Sherwood R-972 User Thread - Page 79

Thanks a lot for the feedback. Very interesting!

Just to confirm, you're saying, unlike the other poster and I, you're able to play Dolby Digital D Plus (5.1) Netflix movies on the Roku with the Netflix audio set to 5.1 (go into the movie options for that particular movie to ensure that it is not set to stereo) when using an HDMI switch (if you could test it without the switch, if not too much effort / trouble, that would be a good test).

If you are getting both 5.1 audio and video from Netflix DD Plus movies via the Roku paired with the R-972, that is great!
Perhaps the switch is acting as a problem solver, in effect, by handling the HDMI handshake from the Roku and then passing it onto the R-972 which the Newcastle can perhaps then handle, unlike it coming directly to the R-972 without the use of a switch.

Too bad I lost the power supply for my Kinivo HDMI switch! Otherwise I could test it myself tonight.
Edited by ia1z - 3/4/13 at 3:21pm

Beginning with the video scaling issues, my unit has gone downhill, from the initial Video Scaler issues.

Last Friday, I hook up the Trinnov mic, power up the receiver, and go into setup and TV goes blank - No Signal.
Did a reset on the unit and tried again.... same thing
I can view my BluRay, HTPC, and Wii.
The display on the unit itself works. Just no OSD.
Reset unit a few more times, to no avail.

Watched a movie that night, and put the receiver in standby. Next morning, I noticed the subwoofer was powered on.
Turns out, the subwoofer would not power down if the receiver was in Standby. If I power down the receiver, subwoofer would switch off after it's normal time (about 7-8 mins)

Today, I call Sherwood, to resume my conversations from last week with Eugene, only to find out he is no longer with Sherwood.
Spoke with James there, and he advised me to ship the unit in for repairs.

Issues seen in 1 week of use so far:
1. Video Scaler outputs no video after 5-10 mins of use with Bluray, and flickers continually when watching HTPC. Both work fine in HDMI pass-through mode.
2. No OSD
3. Sub-woofer preout prevents subwoofer from turning off.

and

Exfer:

Clearly you have a defective unit.

Jeff

If you want to control the Sherwood without needing line of sight, use RF. Personally, I wouldn't want to use the Sherwood remote for anything other than turning it on, switching inputs, and getting to the setup menu.

Has anyone experienced distortion with the R-972? I am on my second unit because of it. There was severe cracking, and banging sounds coming from the speakers. It would do it in stereo, room, stadium and Mch stereo so badly that i thought it would destroy my speakers. This was with the volume at near muted levels also so it was not an over driven speaker condition. It did this with any source, cable type and different speaker configurations and brands. All the other sound modes worked fine other than typical issues that most people have experienced.

Did a reset and went over connections with a fine tooth comb. It started for no reason or any condition that i could distinguish. I was able to verify that all my equipment worked perfectly with another receiver i had. The kicker is my second unit is doing it also but not consistently, and I have been able to stabilize it with a reset and some adjustments. Been a couple days with no problems. Its a mystery to me, and Im concerned that its not over. Any thoughts?

Thanks,

Scott

I have 2 R-972s and I set up a 3rd for my parents. I have not experienced distortion on any of them.

The only thing I can think of is maybe your AC power is not clean. Perhaps the R-972 is more sensitive to voltage fluctuations. Are you using a power conditioner and are you using the power cord that was included with the r-972?

One more thing - did you leave the calibration microphone connected? I'm pretty sure that can result in distortion.

The microphone can cause feedback if it's left plugged in.

Jeff

especially on any of the analog inputs!

Update - Roku 3 solves this issue!

I received my 'Roku 3' units today and just hooked up the last one to my R-972.
It works fine with my R-972 for Netflix 5.1 (DD Plus) titles. When using the Roku 3 I do not lose the video signal when audio is set to 5.1 which was the issue two of us experienced with the Roku 2 XS when hooked up to the R-972.
So the issue was with Roku.

Now I need to sell my new Panasonic BDT-220 (or one of the BDT210's it will replace for Blu-Ray playback) since I no longer need it since the issue is resolved.
Edited by ia1z - 3/8/13 at 5:30pm

Thanks for your replies.

It appears that the unit is sensitive to voltage levels not as low as I would have thought. I found my power conditioner can be set at 110, 120, 130 v setting respectively. It had been on the 110v setting and all my gear was working well on it until the R-972 came along. When I would attempt to turn the unit on the relay would click and then drop out, and I would have to push standby again to make it hold. Once I changed the voltage to 120 v setting which in my case is 123 v at the receptacle, it held every time.

All the distortion that I was experiencing cleared up shortly after making the voltage change and a reset. It has been a few days and everything sounds and works normally. I am very happy with the over all sound compared to my former recievers, and I haven't applied trinnov yet. Used it on my first unit and was very impressed.

Scott

Good to know! Got my Roku 3 yesterday as well but have not hooked it up. I still never got a chance to hook the roku 2 xs up the the sherwood directly but glad the # is working with no issues. I just hope it works for me with the switch I have! That is always dicey when it comes to HDMI..

Regarding the Roku 3, if I already have a PS3 in my system is there any benefit or other reason I should be looking at the Roku?

The Roku has a lot of channels offering a fair amount of decent FREE content. It all depends on your interests and needs...

My dual 18" DIY sub will be set up around wed. Can't wait to see how Trinnov does with it.

I have a UMM-6 Mic, so I'll be taking measurements with/without trinnov for speakers and subs.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

Really? I still have Roku 2 XD. Could it possible that Roku might update the firmware for my poor Roku 2?

Anything is possible. However, I suspect, since it worked right out of the gate with the Roku 3, that the issue we experienced with the Roku 2 1080P models (XD and XS) might be a more complex design / hardware issue with the Roku 2.

It is probably low priority since it apparently manifests itself only under certain circumstances (i.e. only with certain receivers, depending on how they process video / video colors) combined with how the Roku 2 sends that data across to the receiver.
I.e. The Roku 2 works fine with a number of receivers and the Sherwood Necastle R-972 also works fine with many 1080P Netflix devices (including the Psanasonic BDT220 e.g.).
So it is the combination of the two that results in the issue, although I would place blame on the Roku 2 implementation, rather than the Sherwood.
Edited by ia1z - 3/12/13 at 1:54pm

Will you be posting the measurements on here?

Yup. Eventually I'll be adding some DIY speakers too.

The test is to see if I need to add any EQ under 20hz with a Minidsp module.

Going back to this unit. I sent the other Sherwood back because I couldn't live with the quirks. Found out I couldn't live with out the immersion this receiver creates. I was able to watch movies with amazement, not spend my time trying to tweak the Onkyo. The Onkyo is a great piece with far and away better features but just couldn't reproduce what I heard with the R-972.

you could have sent me, i would have bought at your price, 299.. i am eagerly waiting for that price. anyone else planning to send back your R972 with 'known' issues.. let me know.

Its gonna be a problem down the line when we all have 4k tvs and need to upgrade receivers, unless it can bypass 4k video too. I don't know how I'll be able to go back to not having Trinnov.

This will not be an issue if you are using a source with dual HDMI outputs such as a lot of Oppo's blu ray players. With that setup you would send an HDMI cable from the source component to your 4K display and a 2nd HDMI cable to the R-972 (for audio only).

+1

I am using the Oppo 103 with R972 in that set up with great results albeit with just standard 1080p Bluray. Good to know that I can keep the same setup when affordable 4K OLED's hit the market.

I have now owned the R-972 for about a month. All of the superlatives heaped on this thing about the sound are true. This AVR is truly amazing, especially at its current price. There is also a lot of talk about the quirks. In my setup they are pretty minimal. My sources do all of the scaling and I'm not much of a channel surfer, that's what DVRs are for. My last AVR, an Onkyo 707, sounded like a telegraph machine at times with all of the relay clicks so "quirks" are part of the HT game if you ask me. I don't even have 3D yet so I'm not worried about 4K. Besides hopefully I can just upgrade my Oppo and hook it up as described above. The big selling point of the R-972 and Trinnov is movies and with it my HT sounds fantastic. As Charlton Heston said, you'll have to pry this AVR from my cold dead fingers.

I am in total agreement. I am very glad to go back to this unit. I watched clips of movies that I know by heart and still I hear more sounds than before. For example, I watched Live Free Or Die Hard and when Bruce Wilis walked into the command trailer, you could hear the buzz of the fluorescent lights. I had never heard that before. The dialogue is very distinct. No matter how much I turned the center channel up on my Onkyo I never heard as many sounds. I also got a chance to listen to some music and I even preferred that to the Onkyo. I really enjoyed the 5509 for 2 years but the Sherwood is far superior in my opinion. My system can even reach higher db's with this unit. I am glad I don't have to use the video section.
I was hoping that I could leave the remote in RF mode and it would simultaneously do IR for the other components. That doesn't seem to be the case though. When I engage the 3-D on my projector, it sprays so much IR in the room I have trouble controlling the equipment. I haven't tried 3-D with the Sherwood to see if the effect is the same though. I hardly watch any 3-D so it is not a huge deal anyway, but it would be nice to have the option.

All this talk about the outstanding sound quality of this unit using Trinnov has me seriously considering trying the 972. I'm concerned about the quirks though. That's why I sold the UMC-1. I'm only using a Sony blu-ray player as a source. I'll be upgrading to an OPPO shortly. So the quirks may not be too severe in my case. Thoughts? Thanks.

There are a few of us who have used $2,000+ receivers (like myself), and nearly all of us have preferred the sound of this receiver, mostly because of Trinnov. The fact that 3D works through it in bypass means I don't need to sacrifice anything.

This receiver, plus an external amplifier like an XPA-5, produces a quality of sound that is unmatched by any AVR alone.

Audyssey, Emotiva, or Pioneer MCACC would need to add some sort of 3D remapping of their own before I would even consider switching out the Sherwood. Trinnov is one of my favorite additions to my setup, and good speakers/subs only enhance it.

 

Only advantage I saw with the R-972 was lifting the center channel by redirecting/duplicating its content in the fronts. It worked to some degree however later on I pointed the center over my head a few feet (instead of pointing it directly at it) and that creates the same affect. Overall sound wise I thought it sounded fine... outside of lacking a little presence (even with the bass boost applied). This was in a dedicated room (no TV or such) so I could put up with its quirks but found no reason to... nice receiver but I think its close-out price gives it rose colored reviews. 

I think I know what I hear in my own HT. It definitely made a difference for me and I don't even like roses.