2. amps-preamps
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Herron VTPH-2A final thoughts.

A year ago, I took the plunge and purchased a new phono pre-amp, the VTPH-2A. I'd read numerous posts on this forum about how special it is, head and shoulders above the rest. I'd also read that Keith Herron is the definition of quality, in terms of knowledge, customer service, and being real as a human being.  I'll be as objective as I can be: everything that was stated is 100% true. I've easily spent hundreds of hours spinning up vinyl with the VTPH-2A and nearly every time my comment to myself is, "damn that's good." Many audiophiles would fret about the synergy with other system components. My opinion is that it would be an overachiever in any system that endeavors to produce fine music.
With respect to Keith, I contacted him not for technical support or customer service, but to let him know how pleased I was with my purchase. His response was so gracious, I felt like I was talking to a friend or good neighbor. Definitely someone honest and worth doing business with.
I want to close this post by thanking the folks on the forum for sharing experience and what you know. I live a very rural life and don't travel much. Opportunities to critique a variety of equipment at shows or audio shops are virtually nonexistent for me. Audiogon has been an excellent place to narrow down the thousands of possible choices that I could never possibly pursue and sometimes get solid advice =)
professorsvsu
three_easy_payments's avatar
three_easy_payments
2,097 posts
 
@dodgealum 

Yeah, I will reach out to Keith to collect his thoughts.  I have to say, adding the VTPH-2A has made me rethink the relative importance of the phono pre in the vinyl system.  Compared to the other upgrades I've made along the way (TT and cartridge), the Herron pre has been by far the most transformational upgrade.  It has me questioning whether I needed to do the other upgrading over the past year!  For fun (at some point) I am going to put the old TT and cart incrementally back in and take notes on the sonic improvement each piece of gear has added.  I suspect the VTPH-2A will "move the needle" (pun intended) the most in terms of measuring sonic bliss.
wlutke
744 posts
 
I fell in love with my VTPH-2A when it arrived in January and I'm still in love six months later.  That's a really good omen because that almost never happens for me.  It replaced an ARC PH-7.  
So now the big news - I pushed my limits of "affordable" and ordered the VTSP-360.  I'm hoping it's less technical and more live than my ARC Ref-3, a decent amp in itself.  Fingers crossed..
three_easy_payments's avatar
three_easy_payments
2,097 posts
 
@wlutke 

Appreciate the feedback on your experience with VTPH-2A.  I have no doubts I will feel the same in 6 months.  Keep us posted on your experience when the VTSP-360 arrives.  I will be interested in seeing how you feel it performs against your ARC Ref-3.  Right now the two line stages that interest me the most are the VTSP-360 and the Backert 1.3 Extreme - both are at about the exact same price point.  I like the idea of the balanced outputs for the Backert but I wonder (being a tube guy) if Backert's two 12AU7 tubes will sounds tubey enough for me compared to Herron's four 6922s (I know other options are available).  I also like that the VTSP-360 has 2 gain modes.  I suspect the sonic signature between these two units is quite different yet appealing to different listeners.  
millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 
There was a "woody" tonal character to the sound of my ARC PH3-SE, that evidently was there all along but that I never even noticed until the Herron went in and it disappeared. Only when it was gone did I notice. Even then when I did notice what hit me is the character of the missing sound was just the kind of thing you would readily associate with a speaker but never with anything to do with an electronic component like a phono stage. Yet there it was. Er, wasn’t.

As recounted in my review, the improvement the Herron made was so great that my wife noticed and remarked on it even through the door in another room while she was busy doing something else.


wlutke
744 posts
 
My impression of the improvement to the PH-7 was in extension, tightness/amplitude of bass, timing, lack of glare and most definitely dynamics.  Where the PH-7 bettered it was noise floor.
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