Herron VTPH-2A Phono Preamp....anyone familiar?

The Herron VTPH-2A is a superb phono stage, no doubt about it, but the way some owners make it out to be the Non Plus Ultra of phono stages is frankly just silly. A little sobriety and a little less fanboi talk would be seemly.

Personally I had a VTPH-2A on extended loan and auditioning a while back, and yet I ended up buying an Allnic H-1202. Is that the best phono stage in the world then? No, of course it’s not.However, barring any super deals being available to you on more elevated stuff, I’m pretty confident that the Herron and the Allnic are the two best phono stages available at relatively reasonable prices.

Are they the equals of the likes of the Manley Steelhead or the Aestetix Io? No they’re not, but they come uncomfortably close at a fraction of the price. And if you’re someone who either can’t or won’t shell out for the latter, but still want a superb phono stage based on tubes, then they’re both frankly no-brainers.

Don't overthink it.
The VTPH-2A a great phono stage, very neutral with traits of SS and tubes thanks to the JFET MC stage (I only have MC cartridges). I find I do still prefer my VAC Renaissance SE phono stage in the main system (pure tubes but must use a SUT for MC); at more than 3x the cost of a Herron it adds a dash of "romantic" tube sound but also yields all the details and layers of music, can rock too, and simply makes music have more presence and come that much more alive. That's what money buys (for my ears), and I'm happy to pay it in this case. 

Now one honest annoyance I've found with the VTPH-2A is how far the grounding lug is from the MM inputs. This has made it difficult for me to achieve an external SUT connection (bypassing the JFET stage) without hum. I haven't been able to get that setup right yet, but when I do I strongly suspect I'll prefer the fatter tone imparted by SUT's like Bob's Devices Sky or EAR MC-3 vs the JFET stage.

Has anyone here compare a Herron to an ARC PH7? Mine is getting long in the tooth and if the Herron compares or exceeds I would love the added flexibility.  

Not side by side, but I believe I can state pretty confidently that both the Herron and my Allnic are better phono stages than the PH7, which I've spend many an hour listening to at a friend's place.  I can't claim it to be unequivocal truth, given that neither our systems nor our acoustic spaces are identical, but it is what my ears tell me.

@agrippa       As the previous owner of the Herron VTPH-2 and the current owner of an Allnic H1201, my experience aligns with yours, and I appreciate you bringing a measure of balance to the sometimes evangelical fervor of a few Herron advocates. I greatly enjoyed both phono stages, but perceive no great advantage of one over the other unless someone needs the extra flexibility afforded by the Herron.

Not to derail the thread--we can converse via private message if you are inclined--but I wondered if you could speak to whether the H1202 is much of a step up from the H1201? I have not read any reports of a comparison between the two so far, given the fairly recent release of the H1202. I am not assuming you have any prior experience with the H1201, but if so, I would appreciate your point of view.