Preamp upgrade service

What happens during an upgrade?

Upgrading an existing Tortuga Audio preamp will, at a minimum, replace the existing attenuation/controller board. The display and front panel may also require upgrading depending on the model. Each of these upgrades are discussed below in more detail.

Upon receipt of your preamp, we will assess the scope of work required. If there are model and/or scope differences based on what you ordered compared to the actual unit you shipped to us, we will discuss and resolve those issues with you first before proceeding with the work.

Once the scope of work has been confirmed, your preamp will be completely disassembled and several components will be replaced, removed, and/or added. Most wiring will be partially or totally re-wired. Finally, the preamp will be reassembled and fully tested.

Controller upgrade

The controller board is the heart of any Tortuga Audio LDR based preamp. There have been 5 generations of controller boards going back over 10 years with the current V4 version soon to be released in 2024. Your existing controller board will be replaced with an ePotPi.V4 as part of any upgrade.

OLED display

Starting with the release of the V25 controller, the OLED display has become an integral part of the Tortuga Audio preamp controller functionality. Early OLED displays may need to have their interface adapter board updated or be replaced entirely by a fully compatible OLED display. Older preamps with no display (LEDs only) or with the original 7-segment LED display modules will be upgraded with a current OLED display assembly including infrared receiver and encoder module.

Encoder module

Older preamps will have their encoders replaced with current model to ensure full compatibility.

Front panel

Older preamp models with no display will have their aluminum front panels replaced with a dark acrylic panel in order to allow for viewing the new OLED display being added. Preamps with older 7-segment displays, will probably accommodate the newest OLED display assembly without requiring any changes to the front panel.

Is your preamp eligible for upgrade?

Most of the finished preamp models Tortuga Audio has produced over the past 10+ years can up upgraded. Balanced preamps will have to wait until the V4 balanced expansion board has completed development and is available.

Pricing will vary per model depending on the scope of parts and labor required.

Why upgrade your existing preamp?

Upgrading your existing preamp is the lowest cost path to improving the operation and overall performance of your investment while simultaneously extending the useful life of your preamp almost indefinitely.

With each evolution of our preamp controllers, we have come closer to the best performance possible from an LDR based preamp. With release of the V3 series, we raised the bar by adding precision closed loop LDR current control. This approach has been carried forward into the newer V4 series together with other incremental improvements including adaptive LDR calibration.