Nice to hear he is a wonderful person and designer as well.Enjoy!!
Three cheers for Keith Herron
A good friend of mine in Saint Louis is building a system centered around a new pair of Vandersteen Treo CT speakers. He has a nice Sota turntable, with a Lyra Delos on a Syrinx PU-3 going to a recently purchased Herron VTPH-2A phono pre. Currently he is using an old BAT 300SE integrated amp.
Keith Herron was nice enough to bring over his new VTSP-360 Reference tube preamp and a pair of his M2 Monaural Power amplifiers and sit with us for several hours listening to music.
We listened to digital and all analog sources. I noticed an improvement in the detail and clarity with the addition of the Herron electronics. This led to more lifelike presentation. Very well controlled sound even at high volumes. No sense of smearing during complex passages. There was neither a overly tubey nor a sterile solid state presentation.
Keith talked about his top design priority of preserving the musical timing. Indeed there may have been some special synergy here with the time and phase accurate Vandersteens. Surely there is also the advantage of the chain from phono pre through amplification being all an Herron pathway.
It was a pleasure to spend time with Keith and listen to some fantastic stories of his time in the crazy hifi world. He is such a nice down to earth guy who is truly in it for the music but uses his deep engineering expertise to get there. Fantastic stuff.
-Karl
Keith Herron was nice enough to bring over his new VTSP-360 Reference tube preamp and a pair of his M2 Monaural Power amplifiers and sit with us for several hours listening to music.
We listened to digital and all analog sources. I noticed an improvement in the detail and clarity with the addition of the Herron electronics. This led to more lifelike presentation. Very well controlled sound even at high volumes. No sense of smearing during complex passages. There was neither a overly tubey nor a sterile solid state presentation.
Keith talked about his top design priority of preserving the musical timing. Indeed there may have been some special synergy here with the time and phase accurate Vandersteens. Surely there is also the advantage of the chain from phono pre through amplification being all an Herron pathway.
It was a pleasure to spend time with Keith and listen to some fantastic stories of his time in the crazy hifi world. He is such a nice down to earth guy who is truly in it for the music but uses his deep engineering expertise to get there. Fantastic stuff.
-Karl
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@OP, that is a wonderful evening! Thank you for sharing. That's exactly the sentiment and fact pattern needed around these parts. I, for one, have never owned any Herron gear. But, I would love to try some out. He seems to understand circuits and have a good ear--all based on hearsay from folks I think get it. Your description of the lack of smearing on busy passages within the music is very important to me. Thank you for that. |
Karl - what a wonderful post and so very very true :-) Keith is great and wonderful to deal with. I heard his excellent phono stage in Socal and approached him about me sending me one with a custom face plate that would fit my space, he accommodated my request with ease. Normally i use that in a system w Vandersteen Treo ( your friend is blessed ) and a Delos. This Summer i chose to run the Herron w SOTA and a Hana with Vandersteen 7 and 7’s. Keith makes a phono stage that can keep up !,, https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/3803 Finally, have your friend join the owners forum at Vandy. |
I have been researching audio gear for about 2 years now and have settled on a system that I can afford but his stuff has always been an aspiration for me. I can tell from what people say about it and from what is written about it that it is top-notch stuff. DeHavilland is another in that stratum, as far as I can tell. But she's retired, I think. |
One of his stories involved him showing up to an audio show (I can't remember which one) with the first iteration of his phono stage without having reserved any space. He convinced someone to put it in their show system and try it. Harry Pearson listened to it, loved it, and ended up reviewing it for Absolute Sound. Fortune favors the bold! |
I don't think it is so much Keith that has retired as the VTPH2A. Even that is not so much retired as discontinued. The reason he gave is due to inflation the price he would have to charge now would be "astronomical" and so he will build no more. Of the phono stage. Still building his other stuff, so far as I know. |
Coming around to read this late. I would say I first achieved a higher end system with my previous use of the Herron amplification, VTSP-1a and M150 amps, which are still stored in my basement. Keith is a self-effacing, true gentleman and was very helpful to me. When a problem developed with my pre-amp (purchased used), he took it in and my sense was that he worked personally and diligently to find a loose connection. No charge. He and his company are a model in this industry. |
I have owned Keith's gear in one form or another since 2001. I recently upgraded to his new pre amp and M2 amplifiers. His equipment sounds excellent and doesn't break. His service is the best in the industry and I try and support North American manufactures. I just hope he has a succession plan for his company! |
I’ve known Keith for over a decade now—never met him in person unfortunately but we always check in and catch up so I feel as though he lives next door. Currently running the latest iteration of his “Reference” line stage and VTPH-2A. Just flat out musical and thoroughly enjoyable equipment. Never any issues so well engineered just turn them on and let the fun begin! |