I have very much enjoyed the week with the LDR300x.V3 in my system, it is now in route to Delta77 in California.
I've had a Tortuga passive in my system for the past 5 years and it's in a different (higher) league from any other preamp I've heard including the Dodd battery powered pre it replaced, Eastern Electric and others over the years. My Tortuga passive is a DIY model that's about three times the size and five times the weight of LDR300x.V3. I listened very carefully to the LDR300x.V3 and thought I heard a slight refinement to the sound, but when I put my older model back in the system it sounded every bit as good, in a blind test I would not have been able to tell the difference. This is not in any way a negative about the LDR300x.V3, it is an exquisite preamp that delivers crystal clear, deep, smooth and detailed sound. Anyone who hears a Tortuga for the first time is in for a real surprise. It's hard to come to terms with the fact that such a compact, lightweight device can produce such glorious sound, especially for a grand or under. I only listened in the active mode so can't comment on how it sounds in passive mode but I suspect any differences would be very small. I really appreciate the styling and layout, how easily one can change inputs, volume, etc.
I want to thank Morten for his generosity in sending out tour models of his equipment to try out, his designs and implementation are truly state of the art.
Here is my system:
Source: Channel Islands Audio DMC-1 Network player/DAC
Preamp: Tortuga passive
Amp: Digital Amplifier Company STM King MK2
Speakers: Cain & Cain Abbys with Fostex T900A Horn supertweeters, dual subs
Cables: Zenwave powercords and interconnects