Sherwood CDC5090R Front Loading Carousel Multi-Disc Player (Black)

I bought this CD player to replace a Harman/Kardon FL 8400. I was extremely happy with the HK unit and was planning on just buying another
until I read the many reviews of discontented owners who purchased the FL 8385. I spent days searching the internet for other 5 disc CD players, only to discover that in the sub $200 category there was no consensus best buy. That could very well change as more and more people discover the Sherwood 5090. It's a very nice CD player . The sound quality is excellent. Sherwood has an audiophile reputation and it shows. Particularly noticable is how much better burned CD's sound compared to my HK FL 8400. Random one disc works great with very little delay between tracks. Random all disc is a tad slow however and is a bit noisy. The remote control works great and is well laid out. Great fidelity out of the headphone jack but it lacks a volume control. Changing discs while one plays is very smooth and efficient, allowing access to two discs at a...Read more

I am an electronic hardware test engineer so if a product doesn't work right or as advertized I send it back. The Sherwood 5090R unit works on all of my original CDs and all of my CD-Rs. I used to have a high end Sony gold series single CD player that lasted almost 18 years. It is hard to find a good selection of mid-range multiple CD players at a reasonable price - but this Sherwood unit fits the bill perfectly. My research suggests that the lowest price multiple CD units are prone to early failure and/or have problems playing CD-Rs or cds with slight scratches. The Sherwood unit was not designed for and does not play MP3's. The remote is easy to use but you need to read the manual to learn all of the nice random play features - using the same remote button you get several options that display on the player - pretty simple actually.
On a side note - there are many people trying to sell single or multiple carousel DVD players as an option to play CDs. Buyer beware...Read more

I bought SHERWOOD CDC-5090R in a replacement of broken Harman Kardon FL8450, however my first replacement attempt was Sony SCD-CE595 5-Disc CD/Super Audio CD Player. So my review will provide a brief comparison of all above models.
Build quality and appearance
Nothing can beat Harman Kardon, it's very solid with anodized aluminum front panel. However Sony looks really nice too. Sherwood is just a little behind. Only golden feet make it matching my other Harman Kardon units.
Buttons
Again Harmon Kardon had nicest buttons leaving Sherwood behind and then Sony. Sony's buttons are to small.
Display
Sony has very good matrix based display capable to show CD text. It has also more cells in CD track calendar. Harman Kardon and Sherwood displays look almost identically. Only one benefit of Sherwood display is colored pause mode.
Tray opening and disks access
I was surprised when Sony and Sherwood offers only 2 disks for change without carousel...Read more