Herron VTSP-3A

Kclone: no, not a deal killer at all. BTW, you didn't mean dealer killer did you?? you don't like your dealer too much, ah? :-)

Just wanted to know to understand what one gets for the price. The LL2 and the First Sound don't have a phono either, and I don't have a turntable although at some point I'd like to.

I had thought the VTSP-2, with all its ergonomic features, traded some sonic benefits for ergonomics, very much like a McIntosh C220. I guess I was dead wrong.

Looks like the VTSP-2 goes straight into my short list.

Thanks for the great tip!

I only have a problem with dealers that call me Francis.:). Yeah, I wish there was and edit button. Oh well. Correct me if I am wrong, but it looks like neither the First Sound and the LL2 have remote control. That might matter depending on what your listening habits are. For me, I have a computer as a source. Of course this allows me to choose any song from any album at any time. Most of the recordings have different loudness so since I do a lot of switching it is nice to have the remote since I adjust the volume levels frequently. If had a cd player or table as a source, then it wouldn't matter as much. In that situation I normally would just play that one artist or album during the listening session. Being able to control sources from the Herron remote is a nice too. Anyway, good luck with whatever direction you decide to go, looks like you have a great preamps on your list.

My herron takes me to the live concert! When i play orchestra i can enjoy his sonic performance on bass, the mids and treble...all is perfectly balanced.

I have been looking for a new preamp and I keep coming back to the Herron 3A as one to try. The Herron has great features, which I would consider a bonus, although my only consideration is sonic performance and I really don't care about remote volume, etc. I do however, think the phase and gain adjustments on the 3/3A are beneficial. My question for current owners of the 3 or 3A is, how does the bass reproduction compare to other top contenders? For comparison, preamps I have owned that had what I consider to be good bass reproduction with adequate weight, power, and definition include a CAT SL1 Ultimate MkII, Lamm LL2 Deluxe, and TEAD Vibe with Pulse power supply.

I understand Herron products are known for a natural tonality and quietness (two attributes I am looking for), however not at the expense of other key factors. The only Herron products I have owned were a pair of M1 monos, which sounded beautiful, refined and conveyed an uncommon naturalness, but which for me didn't provide sufficient power and weight, especially in the bass. I have read similar comments about the first two iterations of the preamp being neutral and natural sounding, but somewhat "light" in the bass. Does the VTSP-3A truly improve on those earlier models in areas of warmth and bass impact?

Hi Mitch, deep bass is so dependent on a lot of things, not just the preamp.First it has to be present on the record or Disc. I have a dedicated listening room which is 23' lg and that calculates to a room resonant frequency of 24HZ for that length.In this room with the Herron 3 I get a solid 25hz bass when measured with a Real Time Analyzer and calibrated mike.Herron is shipping my modded 3A this Friday and I am very eager to listen to the improvements.
To answer your question IMHO, if you have a room whose dimensions will allow deep bass and speakers that can reproduce it, then you should have no trouble. The Herron preamp can certainly provide the deep base signal to the amps.
I believe that you would be very satisfied with the 3 or 3A.
Regards,
Carter