Tortuga Audio
LDR3.V2
Introduced 2012$1,195 MSRP
Tortuga Audio is a small direct-to-consumer American maker of light-dependent-resistor (LDR) passive preamplifiers, sold factory-assembled or as build-it-yourself kits — a hallmark small-batch, boutique business model.
MSRP
$1,195
Used market · Good
$850
-29% vs MSRP
as of Sep 1, 2026MSRP to used market
From $1,195 at launch to $850 today.
Specifications
- Gain
- Passive unity gain (1.0x), no active amplification; attenuation range 0 dB to -60 dB across 70 discrete steps
- Award
- The Absolute Sound 2016 Editors' Choice Award
- Price
- $1,195 fully assembled; $695 as a kit
- Design
- Passive attenuator using light-dependent resistors (LDRs) in a series-shunt configuration, controlled by a proprietary digital control unit (DCU) with auto-calibration
- Inputs
- Three single-ended RCA inputs
- Weight
- 6.5 lbs
- Outputs
- Two parallel single-ended RCA outputs (one for main amp, one for headphone amp/subwoofer)
- Dimensions
- Approx. 10" D × 6" W × 3.25" H per review text (spec sheet lists 8.7" × 5.4" × 1.75")
- Input impedance
- Adjustable from 1kΩ to 99kΩ, with five user-configurable settings
- Output impedance
- ~100Ω at low attenuation, rising to ~5,000Ω around -6dB attenuation
- Channel balance accuracy
- 0.4dB or less; overall attenuation accuracy within ~0.2%
Active listings (0)
No active listings for this component right now.
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