General Asylum: REVIEW: Sherbourn 5/1500 Amplifier (SS) by Neville

After having spent 2 hours in the car to drive to Phoenix to hear this model. I have to say that I was sadly disappointed. I don't know if it was just the demo set-up or the amp is just that bad.

Demo set-up
Lexicon processor
Rotel single CD player
Legacy Audio Signature III speakers.

The first thing I noticed was that the dealer had an external fan blowing on this unit to keep it cool. I immediately asked him if this amp tended to run hot and he said no, however after only 30 minutes demoing the model it was too hot to touch. The next thing I notice was a significantly loud transformer hum coming from the unit. I have never heard an amp hum this loud. I again asked the salesman if this unit had problems and he said "No, that this particular model was known to hum".

I then went to listen to it.

Started out with some New Orleans style Jazz. At volumes of greater that -25 db the unit sounded fairly descent. Nice air in the instruments, fairly deep soundstage, and very crisp mids. I then turned the volume down below -35 db, and the music became very one dimensional. It was like listening to a flat white wall. No depth or color to the music at all. Very disappointing. In my opinion an amp should play well at all levels, not just mid to high levels. I then placed some Rush in the CD. I listened to the opening of Xandu. Again at the lower levels there was absolutely no depth to the music. The windchimes and the chirping birds had no life to them. At volume levels -25 db and greater the amp came to life and added considerable depth the music.

I have to say that I have not heard many amps in this price range up to this point, but later in the day I found another dealer in Phoenix who happened to have a store demo of the ATI AT1505 and the Nakamichi PA-5 (see reviews on these) and in my opinion either amp far exceeded the Sherbourn. Neither hummed nor did they get near as hot after listening.

REVIEW: Sherbourn 5/1500 Amplifier (SS) Review by Neville at Audio Asylum