Did the Herron VTPH Phono Stage have Sovtek tubes?


Did Herron sell the VTPH phono stage with all Sovtek tubes inside, including the single 12AT7 that was located in the center? I do believe that Herron designed this phno preamp so that it sounded best with the original Sovtek tubes. Thanks
lornoah
The original one that Keith Herron showed us in the NJ Audio Society, and this goes back a number of years, used Sovteks. You might want to ask them the question directly, Keith was a pretty straightforward guy, I would think he could tell you if you e-mail the company.
All Herron tubed preamps are shipped with Sovteks and Keith doesn't recommend tube rolling at all. Hope that helps.
I replaced the Sovteks with NOS tubes ... far better sound. I am sure Keith doen't want to be bothered answering questions about the best NOS tubes to use , you void the warranty I guess if you use different tubes.
Keith Herron has moved to Electro Harmonix tubes at least in his pre-amps. I have the current version (v.2) of the VTSP-2, with 6 EH 6922 tubes. Mr Herron has been more than willing to discuss tubes and any other features of his line with me - he is a true gentleman. I just chatted with him 2 days ago about new NOS tubes (Amperex USN-CEP 7308's) for my pre-amp and there was no mention of warranty voiding.
By the way, the new phono preamp, VTPH-2 is now available, listed on the website. One day, when I get back into vinyl, I'll be checking it out.