Lehmann Audio - Black Cube SE II Phono Preamplifier

The Black Cube II with the PWX power supply fitted as standard — and Lehmann is explicit that the power supply is the only difference.

This is one of the more honest product distinctions in hi-fi, because Lehmann does not pretend otherwise. The Black Cube SE II is the Black Cube II with the PWX power supply as standard rather than as an option, and the shared manual states plainly that only the power supply units differ between the models. The audio sections are electrically identical and share every published specification.

What the PWX brings is a substantially larger separate chassis built around a custom-designed toroidal mains transformer with static shielding — 1kg against the 0.3kg of the standard supply, in a 93 by 233 by 45mm case rather than a small block. It connects to the audio unit by a shielded cable with gold-pinned Neutrik XLR connectors. Whether a better transformer and more elaborate regulation is worth the difference is a listening question rather than a specification one, and we would rather you knew that going in.

Everything else carries over from the Black Cube II: four gain settings of 36, 46, 56 and 66dB on underside DIP switches, loading of 47k ohms, 1k ohm or 100 ohms plus a solder-free custom impedance slot and a hardwire slot, 100pF fixed input capacitance, a passive RIAA network, and the sixteen-position soft bass roll-off filter spanning roughly 7Hz to 90Hz. Lehmann supplies resistors for the custom load slot at no cost.

Signal-to-noise remains 71dB for moving magnet and 63dB for moving coil, RMS unweighted. Made in Germany, two-year warranty.

Features

• The Black Cube II supplied with the PWX power supply as standard
• PWX built around a custom-designed toroidal transformer with static shielding, 1kg
• 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
• Lehmann supplies resistors for the custom load slot at no cost
• Precision passive RIAA network
• Soft bass roll-off filter with sixteen settings between 7Hz and approximately 90Hz
• Shielded cable with gold-plated Neutrik XLR connectors between the two boxes

Specifications

• Type: MM/MC phono preamplifier, two-box, with PWX power supply
• Difference From the Black Cube II: The power supply, and nothing else. Lehmann’s shared manual states that only the power supply units differ; the audio sections are electrically identical and every published audio specification is the same
• Gain: 36dB, 46dB, 56dB, 66dB
• Gain Selection: Underside DIP switches. Switch A for gain and MC 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 per Lehmann’s manual; its SE II brochure says greater than 80dB
• 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 impedance is fitted without soldering. Lehmann states that resistors for the custom load are supplied at no cost
• Input Capacitance: 100pF, fixed
• Output Impedance: 47 Ω
• Bass Filter: Soft bass roll-off, sixteen settings between 7Hz and approximately 90Hz, DIP-selected
• Power Supply: PWX, included. A custom-designed toroidal mains transformer with static shielding, in a separate chassis
• 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, PWX Power Supply: 93 x 233 x 45 mm per Lehmann’s product page and brochure; 92 x 232 x 45 mm per its manual
• Weight: 0.6kg audio section; 1.0kg PWX power supply
• Connectors: Gold-plated RCA input and output; screw ground terminal; four-pin Neutrik XLR with gold-plated pins on shielded cable to the PWX
• Casework: Non-magnetic aluminium with a 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
• Note: Because the audio sections are identical, any claim that this model measures better than the Black Cube II in noise, distortion or separation is unsupported by Lehmann’s own published data. The case for it rests on power supply quality, not on the specification sheet. Note also that Lehmann sells the PWX separately as an upgrade for the Black Cube II, which makes that combination functionally equivalent to this one