Herron VTSP-3A

Thanks guys. My speakers (Aerial 9) and amps (Clayton M300's) will do the bass if the preamp passes it through. My current Lamm LL2 does a fine job of that, and so did my TEAD Vibe/Pulse, although a bit less dynamic but slightly better defined than the Lamm. The CAT was absolutely killer in the bass, but had other issues I liked slightly less than with the Lamm. I enjoyed the clarity, tonality and purity of the midrange I heard when I had the Herron M1 amps, but I have never owned his preamps and was concerned with comments I have read about perhaps too much neutrality and not enough body, warmth, and bass. It sounds like he has bridged that gap with the 3/3A so I will consider giving it a try. I really could use a good balanced preamp, but have pretty much given up on that since most of the best I have heard in my price range have all been single-ended. Thanks again for your comments about the Herrons.

Mitch,

If and when you get the Herron, please post your impressions. I'm especially interested in how it compares with your Lamm, as these two are in my short list and I have no way to audition both in my system.

Thank you and have fun!
Horacio

Hi everyone,I got my VTSP-3A preamp back from Herron Audio four days ago and it has been on continually since. Although it is still breaking in, I can discern several areas of definite improvement. The most obvious to me is in dynamics.It will now rock your boat from a dynamic standpoint. The width of stage is wider and more defined and the depth of stage seems to go straight back from the sides with no truncation from the sides toward the center. I thought that the VTSP-3 was quiet but the 3A seems quieter in that it allows more space between notes. This is particularly evident on solo piano music but is also noticeable in general listening. Tonality wise it is spot on in my humble opinion. After having played the violin for nearly 60 years and in several symphony orchestras as a reference, I feel that the 3A reproduces the true timber of instruments very realistically.
As it continues to break in ,I will update any further changes that I notice.
Violin

Checked Herron's website, but can't make out which tubes are being used...
Are they 5687s or the ubiquitous 6922/12AX7 variants??
Can these be rolled?
What's the retail price?

They can be rolled, but it seems for those of us that have heard the 3A don't see the need to roll because it sounds good enough as it is.