Lehmann Audio - Black Cube II Phono Stage

The second generation of the phono stage that made Lehmann’s name — two boxes, four gain settings and a sixteen-position bass filter.

The Black Cube is the product Lehmann Audio is known for, and the II is its second generation. It is a two-box design: a small non-magnetic aluminium audio unit with a mechanically damped lid, fed by a separate external power supply over a shielded cable terminating in a four-pin Neutrik XLR. Keeping the transformer out of the chassis and away from a circuit amplifying microvolts is the entire point of the arrangement.

Both moving magnet and moving coil cartridges are handled, with four gain settings of 36, 46, 56 and 66dB set on DIP switches underneath the chassis, alongside input loading of 47k ohms, 1k ohm or 100 ohms. Two further slots are provided for owners who need a non-standard load: a custom impedance slot that takes a resistor without soldering, and a hardwire slot. Input capacitance is fixed at 100pF.

The bass filter deserves a mention because it is unusually capable for a phono stage at this level: a soft roll-off with sixteen settings between 7Hz and roughly 90Hz, DIP-selected. That is a real tool for anyone with warped records, where a fixed subsonic filter is a blunt instrument.

The Black Cube hierarchy is worth understanding before you choose, because the names do not run in the order you would expect. The Statement is the entry model despite its name. Above it sit the Black Cube II and then the Black Cube SE II, which differ from each other in one respect only — the power supply. Above those come the Decade, the Decade Jubilee and the flagship Silver Cube. Moving from this model to the SE II changes the power supply and nothing else — Lehmann’s own manual says so directly, and the PWX supply is also sold as an optional upgrade for this unit.

Features

• The classic Lehmann phono stage, made in Germany
• Two-box design with an external power supply on a shielded Neutrik XLR cable
• MM and MC, with gain of 36, 46, 56 and 66dB
• Loading at 47k Ω, 1k Ω or 100 Ω, plus custom impedance and hardwire slots
• Precision passive RIAA network
• Soft bass roll-off filter with sixteen settings between 7Hz and approximately 90Hz
• Non-magnetic aluminium housing with a mechanically damped top cover
• The PWX power supply is available as an upgrade — fitting it makes this an SE II in all but name

Specifications

• Type: MM/MC phono preamplifier, two-box
• Gain: 36dB, 46dB, 56dB, 66dB
• Gain Selection: DIP switches on the underside of the audio unit. Switch A selects gain and, for MC, input impedance; Switch B No. 1 adds 10dB and is active at delivery
• Sensitivity for 775mV Output: MM 3.8mV at 1kHz; MC 0.38mV at 1kHz, with high gain active
• Maximum Input Level at 1kHz: MM 45mV; MC 4.5mV
• Signal-to-Noise Ratio: MM 71dB; MC 63dB, RMS unweighted
• Channel Separation: Greater than 85dB at 10kHz
• Channel Mismatch: Typically 0.5dB
• Input Impedance: 47k Ω, 1k Ω, 100 Ω, plus one custom load slot and one hardwire slot
• Impedance Selection: DIP switch for the fixed values. The custom slot takes a user-supplied resistor fitted without soldering
• Input Capacitance: 100pF, fixed
• Output Impedance: 47 Ω
• Bass Filter: Soft bass roll-off with sixteen settings between 7Hz and approximately 90Hz, set by DIP switches. Named frequencies in the manual include 15, 23, 27, 30 and 47Hz
• RIAA: Precision passive network
• Power Supply: External supply included, connected by shielded cable to a four-pin Neutrik XLR socket. Lehmann publishes no model name for the standard supply. The PWX is offered as an optional upgrade
• Power Consumption: Less than 3W
• Mains and Fuse: 120V AC for the USA, Canada, Mexico and Taiwan, with a 500mA slow fuse; 240V AC for Europe with a 250mA slow fuse
• Dimensions, Audio Section: 114 x 124 x 50 mm (W x D x H)
• Dimensions, Power Supply: 70 x 115 x 55 mm
• Weight: 0.65kg audio section (Lehmann’s product page and brochure; its manual says 0.6kg), plus 0.3kg for the power supply
• Connectors: Gold-plated RCA sockets, left black and right red; screw ground terminal accepting wire, flex, open ends, cable lug or 4mm banana plug; four-pin Neutrik XLR for the power supply
• Casework: Non-magnetic aluminium with a mechanically damped top cover
• Origin: Lehmann states in its manuals that all its products are developed and manufactured exclusively in Germany. The company is Lehmannaudio Vertriebs GmbH of Cologne
• Warranty: Two years. Lehmann states that the use of only the very best components enables it to grant a two-year warranty, that each device is tested individually, and that the purchase receipt is the proof of warranty. Lehmann Audio is distributed in the United States by Ortofon Inc. of Ossining, New York, who administer service and warranty here
• Not Published: Lehmann publishes no RIAA accuracy or deviation tolerance, no THD or THD+N figure, no frequency response range and no maximum output voltage — not for this model and not for any product in the range. Its literature describes a precise passive RIAA network but never quantifies the deviation. If you find those numbers on another retailer’s listing, they did not come from Lehmann. Lehmann also publishes no model name for the standard power supply, and no alternative input capacitance values
• Note: Lehmann’s own documents disagree on two figures: the audio section weight is 0.65kg on the product page and brochure but 0.6kg in the manual, and channel separation is quoted as greater than 85dB at 10kHz here but greater than 80dB in the SE II brochure — for an audio section the manual states is identical