Herron VTPH-2A vs Rogue Ares Magnum

also interested in what NOS people are rolling in...

can we get an update please, chatting w Keith and about to go that way also
anybody using a Lyra with either ?

I’ll be interested to see what you have to say in a couple months. Must be pretty close.

Well little update...the VAC is still earning its place in the big rig after the first round, for now. But running at 3x the price of the Herron! Happily running in the Herron in the Stax rig, very awesome! The aforementioned hum noise appears to be some interaction with the Stax T2 amp (60dB on gain on that amp itself). The Herron has been quiet as a mouse on the other 2 rigs I've tried it. 

Gonna try again in the big rig after burn-in!

Thanks @jmolsberg - your direct comparison of Ares to Herron, in favor of the latter, was so relevant to me and finally put me over the edge to put down my cash.

I’ve been a high-fi enthusiast for over 15 years now, churned through truckloads of gear, and was genuinely stunned at what I heard last night. I heard music in a way I’ve never heard before, in any system. Easily the best headphone system I’ve heard in my life. The Ares was holding back the Shelter Accord/Stax 009/S and Stax T2 amp. The Herron blew open their potential. Musicality, detail, dynamics, and 3D soundstage all pegged to "11" out of 10. No SUT ratios to mess with, either.

I’m used to mediocre gear getting shamelessly shilled online, but that’s DEFINITELY not the case here. In fact, you guys are kinda jerks because the VTPH-2A is even better than you made it sound :)

Tonight I hope to try the Herron in my big rig, directly against my $14.4K phono stage. It’s rightfully fearing for its life right now. Wish I’d heard the Herron a year ago. There's a distinct possibility I'll own two of these soon.

Any of you guys curious or on the fence - just call Keith now, just do it.

It’s going to get a lot better.
Mine just keeps on getting more musical. Listening to highway 61 revisited and blood on the tracks last night was an out-of-body experience.

I’ve never rolled tubes in the Herron... in fact I haven't even played with the loading plugs it sounds so good. 

Haha, it is SO much better than the Rogue Ares Magnum. No comparison. Girlfriend agrees 110%. I may have a slight ground loop issue of some sort, but even with that it's plain just a champion. 

Just picked up my brand new Herron VTPH-2A and got it initially setup. Nothing too fancy; I just ripped out the Electro Harmonix 12AT7 and 12AX7’s in favor of pairs of Telefunken smooth & ribbed plates 12AX7 (to get a bit extra gain with 4x 12AX7). I forgot I just received Mullard 12AT7 from Upscale, so I just left in the Yugo Ei 12AT7, lol. Running the Shelter Accord, MC mode, 500 ohms loading plugs.

Definitely no bad surprises or whammies from 1st needle drop. In fact, it just obviously sounds so beautiful and "right" from the very 1st note. Very detailed, dynamic, smooth and spacious. I'm pretty certain I already prefer it to the Ares Magnum haha. It seems to have woken up this still-breaking-in Shelter by the right amount. And I still have my "best" NOS tubes waiting on deck.

Keith shipped quicker than he initially quoted, and just generally was exceedingly pleasant and super to deal with! Now for some burn in, then longer term evaluations. Then it gets a shot in the big 2ch rig! Big freaking thumbs up so far, guys. Have a great weekend!

Will do! Happy with both of my systems as-is, so this is just experimentation for fun and to satisfy curiosity - while hoping for a potential sonic upgrade, of course. I won’t sell the Ares until I know for sure. I'm probably about 3 weeks out from receiving the Herron. 

@mulveling ...please share your feedback on your newly purchased Herron VTPH-2a.  [I'm sure you have other things to do, but maybe you could pen a little review for us, lol].   I, like yourself, have been fascinated by the consistently positive reviews & comments on the Herron.   I believe it'd be a step up from my Parasound JC-3 Jr., but I've been holding off on buying the Herron, since like you, I haven't heard it in person; only the reviews from others.   Thanks and feel free to PM me with any feedback.

@jmolsberg (the @-mention is just not working for me, ugh),
Thanks! The result of a big one-time all-out upgrade push starting last year. Since then I've replaced/upgraded literally everything in my 2 systems except a couple sets of cables, the Koetsus, FR64fx arm, the Rogue Ares, and Stax SR-009. I'm very happy with the results, and the systems get used/enjoyed a ton! Listening time and vinyl buying have both gone way up. 

@mulveling I just had a lQQk at your system, wow! 

BOOM! It will sound great from the get-go and outstanding in a few weeks. 

UNCLE! I’ve read these glowing Herron phono stage reports for too damn many years now. I just called up Keith to place my order. Many thanks for your impressions, @jmolsberg!

^ standard, with the blue Cinemag and some very nice NOS tubes. It is an exceptional phono pre, but that Herron was a significant upgrade. It's so darn musical!

The Ares Magnum is still pretty damn impressive to me, even now that I've moved it down to my 2nd setup due to buying a VAC Renaissance SE Phono for the main. The Rogue has matched very nicely with Koetsu stones, Shelter Harmony & Accord, and Ortofon Cadenza Bronze. However, to be fair its noise floor certainly comes into play with the 0.3mV Platinum Koetsus. If you're picky about this, you really need at least 0.5mV output to be happy. That may be its most glaring weakness.

I'm currently running in a new Shelter Accord (0.5mV) on this setup, which sound VERY nice (as long as I peg the tracking force to the max of the recommended range :-/). Hooked up the trusty old Sonic Frontiers Phono 1 SE+ for comparison last night, and it sound totally boring and flat next to the Ares Magnum.

That said I'm pretty damn interested in the Herron, if there's additional performance to be gained from that price bracket. I've been hearing owners rave about this thing for literally years now - it never dies down, and I've never heard a sore word about the unit or company (Rogue is a great company too). I might just be tempted to pull the trigger...

jmolsberg - To be clear is your Ares the "Magnum" version? Or a standard build with the blue Cinemag upgrade? I found the Magnum parts upgrades, beside just the blue transformer (which has a huge impact), also made for a notable performance boost. And then some exotic NOS tube choices made for another nice boost. But I realize such tweaks can only take things so far, before it's time to upgrade to a better unit.

Thanks a lot for the input, I really appreciate it!  That does indeed sound very good to me and turns me even further in the direction of the Herron.  I was leaning that way in any case, but hearing the opinion of someone who owns both units is great.

I own both, the Herron going on a month. I can still hear it changing for the better. They are both very good but the VTPH-2A is brilliant. 
Listen to the Ares, imagine lower noise floor and surface noise, more impactful bass / energy, and a very pleasant refinement. 
If that doesn't sound good to you, pm me, as I have an Ares (w the Cinemag blues) for sale.