Herron Audio - VTSP-3 Vacuum Tube Stereo Preamplifier

A highly refined advancement over the VTSP-2 with the addition of a precision non-resonant plate voltage controller, two front panel selectable gain modes for system matching and improved tube circuitry for increased resolution.

"The overall and distinctly noticeable effect has been to make listening to music more enjoyable and another step closer to realistic. For music lovers, that may be all that needs to be said. It is time for some serious listening to be done. I am not going to give you a litany of recordings to try to show off some specific aspects of t his newest Herron creation. That is not where the appeal of this music reproducer lies. It lies in making your experience with listening to a favorite recording more satisfying than ever before. The fact that it has a tad (a southern word meaning a little bit or definite hint) more bass fullness, richness and power in the mid to upper bass is only a part of overall experience and does tend to reveal its vacuum tube heritage. The audibly extended high frequency response has its own attraction at the same time being silky smooth and sweet while revealing even more inner detail. That is a really tough balancing act for an audio designer to successfully accomplish. It also appears to be more extended and very definitely adds the natural sensation or feeling of the recording location and strong hints of its size! That is probably at least partly responsible for the added detail as it is the seeming lack of background noise. This is a very quiet preamplifier and listeners may find it even quieter in the lower gain mode…It is as if the listener is moved a few rows closer to the orchestra compared to the previous VTSP-2. I must award Keith Herron's model VTSP-3 preamplifier my highest possible recommendation and hope that many music lovers will have the opportunity to discover it for themselves." – Karl Lozier, Positive-Feedback Online, Issue 35