Awful and possibly dangerous product

Purchased mine at Circuit City after many years of satisfaction with a Sherwood receiver I use in my studio. Got it home, used it for about a week in my living room and then one evening when it was not being used(but was powered on, with volume left at very low level) my wife and I were rattled by what we thought was an explosion in our house. Somehow the receiver managed to go nuts, sending enormous bursts of sound through my Infinity speakers in one room and JBL's in another. By the time I got to the controls one Infinity and one JBL had been burned out. This was accompanied by the usual acrid smell which accompanies a burned out device. At least my house was not torched.

My calls to Circuit CIty got me no help or sympathy and I have yet to get through to Sherwood's non-toll free quirky office hours number. I was particularly disappointed in Circuit City. Not that they would find themselves responsible, but nobody in the corporate office I called, or the manager of the local store which I called, could find the energy to tell me what my rights might be or even give me a phone number to get someone at Sherwood to speak to. I contrast this to the help I received from my local BJ's, which got me help on a bummed out microwave.

Sherwood was at one time a trusted name in audio. This device does not seem to have a simple output protection circuit breaker to protect speakers from the catastrophe which ruined mine. My understanding is that they have these things built at a factory near Seoul which cranks out thousands a day. Perhaps there was a board-cracking earthquake on the day mine was made. It certainly sounded that way in my house.

In the meantime, stay away. This inexpensive receiver can be a very expensive proposition.