Herron VTSP-3A

Wow! A Herron thread!!

I love Keith's gear and think he must be one of the most underrated designers in audio. Whatever he makes...pre-amp, phono-amp, power amp - it just sounds like - MUSIC. Plus they are reliable and worry free. Why doesn't Keith get more ink???

I had Keith's VTSP-1a-166 and M150s and it was heavenly with my Alons.

I do think there's a definite synergy between the Herron pre-amps and power amps. I tried Rowland with my speaks ages ago but thought the Herron/Herron combo was terrific. I highly recommend the amps as well as the pre's, they simply don't get the praise they deserve.

I too had tried many big name preamps: Hovland, First Sound, ARC, Cat, Joule-Electra etc. For me the Herron just maed music sound "alive" and natural. The gear itself doesn't really "sound" like anything at all. It just gets the heck outa the way and lets the music roll.

I can't say enough good things about Herron gear, Herron service and Herron quality. Can't wait to hear the newest preamp, and hope this piece helps spread the word about Keith's products.

Just to amplify Bill's assessment of the Herron amps - they are WAY WAY underrated in the audiophile community. Terrific amps and highly synergistic with the preamps.

I think the disregard for the Herron amps is partly that few have actually heard them, and largely because when the M150s were first produced a review pair or two with incorrectly set bias that got away from Keith prematurely - there was a "meh" review in Stereophile and people didn't read subsequent reviews in other publications which praised the amps. The take was: terrific preamps. (BTW, I've never seen a review of the newer amps other than lavish praise at audio shows and would love for someone to point one out to me. To read reviews you'd think all Herron Audio makes are preamps and phono stages.)

My M150s sounded to me like Keith took the best attributes of ss amps and combined them with many of the virtues of tubed amps. The 150s themselves (and I would assume the M1s are similar to the 150s) don't have an obvious sonic signature per se - a GOOD thing in my estimation (being neutral ought not to be a fault!). But it can render the Herron amps a bit difficult to discuss without a simple handle to hang onto them.

When people would ask me what the amps sounded like I'd always respond that "they sound like music"...which wasn't an exaggeration but perhaps not terribly instructive to someone who hasn't heard them.

The 150s were harmonically accurate, grain free, very natural sounding amps that let you hear the "gestalt" of the music playing through them - they got out of the way. I didn't notice the amps, I was just loving the glorious music. (My M150s were paired with the Herron VTSP-1-166a)

However, so many people don't even know what non-amplified "natural" music even sounds like they have no reference for this and thus tend to think there must be something lacking in an amp praised as "neutral". And indeed, some listeners prefer a warmish, non-neutral sound...which is OK but not what Herron gear is about. The M-150s are also bi-polar amps, and many of that ilk can sound lean or cool. The M150s don't (and I assume neither do the M1s) but history was against them.

So what DO they sound like? I still can't precisely describe them but the M150s are one of the few ss state amps I've heard that have the "ease" and "flow" one finds in tubed amps, plus the harmonic accuracy that is so pleasing in tube gear. They display the richness of real instruments, if it's there in the recording, yet they are NOT euphonic, warmish or fuzzy, as many so called tube-like ss amps are. Neither are they lean or cool. They don't add - they don't subtract.

I've heard them with Alons (Circes and Vs) and Audio Physic Avanti IIIs and the bass was prodigious - not exaggerated, as alas some define "good" bass. These are current hungry speakers but not terribbly diffucult loads. (Keith once told me he did final voicings of the M150s on his Circes, which may account for much.)

I have a friend who bi-amped his Pro-Ac Response 3.8s, which are a bit tougher to drive than the above speakers, with 2 pairs of the 150Ms, ditching much more expensive (and highly praised) Clayton and Rowland amps. The Pro-Acs sound amazing with the Herrons and I would suggest that if your bass is a hair on the lean side you consider doing this. It may not be an issue with the M1s, and talking with Keith probably the best bet for any questions. If you aren't using a Herron preamp, then I would look not to the amps but to your pre. I simply can't imagine bass lacking with either the Herron pre VTPH2/VTPH-3a and M150 amp combinations.

Bottom line - the M150s are one of the great bargains in high end audio. Highly recommended! I wish I still owned them!!

(FYI, I'm not a violinist, but I've played keyboards and organ for years, sang in chamber, symphonic and church choirs - even played briefly in a rock band in college. I don't have golden ears but I do have a fairly good idea of what music in the real world sounds like...again, I understand some people aren't terribly interested in "realistic" sounding music reproduction, but for those of us that are, the Herron gear is a bargain.)

I had the First Sound in my system for many months - I know people who love it. In my system, the FS was very good but ultimately a bit leaner than I like, and I didn't realize by how much until I put the Herron in.

Remember, I was using the hot-rodded version of Keith's original preamp - not the 2, the 3 or 3a. The FS is excellent, excelling most comparable pres in bass and dynamics. But I felt the Herron had all that plus it was just...rounder...more natural sounding...totally effortless...just as dynamic...it's very hard to describe the differences actually, because the Herron gear doesn't really have a "sound". How do you describe the "flow" of music Herron achieves??? I haven't heard anything like it except with ginormously expensive components. While I was listening to music through the Herron I wasn't aware of anything missing at all - the sound was "whole". Completely satisfying.

Now, having heard the VTSP2 and 3, I know that those models do in fact improve on my pre - better bass, solidity, dynamics and air...but again, I was never aware of those qualities being lacking in the slightest with my pre in operation...even Keith's first preamps produce music of a whole cloth, very satisfying.

Lastly, and this might be a small thing for most people, but I also preferred the ergonomics of the Herron over the FS. It was just easier for me to use.

I loved my Joule Electra LA 150, as I'd loved the LA 100 MkII before it. The 150 is a wonderful preamp...as is its predecessor, but it's definitely on the warm side of neutral. Not by tons, but it defintely is. You can get it custom tweaked to suit your system, and it does better with an after market PC too (that tends to wake the J-E's up a bit).

I could've lived very happily with the Joule. I describe it as making music "more beautiful" than real life, and many people are seduced by this quality. If the FS and the Joule are the yin and yang of the audio spectrum, then the Herron is in the middle. But the Herron definitely beats the Joule in dynamics and top end, especially in big, complex orchestral music.

Never heard the Lamm in my system, and I would imagine it is superb, but possibly more system dependent than the Herron.

I think Keith makes killer preamps and amps for very modest prices, especially considering the quality. Not statement pieces, just amazingly musical gear. He and his wife are true music lovers - the Herron room always sounds excellent at any audio show, no matter how bad the room, no excuses, just good music. That's the kind of philosophy I can believe in.

Herron makes one of the best phono stages in audio.

You can roll the tubes - but I don't see the point.

1. The preamps already sound superb. SUPERB.

2. Keith voices the Herron gear incredibly cunningly. He chooses his tubes exceedingly carefully, for reliability as well as fidelity. These things are darned near bombproof. He designs around these specifically chosen tubes, ones that he knows will sound great and give long life without changing sound. They aren't exotic, so you can replace them if you ever need to.

3. Part of the beauty of Herron gear is it's neutral without being colorless or lean - neutral in the best sense of that word i.e. "natural" sounding, just getting the hell outa the way of the music.

4. Although Herron gear is less sensitive to cables and PCs than most tube gear I've had (and that's true of the Herron ss amps too), you'd probably get more mileage for less trouble by replacing the stock cord than rolling the tubes.

5. Every dedicated tube roller I know of that swapped out the stock tubes eventually put 'em back. You look at the humble stock tube and think: "what if I substituted XYZ NOS tube? Must be awesome..." Not. Please see #2 and #3 above.

6. If, after all that, you just have to swap the tubes, talk to Keith first. Really.