2. amps-preamps
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Herron HL-1 Preamplifier, Solid State; Herron still in business? Thoughts about sound?

I'm looking into having a solid state preamp along with my other tube gear. I'm considering a Herron HL-1 preamp on the used market. Comments about Mr. Herron's gear and his reputation as a talented and kind man are all over the internet.

It seems he has retired or is in semi-retirement. His website has been de-commissioned, it seems.

So, two questions:

(a) I don't expect a unit to break quickly, so I'm more interested in how easy to fix his solid state preamp might be by a third party? If you have any thoughts about that kind of scenario, please let me know.

(b) More important, if you have had experience with the HL-1 Herron preamp, how would you characterize its sound compared to other things you've heard? Any other thoughts?

With all the hoopla around about gear, I find myself drawn back, again and again, to smaller makers who take pride in their work and genuinely care about listening to the things they make. This is why I'm drawn to makers like deHavilland, Herron, Quicksilver, Aric Audio, Atmasphere, and many others.

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Showing 2 responses by soix

soix
8,739 posts
 

What sound characteristics are you looking for, and what pre are you using now?

soix
8,739 posts
 

So I’m gonna go off the reservation a bit here and recommend giving the Linear Tube Audio MZ2 (w/ optional LPS) a look as it’s very neutral and gives you that effortless 3D soundstage that tubes do so well and you usually need to pay dearly for to get from solid state preamps. Plus, it’s a David Berning design where the tubes last forever and are cheap to replace so very low maintenance.

If you must go solid state I can highly recommend either the Bryston BP6 or BP26 (they’re pretty much the same except the BP26 offers balanced connections and a separate power supply). I owned the BP6 for years and found it to be the most transparent and neutral component I’ve heard, and it throws off a big and deep soundstage with excellent imaging and separation. And while it’s not cold or sterile sounding, it won’t add any warmth on its own. Here’s a BP26 just fyi…

https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/650054959-bryson-bp-26-pre-amp-and-power-supply-with-remote/images/4838165/

Hope this is somewhat useful, and best of luck.

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