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

Don't overthink it.
The VTPH-2A a great phono stage, very neutral with traits of SS and tubes thanks to the JFET MC stage (I only have MC cartridges). I find I do still prefer my VAC Renaissance SE phono stage in the main system (pure tubes but must use a SUT for MC); at more than 3x the cost of a Herron it adds a dash of "romantic" tube sound but also yields all the details and layers of music, can rock too, and simply makes music have more presence and come that much more alive. That's what money buys (for my ears), and I'm happy to pay it in this case. 

Now one honest annoyance I've found with the VTPH-2A is how far the grounding lug is from the MM inputs. This has made it difficult for me to achieve an external SUT connection (bypassing the JFET stage) without hum. I haven't been able to get that setup right yet, but when I do I strongly suspect I'll prefer the fatter tone imparted by SUT's like Bob's Devices Sky or EAR MC-3 vs the JFET stage.

Has anyone here compare a Herron to an ARC PH7? Mine is getting long in the tooth and if the Herron compares or exceeds I would love the added flexibility.  

Not side by side, but I believe I can state pretty confidently that both the Herron and my Allnic are better phono stages than the PH7, which I've spend many an hour listening to at a friend's place.  I can't claim it to be unequivocal truth, given that neither our systems nor our acoustic spaces are identical, but it is what my ears tell me.

@agrippa       As the previous owner of the Herron VTPH-2 and the current owner of an Allnic H1201, my experience aligns with yours, and I appreciate you bringing a measure of balance to the sometimes evangelical fervor of a few Herron advocates. I greatly enjoyed both phono stages, but perceive no great advantage of one over the other unless someone needs the extra flexibility afforded by the Herron.

Not to derail the thread--we can converse via private message if you are inclined--but I wondered if you could speak to whether the H1202 is much of a step up from the H1201? I have not read any reports of a comparison between the two so far, given the fairly recent release of the H1202. I am not assuming you have any prior experience with the H1201, but if so, I would appreciate your point of view.

I'm afraid I've no knowledge of the H-1201 beyond the plethora of enthusiastic reviews available online.  Comparisons will no doubt be available soon, but considering how recently the H-1202 was released I wouldn't expect any just yet.
However, given what I know of Mr. Park I doubt he would release a new model unless it had real and tangible improvements.  Whether the improvements are sufficiently signifiant to warrant an upgrade is of course another matter.
As for derailing the thread: I seriously doubt that any further illumination will be offered here regarding the Herron VTPH-2.  Both its sonic excellence and immensely favourable cost/performance ratio are already established facts, whereas more people really ought to be made aware of the Allnic H1201/2 and the fact that the same very much applies to it.