Herron VTSP-3A

I have been looking for a new preamp and I keep coming back to the Herron 3A as one to try. The Herron has great features, which I would consider a bonus, although my only consideration is sonic performance and I really don't care about remote volume, etc. I do however, think the phase and gain adjustments on the 3/3A are beneficial. My question for current owners of the 3 or 3A is, how does the bass reproduction compare to other top contenders? For comparison, preamps I have owned that had what I consider to be good bass reproduction with adequate weight, power, and definition include a CAT SL1 Ultimate MkII, Lamm LL2 Deluxe, and TEAD Vibe with Pulse power supply.

I understand Herron products are known for a natural tonality and quietness (two attributes I am looking for), however not at the expense of other key factors. The only Herron products I have owned were a pair of M1 monos, which sounded beautiful, refined and conveyed an uncommon naturalness, but which for me didn't provide sufficient power and weight, especially in the bass. I have read similar comments about the first two iterations of the preamp being neutral and natural sounding, but somewhat "light" in the bass. Does the VTSP-3A truly improve on those earlier models in areas of warmth and bass impact?

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.

No, Lewinski, unfortunately I have not yet tried the Herron and I am currently running a MUSE Model Three Signature preamp with outboard display/power supply into my balanced Clayton M300 amps. Although nowhere near as expensive as some preamps I have owned, the MUSE is holding it's own and is a very good preamp for the money, offering incredible features such as a volume control with 255 steps (displayed in absolute 0.5 dB increments), gain adjustment/matching for each input, phase switch, balance, mute, and ability to remain always on. It also offers very impressive clarity and resolution, while being quiet, very dynamic (26dB gain), and providing a sound that is slightly on the warm side of neutral and more dimensional and “meaty” than many SS products.

I will be curious to see what I think of the MUSE after putting the Lamm back in my system and comparing the two.

I would still like to try the Herron, but for now I am more interested in hearing very good fully balanced preamps that will mate better with my amps, since I have to use Jensen transformers to convert single-ended outputs to balanced when using single-ended preamps.

Since the Lamm is off topic, and I don't want to hijack the Herron thread, I will send you an e-mail.