First impression: Herron VTPH-2A phono preamp

Glad to hear. Its supposed to be one of the best phono stages on the market and I've yet to hear someone who has complained about its performance. I've had my eye on his linestage and its just a matter of time before I yield...Congratulations.

Professor: Have you ever owned/heard a manley chinook? I'm trying to sell my McIntosh C22 reissue, which I use for phono duties, as I rarely listen to vinyl and can't justify that much capital sitting idle. I'm planning to replace with a chinook or the Herron. Can you compare the two?

dweller,
I have not heard the Chinook, although it's my understanding that it is quite good as well. My last two preamps were both solid state, the Parasound JC 3+ and Simaudio Moon Neo 310LP. The JC 3+ was new and returned after a few week audition. It was okay, but I couldn't live with it's noise. I went through the whole dog and pony act of isolation, changing cables, grounding, etc. to no avail. Parasound believed the unit had too much gain for my system and was willing to trim back the gain if I wanted to send it back to them. Great offer, but it was disturbing to think a new item would need factory alteration right out of the box. The 310LP is a gem in it's own right, just not complete enough.
I digress. My advice would be to audition, if possible, whatever it is you are strongly considering. I was afraid with the VTPH-2A that I wouldn't be objective, that the power of suggestion in reviews would influence my thinking. All I can do is concur with what I've read, it is the most musically dynamic component in my system. The AT-ART9 cartridge I use sings with accuracy. The beryllium tweeters in my Focal speakers offer clarity to highs like never before. I can finally understand the definition of tight bass and vocals that are live. If you listen to the Chinook and can have that kind of experience with the music, you've hit the jackpot. If not, I'm sure that you'll find it with the Herron.