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

Lewm

In regards to input impedance I most certainly did pay attention which is how I ended up with the Gold Note to begin with as the Herron was NOT going to play nicely with my then present Lyngdorf 2170.

However with present Ayre EX8 with input impedance of 1m ohm/ 2m ohm unbalanced/balanced the Herron should be a sweet matchup.
As should the Chinook and likely countless others.

Not looked into the output coupling capacitor but that would mean changing parts internal which I do not have a huge issue with apart from it potentially hurts future resale value?

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.

Interesting, maybe i will crack it up one day to see what's inside.
This italian phono stage only need more bass (imo). 

Definitely, the output coupling caps can choke out bass if they’re too small. And you probably need more capacitance than you’d think given the usual 1 / (2 * pi * R * C) roll-off frequency calculation. I think my older Rogue Ares could have benefited from larger output caps (they were only 0.47 uF), for example. But plenty of phono stages do use more than ample capacitance for hooking into the typical preamp (50K - 100K input impedance). I think in many cases, rolling different makes/qualities of capacitor will have a bigger sonic impact than just going to a bigger value of same make - output coupling caps are one of the most critical components for "voicing" a tube amp. Also, using a SUT vs. the JFET MC stage will significantly impact the perceived bass response, while having nothing to do with the output caps (SUTs too are a critical component with a lot of sonic variability across makes). I tend to like the thicker, more impactful sound rendered by a good SUT, but this is very cartridge-dependent.

@chakster

Is it better in low register? The only weak point of the Gold Note in my system is the bass. But the best bass i have with mosfet phono stage (no tubes).

In the same system, the Herron was better in the low register, along with being better all other aspects. I can delineate the instruments but it’s not artificial, it’s more like being in the room with the artist.

The infinite loading surprised me.

For the Herron, I had 220 and 470ohm plugs made for my cartridge as this is what the Gold Note offered and sounded good when using. I initially tried the plugs with the Herron and it sounded excellent. When I removed the plugs and went infinite load, it elevated the subtleties and clarity.

I still think you can’t top the Gold Note up to maybe $2000 price range. But for what Keith offers the VTPH-2A for and his service, the price difference was more than well worth it for me.

Here's my system, just FYI:

Rega Planar 8
Ortofon Cadenza
Prima Luna Dialogue Premium HP Integrated
ProAc D30RS (ribbon)
Herron VTPH-2A

The infinite loading surprised me.

For the Herron, I had 220 and 470ohm plugs made for my cartridge as this is what the Gold Note offered and sounded good when using. I initially tried the plugs with the Herron and it sounded excellent. When I removed the plugs and went infinite load, it elevated the subtleties and clarity.

47k Ohm loading on Gold Note for MC cartridges is almost "infinity", did you try that ? 

I have another phono stage with plug-in load resisteors (the JLTi) and i like 47k Ohm for some MC cartridges. My JLTi was customized by manufacturer, i have 500k Ohm resistor inside, so i can plug 47k Ohm resistor (rca plugs) from the outside just like in Herron.  

I have no problem with clarity using Gold Note, it is crystal clear phono stage, but i feel the obvious lack of deep bass in Gold Note compared to my upgraded WLM Phono stage which is a kind of body and bass compared to all phono stages i have tried. I tried the Gold Note with headamp and with sut, but the low register is still not as good as my WLM Phonata to my surprise.   

Maybe Lew is right and i have to look at the  output coupling capacitor inside the Gold Note.