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

Showing 1 response by bdp24

My experience exactly. I felt like my small sale was as important to Keith as a large one would have been. A pure class act, except it’s no act. I sat and talked with him at the Irvine Hi-Fi Show in 2014, I believe it was, and found him to be a down-to-Earth, no-pretense kinda guy. Maybe it comes from being from the Midwest!

Like some other excellent hi-fi designers, Keith comes from the Pro Sound world. Tim deParavicini (EAR-Yoshino) does a lot of work in recording studios, as did David Manley (a friend of mine who owns a studio has a Manley tube mic pre-amp, and loves it). The number one priority in Pro Sound is reliability, so designers like they (Roger Modjeski of Music Reference is another) use parts over-rated for the voltage levels they have to withstand. Great sound is important, but so is hassle-free operation!