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

Far be it from me to knock the Herron phono stage.  My earlier remarks ca 2019 were made in jest at the outset of this longlived thread.  I am sure the Herron is superb. But two guys who own the Herron and also own or have owned two other very fine phono stages that cost a great deal more than the Herron, the VAC Renaissance SE and a special edition of the CAT SL1, have remarked that they at least slightly prefer the higher cost models to the Herron.  This is no black mark on the Herron, because those two phono stages are likely to be very exceptional.  But that testimony gives me some idea how to think about the Herron, without having ever owned one. 

I would not dismiss Yamaha electronics out of hand.  There was a time when they marketed very advanced solid state gear using a novel transistor, the name of which escapes me right now.  I think that was the Yamaha B1 and B2, for the amp and preamp, respectively.  Also Yamaha produced the GT2000 turntable along with the L and X versions of same.  Like the company that makes Technics products, Yamaha is an industrial giant capable of doing whatever they want.  That said, I would like to know more about the A-S3000 integrated.  Is it a current product or vintage, for one thing?  On the face of it, or until I know more about the A-S3000, that would seem to be the weak link in the OP's system, since the other components are high quality.

I urge you guys to read an elementary book on audio electronics. You might thereby learn to understand why a preamp (for one example) exhibits disappointing bass response compared to another. In this case, it might simply be a matter of the value of the output coupling capacitor. If so, the problem can be fixed by installing a different capacitor of higher value. Also one needs to pay attention to the input impedance of the device that the preamplifier is driving. These factors can make all the difference in the world, And they can be fixed without spending thousands of dollars on an entirely new device.

I am reminded of the great movie, “Manchurian Candidate”. Were you guys all prisoners of war in Korea, together with Keith Herron, by any chance?

Come onnnnnn!!!  There's got to be someone somewhere who dislikes the Herron phono stage.  Or have you all been drinking Kool Aid at BPoletti's house?  (This is a joke, folks.)

Never read a bad word about the Herron or Keith Herron during my years of frequenting this forum.

Tooblue, Which Allnic? The H1201?If the Chinook circuit is like that of my Steelhead, then there are a few easy tweaks that dramatically improve the performance. For those with the guts to modify the product. I probably wouldn’t advise it, if your chinook is still under factory warranty. However, another potential advantage of the Chinook over the others is its use of an LCR phono circuit, again if it’s like the Steelhead.