'll probably sound better than almost any set of computer speakers, even those with a sub.

Maybe mine's just a flawed unit?
 
I recently posted in another thread about one of my three RX-4109's (My oldest one, just over two years old, just past the warranty period) it went dead, well, not totally dead, it turns on then when the speaker relay clicks it turns off. I never abused it or miswired it.

I like the quality of sound the RX-4109 makes, but now I do have reservations about it lasting for a proper length of time. At the price, I thought it was a good deal, but not if it doesn't last long enough. I'll see how the others hold up.
 
I recently posted in another thread about one of my three RX-4109's (My oldest one, just over two years old, just past the warranty period) it went dead, well, not totally dead, it turns on then when the speaker relay clicks it turns off. I never abused it or miswired it.

I like the quality of sound the RX-4109 makes, but now I do have reservations about it lasting for a proper length of time. At the price, I thought it was a good deal, but not if it doesn't last long enough. I'll see how the others hold up.

The first set of speakers I tried driving with mine were Polk Monitor 70s. It had plenty of power for them, but I felt that the sound quality was sub-par compared to what my Onkyo (and the Pioneer I had before it) produced. My initial plan was to put the Onkyo out in my shed to drive the Pioneer speakers I have out there. The reasoning was my Onkyo was 55 WPC, and the Sherwood was 100, so I figured the Sherwood would be an improvement.

I ended up putting the Sherwood out in the shed, and it serves its purpose very well out there. I've got a several acre yard and it fills the yard with sound without a problem. Sound quality is fine there, probably because the speakers are basically bookshelves with pretty small drivers, so they're the bottleneck. If I remember right, the volume goes up to 63 on that receiver, and I can go to about 45 without distortion, which is plenty loud enough for anything I do with it there.

So far, mine has survived fine, and it's not treated well -- it's in a shed where the power source is a buried extension cable from the house, there's no climate control, and the walls are a cheap particleboard that the wind basically blows through. Plus, when it's used, it's cranked to 35-40 because it's my "yard work" music. I don't think I've ever used it at low volumes out there. Sort of surprised I haven't blown those little Pioneer speakers, yet! Granted, it's only been a year.

I hope your other two hold up better!
 
I just moved the RX-4109 from the basement to my study to replace my Pioneer SX-780. The SX-780's tuner section had given up the ghost a long time ago and I was using the Sony ST-J75 digital tuner with it. The Sony seems to have now developed a problem with the right channel, so I brought the RX-4109 back to the study where it's driving my Nova 8 Speakers.

This is one I got later than the one that died and is the RX-4109-A model, so I'm hoping that it holds up better than the older one. I just finished programming in the 30 presets, 26 FM and 4 AM stations. Late last night I got some skip and listened to an AM radio station in Ireland!

There are some things to think about when you compare vintage with new. My three vintage receivers are still operating after 40 years of use which is amazing (Sony STR-6055, Kenwood KR-6600 and the Pioneer SX-780) Only the SX-780 has had a problem (tuner section) but all three exhibit age related issues at times and a deoxing usually gets them back into shape. The Pioneer SX-780 has the best sound of all of them.

For convenience, the new Sherwood does have some nice items, a remote control, 30 station preset, a CD input, two in/out connections for tape and aux and a phono input.

It sounds very clean with nice response, just not as full as the SX-780. Hard to describe because the difference is very subtle. I like the Sherwood, just wish they built them a bit better. I honestly do not think I'll get the kind of years out of it that the others gave, but then I'm not going to be here much longer either!
 
Back in the day... (70's - Early 80's) people in the trade often talked about the "reletive strength" of RMS Watts delivered by various Hi-Fi Manufacturers.

Tis started in sorta fun, but soon became a serious discussion. It was compared to the same situation found in automotives, especially in the muscle car era. Clearly some manufacturers horsepower was based on smaller horses than others.

In Hi-Fi we had similar ideas. McIntosh fans rejoice, Mac and Marantz (pre 83) and Crown were considered far and away to have the "healthiest" "watts". Many clinic's in my store, (Marantz Clinics) confirmed that perception. The next down the list were Dyna, Bedini, Accuphase, SAE, GAS, Phase Linear and Kenwood (!), Pioneer and Luxman, bringing up the rear believe it or not were Onkyo and Yamaha in addition to less "serious" equipment.

There was no trickery in these tests/clinic results. Most of the equipment belonged to my shop (55gal drum of motor oil with massive resistors in it for Power Runs) etc. Typically a Crown DC300 would put out 250+ rms per channel at rated spec's. A Mac 240 tube (we called em "twin 40's) easily put out 55 per chanel into 8 ohms, and a Marantz 500 (250x2) once cooked along merrily at 520x2 into 8 with no signs of stress other than the fan kicking into high speed.

Over the past 3 decades I've often been asked to help "set up" new systems for folks. Lots of chip amps, and 5.1 receivers sometimes into vintage squeakers. I have NOT been impressed with those receivers. A suprise though, Onkyo and Yamaha seem to be the best vs. their "rated" power now.

Flame an old mans memory if you like... but I'm not gumming my food yet, those are accurate memories.
 
I get a noticeable hum from my rx-4109 in the phono stage. Of course, I have tried three different tables, all have been grounded, and proximity of table to amp does not affect the hum. Also the tuner works very poorly compared to two vintage technics that sat in the same spot for years. I like the remote though!
 
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