Sherwood RX-4508 bluetooth receiver

telemike

Super Member
Found this affordable Sherwood receiver with built-in bluetooth. Might be just the thing for streaming from your phone or tablet. Not the best specs in the world but probably good for mid-fi listening

Bluetooth
• v3.0 (A2DP, AVRCP/aptX)
• aptX audio codec support

Amplifier Feature
• Discrete Amplifier Stage (DAS)
• 100W + 100W (40Hz~20kHz/8Ω/1%


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I agree. It would be nice if there were a digital input or two, but it's good to see that there's a phono section.

EDIT: I just read a review that pointed out it's all discrete, no IC's.
 
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You can see individual transistors on the heat sink. I'd need two more analog ins for the his to work for me. BT sure seems cool to have.

Sent from my XT1053 using Tapatalk
 
So doing a search on the message board and coming up with just a couple of mentions I'm going to say that I'm the only guy with this receiver! It must be junk if no one here has one.

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No, it's certainly not junk. I've only owned three receivers in my 40 years, a Pioneer SX-650, a Sony STR-AV900 and this. This is by far my favorite. When my Sony took a dump last April I had to make a decision between sending it out for repair or purchasing something new. The Sherwood with it's simple 2 channel operation and a phono stage really fit the bill. My rig is strictly for music so I didn't need a 7.2 or anything like that. I just wanted simple and that's exactly what the RX-4508 is.

It's got all the power I could ever want. The sound is clear and full. Sure it has 1% harmonic distortion but can you really hear that when you're listening to Megadeth?. (It sounds fine on my J.S. Bach stuff as well) It's range is 40Hz to 20,000Hz but my Polk Monitor60's only go to down to 38Hz so it's a perfect marriage.

It could certainly use more inputs, but it's adequate with the phono, the CD and auxillary jacks. It's nice that the CD provides for in/out connection of a CD Dubbing deck like my Sony RCD-W1 that the Sherwood is sitting on top of.

The Bluetooth AVRCP/aptX is an audio lovers dream. MP3 files sound perfect whether they're coming off my phone or my PC. It's never so much as hiccupped during Bluetooth playback. Having thousands of songs at your disposal and the ability to run through something like this is like nothing I've experienced. Odd thing though, I could never connect the PC to the Sherwood when I was on Windows 7, Out of desperation I "upgraded" to Windows 10 and it connected instantly.

I've seen one user review over at Amazon where the reviewer stated that the phono stage was a little weak compared to his NAD amp. It seems perfectly fine to me.

The biggest shortfall I see on the unit is it's dependence on the remote control for tone control. You can only adjust bass and treble (no mid-range control) and there is no controls on the unit itself. That's scary in case something were to happen to the remote. The remote itself is a awesome piece. You have full track selection control over your source whether it be the PC or smart phone. The other issue is the massive volume control knob. It's probably an inch thick which I can live with but it messes up an otherwise very clean design AND it feels like crap. You feel like you're going to twist the knob off whenever you turn it...well, it's not that bad but it is entirely too stiff.

Overall it's an incredible bargain. I paid $133.00 for it, it was just on sale at Amazon a week or so ago for $104.00 and it's currently going for $127.00 that would be like $36.00 in 1978 money, back when I bought that SX-650.
 
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That's great to hear. I've been intrigued by the modern line of Sherwood receivers for a while, but I really don't need one.
 
Looks like an update on the venerable 4105 that I've been using in the kitchen for 8 years of uninterrupted service.
 
Yes, looking at the specs on the RX-4105 I'd have to agree that they're very closely related, except no phono input and no Bluetooth. Glad to hear you've gotten 8 years of trouble free service from it. If it's in your kitchen than it probably gets a lot of use as the family workhorse.

Here's some much better reviews of the 4508 than my poor attempt. I can't spout all that techy mumbo jumbo.

http://www.hifi-advice.com/blog/review/sherwood-rx-4508/

http://the-gadgeteer.com/2014/11/07...w-amfm-stereo-receiver-with-bluetooth-review/
 
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I bought one from Radio Shack but returned it after it would go into protection mode every time I turned the volume up loud. It's the least powerful 100 watts I've ever heard.
 
I just ordered a RX-4508. When I saw it had no ic's, that sold me. I bought a Denon AVR1912 and it lasted 4months past warranty. The digital board packed it in and it's not worth replacing. I'll be putting a Raspberry Pi on an input and using that for internet radio or files off my pc. Phono input is a bonus but I doubt I'll use it as this will probably be going in my shop. I don't know if I like the bass/treble on the remote only, but I'm sure I'll manage. I should have it next week.
 
Howdy Clinton.
I'll have had my RX-4508 for 2 years come this April. Still like it every bit as much as I did a year ago when I wrote the review seen above. It really is an old school receiver with it's discrete electronics and no ic's.. Sounds like it will be perfect for your needs.
Be sure to come back and share your thoughts
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Hi Delmarva.
It arrived yesterday. I haven't played with it much, but from what I have, I like it.:) I was a bit disappointed that there's no 120VAC out on it but I can live with that. I don't like the feel of the volume control, but I'll probably use the remote 99% of the time. It's going to go in my shop in the spring since my 80's vintage Sanyo was brought in the house when my Denon died. Until then, I'll be swapping it for the Sanyo and comparing the two.
 
Ooh, I forgot to mention the lack of an AC outlet on the unit. Yes, that is a disappointment to me as well. The volume control is another shortfall. The thing is overtly thick, practically an inch thick. and is rather tight feeling. Have no fear though, they're all like that. And yes, I use the remote 99% of the time. Don't forget to take it out of tone direct mode when you adjust the bass and treble. You're gonna love that Bluetooth feature for use in your shop. Has pretty decent range as I recall from when I tested it. All my Bluetooth playing is from my PC to the Sherwood, a whopping five feet. But I did hook up to my phone as well and the range was quite good.
 
Lots of misinformation here. The freq response of 40hz-20kHz is its "rated" output, it will play lower frequencies, this has nothing to do with needing a sub or not.

It's truly a 100watt/channel receiver at its rated specs which really aren't that bad. Would I use this receiver to drive difficult loads? Of course not, it's a $100 receiver.

Recently in another thread I mentioned helping a friend put together a starter budget system with phono. I picked the Sherwood RX-4208, same receiver without Bluetooth. Two of my sons have budget Sherwood receivers, all sound great, powerful, and very reliable.
 
[Mod Edit]

Don't need to pull the money out of the Sherwood because it does what I want it to do, so why would I want to get rid of it?

Opinions about the RX-4508 were asked for, and as I own one I thought I'd share my thoughts on it.

[Mod Edit]
 
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Ok!!! That is enough, Personal attacks are never warranted on AK. I will clean this mess up and the next offender can think about it from the sidelines!
Regards,
Jim
 
Lots of misinformation here. The freq response of 40hz-20kHz is its "rated" output, it will play lower frequencies, this has nothing to do with needing a sub or not.

It's truly a 100watt/channel receiver at its rated specs which really aren't that bad. Would I use this receiver to drive difficult loads? Of course not, it's a $100 receiver.

Recently in another thread I mentioned helping a friend put together a starter budget system with phono. I picked the Sherwood RX-4208, same receiver without Bluetooth. Two of my sons have budget Sherwood receivers, all sound great, powerful, and very reliable.
Not trying to revive any of the tension and drama from earlier on this thread, but rather trying to get it back to a proper discussion of the Sherwood. And I appreciated your level headed thoughts expressed earlier.

However, it's not exactly a $100 receiver. I get your point though. I PAID $133 at a discounted rate. The original MSRP on the RX-4508 was something like $569.00 when they were introduced. I have no idea if anyone ever paid that much, but that's what I read in one of the reviews I posted last year. How could it possibly be a $133.00 receiver? Back when I bought my first receiver in 1978, a Pioneer SX-650, that $133.00 would have bought $34.00 worth of electronics. Conversely the $250.00 that an SX-650 cost in 1978 would equate around $1000 today. Something doesn't add up because this certainly isn't $34.00 worth of electronics in todays world.

Am I making any sense? :rflmao:
 
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