First impression: Herron VTPH-2A phono preamp

He’s given you massive 64db or 69db of gain, use it, some poor saps only get 35db of gain with their phono stages and they have to listen to the preamps output gain stage’s noise.

Hi George,

I’m not sure you’re realizing that the 64 or 69 db of gain is just for use with low output cartridges, primarily low output moving coil cartridges. Moving magnet or high output moving coil or high output moving iron cartridges are connected to a different input of the phono stage, which provides either 43 or 48 db of gain depending on the version of the phono stage.

64 db of gain is not "massive," it is an amount that is appropriate for the majority of low output moving coil cartridges. While 35 or 43 or 48 db are reasonable figures for use with most high output cartridges. Using 64 db of gain with a moving magnet cartridge would most likely result in an overload condition.

Best regards,

-- Al

Al, like I said before some of my customers with MC and 48db phono stages are having no problem, around 2pm on the VC, but then they have "normal" gain poweramps and speakers that are efficient.
If you run one of say Nelson’s low gain F series amps or similar then yes I agree there could be gain issues, lets wait and see what Rob67 has to report he has a MC that is a $10kusd Lyra, and his amp and speakers are in the "normal" rage of things.

BTW: For normal listening levels in your setup where is your vc positioned on your active pre and do you know it’s gain? Does it have a log pot? And what is the gain of your amp and efficiency of your speakers?

Cheers George

@professorsvsu. Glad you’re enjoying your Herron phono stage. I owned one about a decade ago and loved it. 

Thanks celander, I'm enjoying it immensely. I'm only two days into the VTPH-2A experience and 100% sold out on the product. I'm 64 and have to admit that some of the vinyl I've listened to the past few days has made me as giddy as a kid. At least 50 years of listening to vinyl and I've never heard anything this good.

I had a few brief e-mails with Keith Herron since I purchased the preamp. In complete honesty and at the risk of sounding hokey, I believe he's invested part of his soul into what he's doing and it shows. I wish his company a large measure of success and have no reservations so far giving the VTPH-2A a five star, A+ rating.

For normal listening levels in your setup where is your vc positioned on your active pre and do you know it’s gain? Does it have a log pot? And what is the gain of your amp and efficiency of your speakers?

Hi George,

My speakers are Daedalus Ulysses, which are rated at a high 97.5 db/1 watt/1 meter, and have a 6 ohm nominal impedance. I don’t know what the gain is of my VAC Renaissance 70/70 MkIII amplifier, but it is certainly not low, especially for the zero feedback setting of its feedback select switch, which is the setting I use.

For my preamp I used a DEQX HDP-5, which as you may be aware is produced by some of your fellow countrymen Down Under, and provides numerous DSP-based functions including improving speaker time coherence and room correction. To make that possible analog inputs are converted to digital, but the unit is renowned for its transparency and I have high confidence that it does not manifest any audible bit-stripping at any of the volume control settings I use for either CD or LP playback. I say that based on my own tests with both the speakers and Stax electrostatic headphones, as well as on numerous testimonials to the transparency of DEQX units by experienced audiophiles that are stated in the long running thread here entitled "Is DEQX A Game Changer." It provides 50K input impedance, and at its factory default settings I use I believe its gain is small, just about 1.5 db from unbalanced analog input to unbalanced analog output.

The volume control characteristic is described as follows:

Each button press increments or decrements in 1dB steps from 0dB to above -24dB, then in 2dB steps above -36dB, then in 3dB steps above - 48dB, then in 6dB steps down to -120dB.

Much of my listening is to classical recordings having wide dynamic range, and for those I commonly have the volume control set in the area of approximately -20 to -26 db or so, when listening to LPs. Those who listen to dynamically compressed pop and rock recordings would presumably use lower settings in most cases.

Again, I am using the 64 db version of the VTPH-2 and a 0.5 mv cartridge.

Best regards,
-- Al