“The difference it makes to the sound is astonishing. I echo what others have said: clarity, purity, sound stage. But I particularly agree with “clean”. It’s really unbelievably clean. And natural. Very very natural sound. And the one thing that I don’t think others have mentioned but which is really striking in my system is the bass. Huge extra bass depth and slam…”

“….let me be clear. I love it! First listen after completing assembly was to LPs, with the turntable feeding into the Meitner’s phono section and from the Tape Out (fixed level) jacks into the Tortuga. Sound quality is noticeably better than through the Meitner’s own line stage, top to bottom, with a veil removed and better controlled bass very apparent. There have been many, many goosebump moments, with familiar albums often taking on a new beauty thanks to the Tortuga’s superb performance. Make no mistake, this is a relatively inexpensive preamp with exceptional accuracy that does not in any way add to or subtract from the original recording, IMHO.”

“Today I received the LDR3x board and I am FLOORED by the sound quality. I’ve been using a TVC [transformer volume control] for several years and was very happy, but the LDR simply blows it away. I am hearing detail I never knew existed in recordings I have listened to hundreds of time before. Bass is better, treble is clearer, etc….the sound is killer. I am retired and have been pursuing this hobby seriously for 40 years. The last 20 years of my career was as a music wholesale salesperson – I worked for Telarc for 7 years and then for an indie distributor where I sold several audiophile labels, so I have some serious experience listening. This volume control is fabulous.”

“I have an LDR-1 and it is fabulous. Best preamp I ever owned at any price. When I bought it I thought I would get super transparent sound at the cost of thinning things out. Usually, that is the price for transparency. I took the risk anyway. I was dead wrong. The transparency is indeed the best I ever heard – but it is so full sounding – I can’t believe my ears. Now, warm and full are not the same. It is not warm. It is truthful to the recording. Regardless, it is that fullness and weight and supreme smoothness without sounding bloated and without giving up one iota of detail which makes this a world class product. I doubt things could get more than 5% better at any price- even $100,000. The LDR1 is the most perfect preamp I could ever imagine.”

“What an experience! Truly the best sound I’ve ever heard in my system. A layer of “mush” has disappeared and angry high S’es are now pleasant. More details and less harshness, especially in mid-upper-high range compared to the EC4.6. It is absolutely marvellous at low levels, the pot-meters in other preamps I’ve had were all out of balance in the channels at extreme low volumes, now it’s all in perfect balance from 1 through 99 with a beautiful room experience, width and depth in the music.”

“I’m rediscovering my entire music collection, and have been reduced to tears by things I thought I knew.”

“Open, easy, organic, transparent etc., and – above all else – natural. It makes other preamps (esp. active ones) sound electronic and mechanical.”

“I can honestly say though even at $2695 this unit will easily blow away stuff that is 3x the cost. Actually, come to think of it, I’m not sure what else one could want no matter the cost unless you want fancy aluminum cases and bragging rights.”

“What did the LDR3.V2 do for the sound? To my surprise, a sense of even more transparency. There are details in the midrange and treble that are just more obvious now. The treble seems more extended, but there was absolutely no change in tone. I don’t know why this is possible. I can’t perceive a lower noise floor. Vocals are even more realistic, and everything has increased texture and is more palpable. But the best thing of all is the increased speed of transients. Everything has an immediacy to it. This even translates to the bass. Kick drums have speed and an authority that is impressive. There is a tremendous amount of quick energy there that just wows me on many tracks. The music has real life and intensity. It blows me away. Easily the best I’ve heard. And I don’t perceive any loss of dynamics and any volume. “

“I have just installed the Tortuga LDR board and can say that it is the be all end all of volume controls. It is dead silent and any level changes are seamless and silky smooth. I believe the vision of the Melos circuit of the mid 90s has finally been fullfilled. If you must have the absolute best, look no further.”

“This Tortuga is amazing. It is just like the review in Absolute Sound: The ultimate in transparency.”