Sherwood Newcastle Lyceum WA-240 Executive Microsystem

Rating:
Summary: Great style, pretty good sound
Review: If you want a stereo that you can display in the open without people thinking you're an electro-geek, then this might be the unit for you. Style is definitely its strong point, assuming you don't mind a decidedly contemporary look. Still, I was impressed by the sound quality of the Lyceum, especially considering the depth of the speakers. You won't get the deepest bass in the world, and the highs don't quite soar, but the sound is very decent nonetheless. Keep in mind that this unit is not meant to be an audiophile's dream box.

The cassette deck works quite well, with high speed synchro dubbing from CD to tape. Recording quality was quite good. A somewhat quirky thing is that there is no AM band on the tuner, only FM. This doesn't bother me, since I don't listen to AM, but there you go.

Overall, I'm very happy with my purchase. When people visit, they always comment on how cool our stereo looks. I enjoy listening to it, and I thought the sound to style to price ratio was just right. I was looking at Nakamichi units that were very nice, but started at twice the price. This is a great alternative.