Best Of
Herron VTPH-2A Phonostage
After waiting patiently for a long time, and missing a few chances, I was finally able to buy one of these units. It's not hard to find praises on the internet for Herron VTPH phonostages, but since Keith Herron has stopped producing new units, it is becoming harder to find 'legacy' products for sale. Besides phonostages, he also made line-stage preamps...and a few other products. Sadly, his entire herronaudio.com website is now gone, so there's no 'official' reference source for his products.
Undeterred, I purchased a VTPH-2A off the used market. These are tube-based phonostages, with 5 tubes in the circuit. One factory configuration incorporates (2) 12AX7, and (3) 12AT7; the other configuration has (4) 12AX7, and (1) 12AT7. The difference in configuration results in different levels of gain. My unit has the (2) 12AX7 and (3) 12AT7 configuration, so a lower level in overall gain.
The rear panel of the unit shows that there are separate inputs for MM and MC cartridges, with a toggle switch to basically adjust for the gain level between MM and MC. Alongside the MC inputs are a pair of RCA inputs for cartridge loading purposes.
The loading 'plugs' are basically RCA plugs with resistors soldered in-situ for the desired load. The owner's manual suggests trying MC carts first with NO load (due to special circuitry), and I can't disagree with that. I listened (first) with no load (no plug) on an MC cart, and then again with appropriate loading plugs in place, and I think it comes down to personal preference. If someone has come this far in their vinyl playback journey, it is worth experimenting with loading options in order to determine the best result in their particular setup.
Okay, this concludes the background information on Herron VTPH phonostages. Listening impressions are forthcoming.
Undeterred, I purchased a VTPH-2A off the used market. These are tube-based phonostages, with 5 tubes in the circuit. One factory configuration incorporates (2) 12AX7, and (3) 12AT7; the other configuration has (4) 12AX7, and (1) 12AT7. The difference in configuration results in different levels of gain. My unit has the (2) 12AX7 and (3) 12AT7 configuration, so a lower level in overall gain.
The rear panel of the unit shows that there are separate inputs for MM and MC cartridges, with a toggle switch to basically adjust for the gain level between MM and MC. Alongside the MC inputs are a pair of RCA inputs for cartridge loading purposes.
The loading 'plugs' are basically RCA plugs with resistors soldered in-situ for the desired load. The owner's manual suggests trying MC carts first with NO load (due to special circuitry), and I can't disagree with that. I listened (first) with no load (no plug) on an MC cart, and then again with appropriate loading plugs in place, and I think it comes down to personal preference. If someone has come this far in their vinyl playback journey, it is worth experimenting with loading options in order to determine the best result in their particular setup.
Okay, this concludes the background information on Herron VTPH phonostages. Listening impressions are forthcoming.
jdjohn
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