Just so everyone knows, I had it stuck in my head that I was to ship the unit to Paul on the 28th, so that's what I did. I haven't been around much, so I never double checked until I shipped the preamp today. Sorry! I PM'd Paul the tracking number.
So the review...or not as it may be...
My setup:
Source: Single PC, JPLAY Femto, running on Windows Server 2016 with lots of tweaks
DDC: Schitt Eitr USB to SPDIF converter
DAC: Eastern Electric DAC Plus (Burson V5 opamps, no tube)
Preamp: Tortuga LDR3.v2
Amp: Mivera Audio ICE Edge
Speakers: Saulk HT3
I want to first say that prior to the tour preamp, I think my current setup has the PERFECT (or read best I've EVER had) sound for sound stage, imaging, detail, sense of depth and dimension, frequency response, clarity, tone and texture. I've been working on this for many years, and do not want to make any changes (first time ever). I have owned my Tortuga LDR3.v2 since they became available, and loved it from the first listen. I do power it with a 12v linear power supply, but I can't say for certain it sounds better than the supplied wall-wort supply.
My review is going to be near useless for most. Why? Basically the LDR300 didn't work for me. This isn't because there was anything wrong with the LDR300, it's because it turns out my DAC doesn't seem compatible with it.
Since owning my LDR3.v2, I have tried many impedance settings on the unit. I DO NOT understand this stuff, but I do know what sounds best to me. My DAC doesn't sound right at anything above 10-15k on the impedance setting. Even at the default of 20k, my DAC starts to sound closed in, less dynamic, less defined bass, and reduced treble extension. Any higher and things just get worse; even the sound stage completely collapses at 60k and above. The sweet spot is 5-10k for me, and even 1k sounds fine except that things seem to lean up just a bit. But at 5-10k, I have super clean, tonally rich sound.
My DAC's preferred 5-10k impedance does NOT work well with LDR300 in that the LDR300 likes higher, or more specifically 75k, impedance setting. This of course makes my DAC sound bad as stated above. I did try lower impedance settings, but things got thin and far from what I'm used to hearing. So not a fault of anything wrong, but more of an incompatibility.
That said, I was also excited to get my hands on a unit with the new OLED display. While my dual segmented display is functional, the YouTube video I saw of the new OLED display made me want one. After using one, I'd really like to have one, but the cost is just too much to justify. I also have the idea I might be going balanced in the future if and when I move to a newer DAC. So too many variables, and too much cost for now. Still, the new display is VERY nice!