Uh, there's a difference, or at least a different glyph, for unstressed mid central vowel (or schwa), i.e., the sound at the end of /sowf@/. Then there's a glyph that looks like a ^ (or caret, but called a turned v) for a slightly higher mid back vowel (I look for an example. Have a look:

http://www.arts.gla.ac.uk/IPA/vowels.html
http://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/sampa/home.htm

My phonology prof at Cal told us the V (in SAMPA) and @ were not without their problems, but that V was like a @ but stressed.

I pronounce circus /'s@rk@s/ and husband /'h@zb@nd/, but I've seen husband transcribed as /'hVzb@nd/.