Herron VTPH-2A vs Rogers PA-2 Phono Preamplifier

Nice write-up on tube rolling in the Herron.

Tube Rolling the Herron VTPH-2A Phono Preamp | Steve Hoffman Music Forums

I've not seen an amplifier that does not respond to rolling and this post sums up what to expect.

In my experience, tube rolling with the Herron is possible but difficult.  The biggest problem is that the supplied tubes are extremely low noise, and most other tubes can't meet that low noise standard.  And I'm sure the VTPH-2A is voiced with those specific tubes.

The one tube I've had success with, though it doesn't really change the character of the sound in any meaningful way, are hand selected new stock Mullard CV4004(12AX7) from Upscale (Kevin's stash) and Mullard ECC81(12AT7) also Kevin's stash.  I tried some NOS Telefunken Diamond 12AX7's I had lying around, but they were much noisier than the aforementioned tubes.  Though I think I'll just stick with the stock tubes when it comes time to replace them.

+1 @three easy. I've had this conversation with Keith and never thought about rolling again. The tubes he chooses are carefully selected, just like the other critical parts in his designs. They may not have the kind of name recognition or "bling" factor others possess, but they WORK as intended in his designs and they continue WORKING for years and years without hiccups. So roll away with that in mind or maybe find something else to tweak and scratch that itch.

the Herron is problematic to roll for better sound.

That’s an odd way of putting it. The Herron comes with such high quality tubes it is hard to find better

Agreed. “Problematic” not the best choice of words as it might suggest a negative.

There is a Rogers unit for half the MSRP on USaudiomart.

It is the PA-1A model while the latest is the PA-2 model. Couldn’t find the model differences online so I reached out to Roger via email- still awaiting reply

The reason for this post is not necessarily to distinguish the best sonics between Herron and Rogers, rather, it’s to find out if I like a quality “tube” phono stage. VDH Grail SE is my current “current type” phono stage.
Perhaps Rogers may be a better choice because it’s easier to tube roll?

@kennyc

If your main goal is to find a phono stage that’s easier to tube roll you may want look at the Tavish Design products.  Herron would be the last phono I'd buy with the intention of rolling tubes.