Hifi News

56 | www.hifi news.co.uk | FEBRUARY 2010
PHONO STAGE
LEHMANN’S LEGACY
This special edition MM/MC phono stage from Norbert Lehmann’s stable is lifted to
new heights with the addition of the outboard PWX power supply
Review: Andrew Sydenham Lab: Paul Miller
Lehmann Black Cube SEII (£600)
supplied power cord is detachable and I
replaced it with an Audusa mains cable
for the purposes of the review.
The Lehmann Black Cube SE claims
to be compatible with practically all
available cartridges from high output
MMs to low output MCs. Six sets of easily
accessible DIP switches on the base of
the Cube allow switchable gain for MM
and MC cartridges, with three preset
loading options plus a custom slot for
a user’s choice of resistor adding to its
fl exibility. Sixteen possible fi lter curves
between 7Hz and 90Hz are available,
through a combination of switches, to
fi ne-tune the Cube’s bass roll off.
Lehmann’s range of phono stages
culminates in the £3250 Silver Cube,
so with such an illustrious sibling I was
keen to fi nd out what the Black Cube
SE II could offer. As my source I used
an Ortofon 2M Red moving-magnet
cartridge mounted in an SME 3009/
Audio Origami arm atop a Garrard 401
deck modifi ed with a Kokomo bearing.
To these ears this classic combination
– updated and modifi ed – snaps at the
heels of many a ‘superdeck’ and I felt it
would reap benefi ts from a relationship
with a quality phono stage.
NO SMOOCHING
No sooner had the stylus hit the fi rst
groove than I was struck both by the
clarity and space between instruments
and the width and depth of the
well-defi ned soundstage before me.
Clearly, I was dealing with a very capable
and musical performer indeed.
First up for the musical workout was
Peter Gabriel’s fourth album [Charisma
PGMC4] which boasts a vast dynamic
range thanks to the unique percussion
and synthesiser sounds used. Via the
Black Cube this complex production
was played out with fi ne resolution and
timing. Indeed, Shock the Monkey was
a revelation, its attack and decay being
wonderfully precise. True, I have heard
tighter, deeper bass from this track, but
all else was sweet and satisfying.
If I ever I need to persuade an
analogue atheist of the truth of the
cause then it’s Dire Straits’ eponymous
debut album [Vertigo 9102 021] I hire as
evangelist. From the Cube, I was looking
for accuracy. None of the passages ever
sounded rushed or blurred; rather, it
felt as if the Knopfl er brothers had all
the time in the world. Never was the
tonal quality over-rich, and I basked in a
presentation that walked that tricky line
between warmth and precision.
However, perhaps the Cube’s real
strength is its midrange performance. On
The Band’s Stage Fright [Capitol EA-SW
425] I hung on to every word of ‘Daniel
And The Sacred Harp’, the breathy
quality of Richard Mauel’s foot-pumped
organ having real palpability while the
Developed and manufactured in
Germany since 1988, Lehmann’s
range of audiophile products has
grown to include the Black Cube
Stamp Power amplifi er and excellent
Black Cube linear headphone amp,
which earned itself an ‘Outstanding
Product’ accolade in the October
2009 issue of Hi-Fi News.
Designer Norbert Lehmann is an
audio engineer with an enviable
reputation in the pro-audio world
and his phono stages have become
objects of desire among vinyl
afi cionados ever since the Black
Cube was fi rst introduced in 1995.
S
ince its introduction in 1995,
Lehmann’s Black Cube phono
preamp has attracted quite
a following thanks to its
combination of fl exibility and great
sound quality. The latest incarnation of
this ‘affordable high-end’ MM/MC stage,
the SE II, sees the original utilitarian
plastic case replaced with a very solid
non-magnetic aluminium housing that
includes an ‘anti-resonance’ treatment
on the top surface. Our sample sported
an attractive silver brushed aluminium
facia panel, but the Black Cube is also
available in, somewhat unsurprisingly,
black. In either guise, its 114x124mm
footprint allows the unit to sit
unobtrusively next to any record deck.
PREMIUM PSU
A captive two-metre shielded cable
terminating in a Neutrik connector
joins the Cube to the PWX 30VA high
current power supply, which employs a
weighty toroidal transformer, premium
foil capacitors and metal foil resistors.
This amply long cable allows the PWX
power supply to be positioned well
away from sensitive or poorly screened
cartridge/arm combinations – always
good practice to avoid interference. The
MM/MC phono preamp
Made by: Lehmann Audio, Germany
Supplied by Henley Designs.
Telephone: [phone]
Web: www.lehmannaudio.de
058-059 Lehmann_v3_PMPF.indd 56 7/12/09 15:39:23