Sherwood S-7900A (c. 1973–1975)
Documentation on the Sherwood S-7900A is thin. What survives is mostly Sherwood's own advertising, not independent reviews. From those ads, we know it was an AM/FM stereo receiver, the tuner-equipped counterpart to the FM-only S-8900A in Sherwood's early-1970s lineup. Sherwood pushed it heavily in US audio magazines from mid-1973 into 1975.
Sherwood's campaign in Hi-Fi Stereo Buyers (October 1974, p.3) pitched the 7900A to the buyer who couldn't stretch to the state of the art. The ad claimed 60 + 60 watts RMS into 8 ohms from 20 to 20,000 Hz. It listed direct-coupled output circuitry with electronic relay protection, ceramic FM IF filtering with FETs and microcircuits, a four-gang tuning capacitor, and a built-in Dynaquad 4-channel matrix circuit. The front panel's four-channel provision doubled as a second tape monitor.
A construction-focused ad in the same publication (Hi-Fi Stereo Buyers, February 1974, p.4) called the S-7900A and S-8900A rugged. The chassis was thick steel, braced by side brackets against warping in shipment, and the PC boards were laid out so both sides were accessible for servicing. The ad also touted Sherwood's in-house FM coils and Darlington fully complementary monolithic output transistors. Elsewhere, Sherwood argued in Audio (June 1973, p.57) and High Fidelity (July 1973, p.27) that where a receiver was made shouldn't matter. It also said dollar devaluation was pushing competitors' prices upward, which made the Sherwood the value buy.
Known specs from period advertising:
- AM/FM stereo receiver
- 60 + 60 W RMS per channel into 8 ohms, 20–20,000 Hz
- Direct-coupled output with electronic relay protection
- Ceramic FM IF filtering; FETs and microcircuits; four-gang tuning capacitor
- Built-in Dynaquad 4-channel matrix; front-panel four-channel provision doubles as second tape monitor
No independent lab test of the 7900A has turned up in the Archive yet, so the figures above are as Sherwood advertised them. If you have a review, a service manual, or a well-worn example, the Archive would like to hear about it.
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