Great bare-bones unit

I needed an inexpensive (not "cheap") 2-channel receiever to reside in a deckbox out at my pool after my 15-year old Kenwood met its demise when the box cover was ripped off during a violent thunderstorm. Yeah, I know all about keeping this kind of equipment outdoors. I have a GFCI receptacle for it and keep everything far from the water. It does not get wet, but the temperatures inside that box can get a bit extreme. The old Kenwood was doing fine until it got flooded.

I'm driving a pair of 8-ohm TIC outdoor speakers and usually have the unit on 2-3 days a week for at least 3 hours a day; I use the unit while I'm outside doing yard work as well as while poolside. All I needed was a 2-channel unit with a remote so I wouldn't have to get off my butt to mute it for phone calls. I wanted something for under $100 as I do not expect it to last very long in these extreme conditions.

I found the RX-4105 in Circuit City for $89. It fit my meager needs to a T. I made the purchase online and picked it up in the store 30 minutes later. The box was crushed and I was told it was the last one. I opened it and inspected for physical damage. Seeing none, I agreed to take the unit while the store manager ordered another one for his stock as a precaution.

I got it home and plugged it all in. The unit has 4 RCA inputs and not much more. There are A and B speakers, so I can add a remote set if I want. I was disappointed to see that there was no AC outlet, switched or direct, on the back of the Sherwood for powering auxiliary equipment. I have a powered RF sender that I used to plug in to the back of the Kenwood. I now have it plugged in to the power strip and turn it on when needed; a bit of a hassle, but I guess I'll get used to it.

The Sherwood delivers adequate sound quality and volume for the money. The appearance and construction appears to be more than what you pay for. The buttons and big volume knob operate smoothly. The IR remote works well from across my 40' deck. The tone and balance controls easy to access and adjust. The tuner pulled in distance stations with ease and sounded, well, a little better than my old Kenwood. All of the controls, inputs, and outputs are well labeled and intuitive. I set up and operated the unit without referring to the owners manual even once.

Keeping in mind that this is a basic 2-channel unit and will not work for home theatre, it's a heck of a value. For the money, I cannot imagine anyone would go wrong with this unit.