Herron Audio VTPH-2A - Modwright PH 9.0X - Icon audio ps1 mkii

@thiefoflight Thanks for the feedback, very  applicable to my intended upgrades.

I have the utmost respect for Keith Herron and his products and I wish him well in his retirement. Maybe in another 20 years, I will be doing the same!

I have not compared the Herron to the ModWright, so I won't comment. The Herron is a well respected design.

I will however, comment on the PH 9.0X vs. the original PH 9.0! I knew that the PH 150, which the PH 9.0 design is based upon, still had qualities that the PH 9.0 did not, albeit at $5K more money! I spent some time looking at the design changes and cost cutting that I did to reach the PH 9.0's price point and I put the 150SE circuits back into the PH 9.0 at each point and evaluated them. I then found the key to the difference and that was the Lundahl output (gapped) transformers, that not only eliminated a pair of coupling caps, but also significantly increased the inductive load on the final stage that improved low and mid bass response, improved detail and resolution overall and added +6dB overall gain. This raised the cost of the PH 9.0X over the PH 9.0 of course, but still left it far less expensive than the PH 150. All PH 9.0 units can be upgraded to 'X' status for the difference in price between the PH 9.0 and PH 9.0X. I am VERY happy with the performance of the PH 9.0X!

And as for service and support, ModWright's reputation speaks for itself, over the last 22+ years.

Thanks,

Dan Wright
President, ModWright Instruments Inc.

@thiefoflight Is the 3.14amp fuse the correct one for the 9.0x? I’m assuming that the power supply being rated at 3amp, that would be the right one. Just making sure.

@audiosaurusrex Yes, SR tends to recommend stepping up one value. So 3.15A is a safe bet. I’ve used the suggested rated fuses in tube units and sometimes they have blown. My dealer replaced them for free the first/only two times, but from then on I always ordered one value up.