Is a Sherwood P-965 "below" a 5250?

[CP-Mike]

I've all but decided on purchasing a Parasound 5250 amp to partially cure my latest outbreak of upgrade-itis. The other partial cure is a pre/pro. Currently I have my eye on the Sherwood Newcastle P-965. I really like its features, and many others seem to like it, I'm just worried that it may not be up to par with the 5250. Has anybody heard this combo together? Care to comment on the combined sound?

Just for kicks, how does the 5250 compare to the NAD T 973? Warmth, clarity, sweetness, dynamics? Which one is better? I have a pretty good idea which one you guys in this forum will choose, I'm just interested in your reasons. (The NAD is another amp that I keep looking at.)

OK, same questions, but now for the Classe CAV-180. How does it stack up?

[J.H.]

I would say that the P-965 or the Integra processor which costs about the same. In my opinion I would go with another Parasound processor. If you go to WWW.AUDIOADVISOR.COM they have the Parasound 7100 controller B-stock checked out by Parasound and it comes with a full 5 year warranty at a much reduced price.Thats where I bought mine and let me tell you first hand the 7100 is absolutely beautiful. I have it coupled with the Parasound HCA-1205A amp and its one incredible system. hope I have helped J.H.

[CP-Mike]

Yes, but why? Why do you think the Parasound is better than the Sherwood? It costs double what the Sherwood does, so it'd better be noticibly better. How is its bass management? Can you set crossovers for different channels/pairs of channels? Like, mains at 60 Hz, center at 80, rears at 100? Are there any restrictions to the analog bypass? For instance, the Halo C2 only lets you do analog bypass for only its external 7.1-channel analog inputs and for one set of balanced 2-channel analog inputs.

[J.H.]

If you go to Audioadvisors.com its not double and Parasound is just a better audiophile type HT company. Parasound is a more well respected HT company that being said I have the 7100 and its incredible. I don't think you can set crossover setting for each indivisual channel can the Sherwood? I'm not knocking the Sherwood I'm sure its a fine peice but i doubt it sounds as good as a Parasound 7100. Thats just my opinion. Then again find a dealer or dealers that handle each and listen for yourself. Maybe the Sherwood is compairable. Check it out. J.H.

[CP-Mike]

At AudioAdvisors, the 7100 is $2200. I can get the Sherwood for $1050. The Sherwood has a 7-band parametric auto EQ. I'm not sure if it can set crossovers for each channel; I was just asking. The Parasound has better DAC's and better analog bass management.

Unfortunately I can't easily demo either of these, let alone together. I live in an A/V black hole. The only dealers in my area carry Denon/HK/Rotel/Yamaha/Sony. The closest Parasound dealer is 200 miles away to the north, and the closest Sherwood dealer is 180 miles away to the south.

Cmon, has anybody out there heard both?

EDIT: grammar (I hope none of my old English teachers were reading this thread!)

[J.H.]

200 miles away do you live in Alaska? I am sure the Sherwood is very nice and sounds great but you pointed yourself just why the Parasound would sound better. That being said $1,050 is cheap for a processor that i'm sdure sounds great. You can always buy the Parasound from Audioadvisors.com and return it within 30 days. Where are you going to buy the sherwood online? Is it with a full warranty? J.H.

[CP-Mike]

They have that open-ended of a return policy? That's pretty sweet. Maybe if I can find some other retailer that will let me do that with the Sherwood, I'd be in business.

Yeah, $1050 is with warranty, but it's nowhere near as nice as the Parasound's warranty. 10 years is unheard of!

[J.H.]

I just bought a Parasound 7100 and didn't even know it was 10 years. I thought it was 5 years wow that is pretty incredible. I would go with the Parasound. I just watched "National Treasure" in HD and Dolby Digital and it sounded AWESOME! The Parasound Processor/AMP with Definitive Technology Speakers is a great systen in my humble opinion. Now i can fully understand if you do not want to spend the extra money because it a lot of money. So going with the Sherwood might be the best choice for you. I don't want to sound like a jerk here and PARASOUND'S THE ONLY WAY TO GO! I'm trying to be fare about this discussion.All i can tell you from what i own the Parasound 7100 sounds amazing! J.H.

[CP-Mike]

The Parasound warranty is 10 years parts and 5 years labor. Not sure what's covered by "labor" but whatever. Both numbers are excellent.

For sure I'd like to save money, but only if the cheaper component is nearly as good sounding as the more expensive. If there's a big difference, I'd rather ante up and spend the dough. Plus having matching gear always looks nice in the rack. 8)

[J.H.]

Well I cant tell you if the Sherwood sounds as good or comes close but I will tell you matching components do look good in a rack.Thats what i have with a Parasound Processor and AMP. I bet if you get the 7100 from AA with the return policy you won't return it. Thats just my opinion though. J.H.

[CP-Mike]

Well I finally found what I was looking for. I'll post it here in case anybody else is looking for the same stuff that I was.

On another AV forum, n8lyleat posted the following (in several different posts, combined here for easier reading):

The [Outlaw] 990 is a rebadged Newcastle P-965 with some revisions. Basic sound quality is very hard to beat for the price. We did a lot of blind testing with the Sherwood, the Rotal [sic] 1098 and the Parasound [7100] and the Sherwood won.

Had both for a month and yes the Sherwood beat the Parasound. The Parasound imparted a certain electronic glare to the high frequencies and did not handle overtones or decay as well as the Sherwood. The imaging and soundstaging was also truncated in comparison to the P-965. Neither could match my Krell however.

Yeah it was the 7100. The Krell is an amazing piece of kit but always looking for something better. Truthfully the Sherwood surprised the hell out of me. It is a very nice sounding pre/pro.

J.H., you should recognize this conversation, no?

I'll still probably have to audition both for myself before I'm satisfied, but this was more or less exactly the kind of first-hand experience that I was hoping to get from someone. Any others out there that care to chime in on this?

[J.H.]

I should recognize it why? I still doubt that it sounds better but I guess its all about taste. J.H.

[CP-Mike]

Just in case anybody else cares about how the P-965 measures up to other processors...

Today I spoke with Jim Piscitello from Next Level AV about the P-965 and 7100. He sells both units, and has both set up for demos. He said that the P-965 is perhaps the most underrated processor out there, and the sound is excellent. However, it really shines for home theater use. The 7100 beats it for 2-channel audio reproduction, either digital or analog, although not by much. He said if you're more than 50% into HT stuff, the P-965 should be at or near the top of your list. However, if 2-channel is more your thing, the 7100 will probably better fit your needs. He also suggested the Arcam AVP700 as a sort of middle-ground, pricewise, between the two, but still more of a musical performer than HT.

Arcam is very musical, I know, but I doubt its home theater prowess. I'm more of a 60-40 music-movies kind of guy, so I'm seriously considering the 7100 now. Oh, decisions, decisions!

[slayer]

I sell Sherwood as well and just a couple weeks ago demo'd one in my system. I have always hated the setup on the Sherwoods. This was no different. The model I had did not have the new SNAP EQ so I can't say if it would have made a difference. It was a nice pre/pro but not what I wanted. My cost on that unit is only $850, if it was as good as what all the reviews are saying, I would have kept it and saved the $. For the money, it can't be beat. What other pre/pros retail for less? The Outlaw is the only one I know of and Sherwood makes it for them. I think anyone looking to not break the bank on their system, that is the unit to get. But if you want more out of the system and are willing to spend a bit more, try some other models. The ADA Suite 7.1 is a very nice sounding piece, just doesn't have have much in terms of features. The 7100 might be in a class by itself with the features it has. JMO