Black Cube SE IIWe have introduced half a dozen different phono stages to a very demanding market and have built a reputation merely from their performance. The Black Cube SE II comes with top notch technology that points towards higher price points, like all Lehmannaudio electronics.The input stages used in the this device can also be found in top notch mixing consoles or in well known professional microphone preamps. The entirely passive RIAA equalization network is realized with high precision foil capacitors for an artifact-free transport of microdynamics and room information. The switches for gain and load settings have gold plated connectors for reliable performance.
A True Audiophile Phono StageThe maximum gain of the Black Cube SE II is high enough for even very low output MC cartridges. Cartridge adaption itself is totally flexible because gain and lading can be chosen independently from each other. To top this all off, there is a slot for a custom impedance resistor, so that even the most exotic MC cartridges can be loaded adequately without having to buy expensive impedance plugs. No soldering needed.Because of the small outer dimensions, the Black Cube SE II audio section can be placed next to the turntable. This minimizes loss due to cable length.Lehmann audio always pays special attention to details: the cable between power supply and audio section is shielded and ensures flexible placement of audio section and PWX power supply. The cases of both th power supply and the audio section are made of non-magnetic aluminum; additionally equipped with a top cover coated with a special anti-resonance treatment for better suppression of microphonic effects.A brand new feature that is built into the Black Cube SE II is the entirely passive bass filter, that is a great help when tailoring the lower corner frequency of the vinyl reproduction to personal needs. 16 different filter curves can be realized.
Technical:. Input Stage: Dual mono Microphone preamp Chip newest generation. Gain settings: 36 dB, 46 dB, 56 dB, 66 dB. Max.
Gain: 66 dB. Internal impedances (selectable): 47 k, 1 k, 100 R. Onboard slot for custom impedance, additional hard wire slot. Internal input capacitance and cap type: 100 p, KP 1%.
RIAA filter caps: MKP. Bass coupling after RIAA: MKP. Second gain stage: Dual Mono Burr Brown OPA 134. Output capacitor: MKP.
16 different settings for optimized configuration of high pass filter. DIP-switch configurable. Discrete Output buffer for Zero global feedback.
DC-Output jumper. RC-Filters with high electrolytic bypass. Soft Bass Rolloff filter.
The Black Cube Linear is a small, slender box with your choice of silver or black faceplace and knobs. It measures 11'L x 4 3/8'W x 1 3/4'H and weighs 3.3 pounds. These dimensions illustrate perhaps why Lehmann Audio named it the Black Cube Linear.
The unit’s small cross-section makes it easy to place on a shelf beside another component. Unlike many other headphone amps, this one will seldom require a separate shelf.The Black Cube Linear's power supply is built in; there is an IEC connector in the rear, so you can pick a power cord that sounds good to you. Next to the IEC connector are the on/off switch and two pairs of gold-plated, Teflon-insulated RCA jacks: an input and an output pair. You can, therefore, feed the signal through the Black Cube Linear and use the front-mounted volume control to adjust the line-level-output volume as well as the headphone volume, making the Black Cube Linear a single-input line-stage preamp as well as a headphone amp. The volume control knob has a little dimple on the front, so you can tell how far its turned up, although on the black unit I auditioned, it was hard to see the dimple.
Maybe a little white paint (or even an LED) in the dimple would make sense. The front panel holds two 1/4' Neutrik gold-plated headphone jacks. Edit: see end for new perspective regarding two things: how it works as a preamp, and how it may be improved with a better power chordIntro: I'm a music-lover, not an audiophile. Relatively new to this hobby. And I haven't extensively tested amps. I do extensive subjective listening tests with what I own, and that's about it. This review is not geared towards professional audio engineers who need to use an amp for long hours and are not trying to 'enjoy' the amp.
For such people, this amp might actually be a good choice. I tend to listen many hours a day, too, so that's why I probably won't give up this amp.
But I don't find it to be very enjoyable or engaging compared to other power sources with my Beyers.1. It is known that when the BCL came out in 2004 they had been using Sennheiser's then top-of-the line phones to fine tune it.A) Senheisser's HD6x0 series is great, as any visitor to Head-fi can attest through the millions of posts involving them (and the older 580 model). But they have several problems: lack of micro-detail, slow, and flabby bass (650), with highs that can bore some people.B) The BCL is the opposite: tons of detail, fast, tight bass, and really nice extended highs. Most people are amazed when they try the BCL with the older flagship Senns. More recently, some have expressed amazement at first when pairing this with the new-ish 800 and 700 series, however, these are also known to have detail-oriented mids, which over time, can grow old with lack of feeling and character. That's why, from what I've read, a lot of people end up getting a warmer amp than the BCL, or even a high-end tube amp to go with the newer Sennheiser series-the BCL just isn't 'musical' enough for detail-monster headphones.C) Soundstage is precise, but not huge, which is fine for most kinds of music. Noise level is low, which is something to appreciate especially for long listening periods.2.
Unfortunately the BCL is not amazing with Beyers, in my opinion.A) because Beyer's already have fast bass, cool mids, and extended, controlled highs. I haven't listened with the T1, but with the DT990 and the DT150 (which is amazing!!) it doesn't really complement the strengths or compensate for the weaknesses of these phones.B) I think if you have phones with really warm mids but need a big more juice up top and down below, this might be worth auditioning.
I was blown away at first with how fast and detailed this amp was, but over a few months (about 5, with at least 100 hours of listening each month, mainly on through a HRT HD + external linear power supply source) I have gradually grown out of love with this amp.The sound is leaning towards the bright side, even though it's not harsh. I would not say it favors upper-mids, as female voices don't sound particularly good in my opinion. It's just rather bright, without being bass-light per se.C) The bass is interesting, but to me it doesn't have acoustic realism at all.
It is tight to a fault. Hip-hop sounds funny, for example. The notes in the low end are clear and you know what they recording studio was trying to do, but it lacks a true visceral impact compared to more powerful amps (even the $99 Schiit Magni, for example). The visceral impact of bass is what makes bass, bass, to me. Even with classical and acoustic jazz (the majority of my music), low end instruments just don't sound as they should.
You know what they're playing, but it doesn't sound live, it sounds recorded. Here, with a dark and bassy headphone like the HD650, you're probably going to feel different.
You may find that the bass is perfect-and that's why I pointed out that for phones with good bass and sub-bass to begin with (but not ORTHOS!) this amp can provide extra precision and speed. But with phones that have strong, flat bass, or bass that's already pretty tight (like the Senn 700-800 or all the DT Beyers) I think you can do better. And although I've read that this amp is good for Mad Dogs and other efficient Ortho designs, it is still pretty low-powered (I believe 400mw per channel/60 ohms) compared to most newer solid state and tube amps that cater to the present day Ortho wave (i.e., 1.0 Watts per channel/50 Ohms for Schiit Magni 2).Conclusion 1 (before edit): This mixed review could be construed as positive. However, the price of this amp, despite what it can do to noise floor, soundstage, and detail, does not seem to be justified.
Especially since most phones really can be driven by lower costing amps, or stereo equipment that you need anyways for your speaker set up. Alas, Lehmann should get credit for being one of the first really high quality headphone amps that does so much right for the Sennheiser 6x0 series.
Game or Patch Questions? Need for speed hot pursuit 2.
If you don't have those cans, but if you just really love hearing bright, clean detail all day long, don't care about engaging mids (or have phones with very warm, forward mids), and have an extra $1000 extra to spend on a headphone amp, this could be a good amp for you.Conclusion 2: There are two things I hadn't fully explored, and I am open to the possibility that I will even raise the stars further from 3.5 to now 4.5, once I have a better source and/or better headphones. A) the truth is it can do interesting things in your larger speaker sound system as a pre-amp. It provides a very fast, clear, and separated sound that can give life to a vintage system like the one I have. It's really amazing how it makes the sound a lot more punchy and extended in the highs and lows.
I can see how, though, in very high end speakers, this might be too much of a good thing, which is why most professional reviewers have not commented extensively on it's pre-amp function. B) A Chord Mains Cable really created a blacker background and better sounstage, with more realistic timbres in the mids. This is cool, and shows that the amp can be upgraded for a reasonable amount in my opinion.So, I'm still looking forward to trying this amp with a few more headphone and source combinations to see how much we can squeeze out of it, and perhaps get it up to at least four and half stars.
(I'm probably always going to think it was a bit much to pay for a headphone amp! But I'm cheap sometimes.). I haven't compared them. I've read a couple of reviews in threads of people to who did compare for a short time and felt that the differences weren't large enough to justify the 1000 dollar or so gap. I actually would like to edit my review though and add star. I've been listening in high gain (+20 DB) with my Beyers and it sounds better even though I'm only at 10 o'clock on the volume knob. The bass has more impact and there is more life to the sound overall.
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It's also still very clean and non-fatiguing which is the advantage over a cheaper amp that has all the elements, but is dirtier. I think I would go almost up to four stars, with the problem being the price to quality ratio, not the absolute sound. When I told my friends that I had bought a somewhat expensive amp for Headphone listening, and that it had cost more than twice the price of my headphones, they looked at me as if I was sick or confused!But I keep thinking (after a full year of listening) that it is one piece of equipment that I could very well keep for a loooong time!My purchase began when I saw it at a local distributor for Sennheiser. Two months before I had bought my Shure SRH-940's to replace my old Sennheiser HD-280Pro, which had more than 7 years of use. Reading in several sites about the real task that Headphones impose on the puny headphone amplifier stages in most equipment headphone outputs, and formerly believing that Headphones 'should pose little demands' from the driving stage, I was surprised to find such a clear improvment when I first heard this amp.More surprising to me was that the improvment heard from connecting the under $400 USD Shure 940's was very notable and inmediately apparent. At the store I had a Sennheiser HD-800 at hand and performed a brief but strightforward listening test, using some recordings that I carried with me and that I know very well. The results were very consistent from every one of the records (CD's and a couple of SACD's).Notable was that the store only had a standard, well used and low priced Sony DVD player, and still with that low-fi player, the sound improvment of the headphones was constant, consistent among the 4 headphones listened to, and inmediately apparent.
No doubts, no numerous replays necessary to confirm anything: the first impressions were solidly heard again and again across the 4 headphones, just in variying degrees but all in the same exact direction. Notably, these same differences were present across almost all of the recodings I had carried to the store.To summarize my findings, I'll try to resume the impressions in order of importance:1) More solid, firm and believable sound from the acoustic instruments, specially grand pianos, with more extended and controlled lower frequencies. This was confirmed when hearing different brands of pianos: the unique lows from Bosendorfer Concert Grand 275, due to its additional low strings is unmistakable more clear with all the headphones (my Shure 940, Sennheiser HD 280, and the store's HD 650 and the 800's).
The distinctive sound signature of the several makes of Grand Pianos in the recordings was easier to distinguish even by the non-initiated store employee. After explaining her the differences with a few examples, she was very happily identifying most of them!2) With good sounding records, the music was more enjoyable, but with some less well recorded ones, the annoyance was augmented. Now the Shure-940's really start to perform as true Monitoring headphones, ruthlessly exposing less than acceptable recordings.3) Unexpectedly, the HD-800's sounded less improved than the much less expensive Shure's!
In other words: the Shure´s really do benefit disproportionately when driven with the Lehmannaudio BCL.4) Panoramic image of the sounstage did not widened appreciably, but unmistakably acquired extra depth, retriving a good deal of the acoustical ambiance of the recording studios and specially with the live recordings. (one can bet that it was an empty coke bottle what is heard clearly falling on the floor of the stage in one LP from Pablo Records in their live recording of a performance by the Benny Carter 4 ( 8-204 Benny Carter 4 - Montreux '77 Benny Carter (as, tp) Ray Bryant (p) Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen (b) Jimmie Smith (d); 'Montreux Jazz Festival', 'Casino De Montreux', Switzerland, July 13, 1977).5) It is very balanced: nothing is heightened above the rest of the spectrum.6) Details never heard by me - even with old recordings that I have had and played for many years- started to be heard. This happened with a few of my records and specially with most of my live recordings. Even old ones made on cassette recorders many years back!7) It is very well constructed with best quality materials and components, the volume potentiometer by Alps has a silky, extremely smooth quality, as the 1/4' jacks. The circuit board is also of top quality (I didn't resist the temptation to open it to take a look at it's interior!) Judged by its appearance, it should be very durable, but as I have no idea about the lead free solder used in Europe, I refrain to warrat it.8) once at home, I retrieved a pair of very old Sennheiser phones: the 414 and 424x from the 70's, that are on the low sensitivity side as both are 600 ohm units.
While they are not returning to active life for sure, they were driven to just acceptable levels by the Lehmannaudio BCL, albeit with the volume control close to maximum and at the high level position of the switches under the unit.Overall, a good quality, well built unit that raises the listening experience of even mid price headphones.Maybe the only thing that called my attention, was that the lack of coloration kept me advancing the volume knob a little too much, and it caused me to become uncomfortable after some minutes of listening. After I noticed I was playing it a little too loud, I found that the proper level is necessary to avoid this effect. Is is not that the Lehmannaudio BCL distorted or lost any clarity, the reason being that listening straight from the headphone output of my CD player (Harman-Kardon CDR-30) produced the apparent sensation that the volume was high, and when removing that layer of distortion by driving the headphones with this amplifier did initially made me to raise the knob a little too high, and since the sound was still very clean, it was starting to hurt my ears making the listening uncomfortable after two minutes or so.
Therefore, watch for this if you happen to fall in this pitfall. Wow i would like to learn how to pick out the diff brands of piano.thats LISTENING man!!I am just happy that the backbone of my setup is a reliable, neutral, linear, trusted amp.peace of mind.The lovely or other cubes wont do.Now to tweak the rest of the setup to get that WOW sound out to my ears.Best features has to be the twin sockets for two headfones.and the LO/Mid/Hi gain switch.takes care of low impedence cans to 600ohms.For added warmth, sometimes i add a littledot mk4se as pre-amp to spice up the nite.
The headphone: Cardased Sennheiser HD650. The player: Oppo BDP-83 via the dedicated stereo outputs using AudioQuest Sidewinder RCA cables. This is basically a mid-fi set-up, the Lehmann Black Cube Linear USB being the most expensive component.I mostly listened to SACDs, but have played CDs, BDs, and DVD-Audio. Using the amp’s USB connection, I played MP3 files to test out the DAC.I’ve had the Black Cube Linear for more than two months. Have managed to put in about seventy listening hours and about double that in break-in time.Does the BCL have a specific “sound signature”? Yes: the sound is hard, solid, direct.
It doesn't try to sound euphonic or soften things up. This is not a tubey sounding amp. Matched with the right recording the BCL can convey warmth, but, for me, its distinctive characteristic is the way it attacks the music.
The sound is extremely detailed and energetic even at low volumes. I love drums. One thing that the BCL does with consummate skill: attack percussive sounds with astounding energy. Listening to drums on the BCL is a physical delight.A recording that I consider one of the most crystal clear I've ever heard is Lookin' for Love by Marlena Shaw. It has studio-perfect sonics. The SACD is released by the Eighty-Eight's record label out of Japan. With this recording as my infallible reference, I can say that the BCL has clarified the 'darkly veiled' 650 to the brink of total clarity.
Shaw's voice is not just in your head; she takes over your brain and entire being.Needless to say, I'm amazed by the way the BCL handles jazz. But what about rock? My test here is the Original Master Recording edition of Surfer Rosa by The Pixies (it's an SACD issued by Mobile Fidelity). There is no doubt that the BCL delivers the speed and intensity necessary to make well recorded rock an overwhelming experience. There is a bad side here, though.
Playing The Kinks's live album One for the Road was a pretty uncompelling experience. Instead of allowing me to get lost in the music, the BCL-650 combo was showing up all its weaknesses. The most impressive thing was how well the amp conveyed the intensity of the crowd, which I could feel surging against my ears.In terms of classical music, the BCL can easily keep up with an orchestra careening at full tilt. The headstage often sounds too narrow, though, but that's probably the fault of the 650 rather than the amp.
On the plus side, sparkle. The amp got rid of the well known “dark veil” while still keeping the sound relatively warm.When you connect the USB to your computer, the BCL begins clicking. The clicks come from inside the box itself. I think it sounds like a relay switch, but I can’t be sure. It’s annoying, but after the BCL warms up the clicks stop.
The sound of a piano is much smoother using the Lehmann DAC than it is when I plug my phones directly into my laptop, so the DAC is obviously doing something right. I don’t have much experience with stand alone DACs (for one thing, I rarely listen to music off my computer), so I don’t feel qualified to judge the BCL’s DAC. It doesn’t have a terribly good reputation judging by the comments I’ve read here at headfi. It only accepts 48kHz audio, so no high resolution. The DAC is the lowly Burr-Brown PCM2702E.
For what the unit costs, I think the DAC could have been better. On the other hand, the unit was highly commended by the 2009 Sound+Image Awards as an excellent streaming audio product. It is super portable, much more so than the Headroom Micro amp and DAC stack I had (the Micro is small, but has an unwieldy power brick). The BCL itself is small enough to easily fit in a briefcase or book bag. The unit is very easy to take to work. Of course you will need to plug it in once you get there.Burn in is a controversial issue. Many people have encountered the phenomenon, but others scoff, claiming that it is physically impossible. I won’t take sides here, but will only describe my experience.
When I first turned the amp on, it sounded slow and anemic to me. Very sluggish. Pretty much the opposite of what it sounds to me now. For a while, I also seemed to perceive a slight harshness in the highs, also a little bit of graininess. I no longer perceive that.
Whether it is due to burn-in or whether I adjusted to the sound I will leave for you to judge.Reports of the BCL getting hot are greatly exaggerated.
Lehmann Audio Black Cube SE PWX English Lehmann Audio Black Cube SE + PWX - phono preamp Turbo ClassicProduct: MM/MC preamp Black Cube + PWX by Lehmann AudioManufacturer: - GermanyApprox. Price (Europe): 620 Euro - PWX power supply alone: 256 EuroReviewer:Reviewed: March, 2002In a couple of years the Black Cube has become one of the most popular phono stages in the World, earning good reputation among audiophiles and getting several rave reviews from the HiFi press.Somehow TNT-Audio contributed to 'spread the word' as we've been the first magazine to review the Black Cube in Europe and among the first ones the World, after Steven Rochlin's review in USA.We have followed the growth of the success of the Black Cube and its subsequent upgrades, all reviewed as soon as released. So here we are with the latest version of this little black box, now upgraded by an external massive power supply called PWX. This external power supply is available as a separate unit for upgrading ANY Black Cube in the market, even the oldest units.Somehow this PWX answers one of the questions I raised while reviewing the version of the Cube.
Its bass performance was adequate but I found the first version to be punchier and gutsier. Norbert Lehmann worked on the power supply and decided to use a 30 VA toroidal transformer (10 times the original power supply capability!), filtering coils to suppress interferences from the mains, ultra-fast hi-quality rectifiers (FRED BYV27) and a good quality connection to the main preamp unit via an umbilical cord and a Neutrik 4 pole gold-plated connector.Inside the preamp you can find, as usual, hi-quality parts such as Wima MKS caps, an OPA 2604AP dual opamp and a couple of SSM2017's. The top cover of the aluminium cabinet is dampened via a thick tar sheet.You can just imagine how curious I was to test the 'turbocharged' version of the Black Cube SE so, though seriously backlogged:-(, I gladly accepted to review this unit and to compare it to the previous ones.In the meanwhile, our Giorgio sent me a new version of our next-to-be-released DIY phono stage with battery-operated power supply so I was ready for the battle.The new Black Cube SE + PWX has been tested for several months (Mr. Lehmann actually expected to see the review before X-Mas!) on my systems: firstly on my 'B' system consisting of good quality components (not state of the art stuff), secondly on my A system for deeper investigations.Here in Europe the Black Cube SE + PWX sells for 620 Euro though the PWX only is available for 250 Euro, more or less. This price may greatly vary abroad (and overseas!) but my comments may only refer to THIS price range.Turbo ClassicTake a classic sports car, then add a turbocharger.
I'm sure you remember the old Ferrari 208. Very nice car, indeed, at a price which was pretty unusual for a Ferrari. Nothing to complain, except that it was a bit slow, considering the brand.hence the guys at Maranello decided to add a turbocharger and the 208 started to shine!The new 'turbocharged' Black Cube is a vast improvement above the standard unit.
Believe it or not, an upgraded and beefier power supply can do wonders to any HiFi component.The first thing you can notice is that the sound is now 'bigger', and not only in the sense the soundstage being wider.no, it is that kind of sound you only can get from 'big' amps: powerful and tight bass and a delightful feeling as the Music is 'breathing' freely in the air.And no, Virginia, this does not mean a totally 'out of control' sound! Nope, everything is tighter and much more precise than before and actually the second thing you can notice is the improved (greatly improved, indeed) level of precision and detail.Just compare this new turbocharged version to the standard one and you'll understand: no need to use golden ears and time consuming comparison tests, the difference is crystal-clear! The amount of data it retrieves from your LPs is astonishing, considering the price range, and everything is precisely placed where it should be: yes, the old Black Cube was already quite precise.this is a whole step above.The tonal balance has remained virtually unchanged, it seems just a bit brighter because the amount of informations in the high range has increased but when you focus your attention to the bass range you can't help but notice everything is playing as it should, even better than before: bass is actually tighter and even a bit deeper and FINALLY! The punch of the first version of the Cube is here again! And then some:-)With respect to the previous versions, this newer Black Cube + PWX is much less 'forgiving' with poorly recorded LPs. Thanks to its natural musicality, it still can make bearable most of the recordings but you can distincly hear all the errors the recording engineer made.In other words, it takes you closer to the master tape and this also means closer to mistakes during the recording process:-)DynamicsAs it always happens, a beefier and better PSU helps in the dynamics department.
The turbocharged Black Cube delivers a punchier and faster sound, with that 'kick' in the bass that keeps Music alive. Rock fans will have nothing to complain about:-)This improvement does not harm the microdynamics performance, which is indeed better than before thanks to the ability of the new unit to precisely follow Music patterns (percussive or melodic) with plenty of ease.This helps improving that 'live effect' the Cube had in spades since its first release. Don't search for smooth and mellow sounds here, the new Cube plays just like live: powerful, fast and gutsy.and never, I mean NEVER, harsh or edgy.Its natural sense of pace and rhythm is still here and helps vinyl to keep that proper 'timing' only top-end analogue playback systems are capable of.Summarizing, you earn something without any loss.SoundstagingA wide and deep soundstage was one of the Black Cube's forte's. Now add a good amount of extra precision and focus and you get the, ehm, picture. Because of the increased level of introspection, a casual listener may find the stage a bit 'forward' with respect to the older versions. This is simply a psychoacoustic effect, the increased level of details delivered to the listener somehow makes his attention to focus on them and hence on the very first (nearer) virtual planes of the stage.But, as soon as one gets used to this effect, one discovers the depth of the soundstage is still there, even deeper than before.
Perhaps the background is somehow brighter, but that's all. The same holds true for the width and the height of the soundstage, slightly improved especially because of the sharpened 'focus'. You can more easily notice not only the contours of the instruments but even those of the virtual stage.Finally, the comparison with our newer DIY phono stage has been quite interesting: while the Black Cube was clearly better in terms of precision, detail, tonal coherence and focus, our preliminary DIY unit did perform better in terms of soundstaging and bass frequencies sheer impact.We are working to improve it by means of a more severe caps selection.we're planning to avoid paper in oil caps, for example. Don't ask, when ready, the design will be published on our DIY section.Some adviceFollowing a good Black Cube's tradition, let me remind you this phono preamp is fully compatible with every cartridge made on Earth thanks to external switches that can modify input impedance (for MC's).The MM section offers a standard 47 kOhm load, with 100 pF of capacitance (was 220 pF) and a sensivity of 2.2 mV with 40 dB of total gain. Max input is 63 mV.The MC section is adjustable for different loads, to suit every cart's needs: 80, 100, 470 and 47k Ohm plus a customizable slot for custom loads. The total gain of the stage is 61 dB, max input is 5.8 mV and sensitivity 210uV.The complete user's manual explains how to custom adjust your Black Cube to match your cart.The power cable is detachable thanks to an IEC socket so I suggest to use a good quality mains lead.
Check our website for if you're low on budget.Installing the BC is easy and I'd suggest to keep both units as far as possible from the turntable (and far from each other). The umbilical PSU cable is long and very flexible so that you will encounter no problem.On the other hand, if you want to minimize phono cable influence, you can place the preamp unit as close as possible to the turntable so to keep the cable short. The PWX unit should be kept as far as possible, though.Warning! Running very short phono cables isn't always a good idea because cartridge response is affected by inductance and capacitance. Hence the 'load' offered by 1 meter of cable could be necessary and NOT negligible. You need to evaluate this on your own system by means of A-B comparison tests.Finally, try to use antivibration feet under the preamp and the PWX units.Owners of previous versions can upgrade their own Black Cubes buying the PWX power supply only. The upgrade is suggested to be performed by your dealer/distributor otherwise Lehmann Audio may consider the warranty VOID.
Anyway, if your soldering skills are adequate, you can do the job at home.you just need to solder the old PSU cables to a Neutrik 4-poles socket.ComplaintsThe turbocharged Black Cube vastly improves the performance of standard units so there's little room to complain about its sonic performance. I'm not saying it's perfect (otherwise the newer, hi-end oriented Silver Cube would be useless:-)), it just maintains its promises, all for a honest amount of extra cash.Of course, 620 Euro ($) (here in Europe! YMMV) is still a good amount of money for a phono preamp so I'd recommend it only on analogue playback systems of fine quality, otherwise the improvement you may get from the Black Cube could result greatly reduced.Don't expect to hook up a Black Cube to a modest turntable-arm-cart combo and then fly in hi-end business class:-)Furthermore, if you're after good looking HiFi gear that meets the eye before the ear, look elsewhere. The Black Cube is just a black cube (ooops) matched to another black box (the PWX) via a black cable.It is nothing you can proudly show to envious friends:-) All the money has been invested on good sound research, good components and craftsmanship.Finally, considering the 600+ Euro price tag I'd have preferred 4 (or eight) better feet instead of the ugly and useless plastic 'buttons'. If I remember well, for example, there exists a single BIG specially designed and made for the BC. Considering how cleverly priced the Vibrapods are.why not include one of these into a standard BC package?ConclusionsI've followed the Black Cube history since its early days.
Consider the first unit I reviewed was a completely black unit, even the sticker with model and brand was missing!For this reason I've always been interested to test new upgraded versions, so I can evaluate if the upgrade is 'for real' or just something done to meet market's expectations.This 'third' version of the Cube is a real upgrade over the standard unit so I'd recommend it to any Black Cube owner. Also, anyone willing to improve its analogue playback system should consider auditioning the newer Black Cube SE + PWX as it still is a damn good phono preamp with an excellent quality/price ratio.Thanks to Norbert Lehmann for having sent us a sample for testing.© Copyright 2002 - commentDear team at TNT audio in general and Lucio Cadeddu in particular,thank you very much for this precise review of my Black Cube SE.Yes, Iabsolutely prefer a fast attack response and a natural sense of pace andrhythm.
Following your complaints: I did not know that there is a specialsingle Vibrapod for the Black Cube and I will contact the companyimmediately.On the other hand other people are preferring otherisolation/coupling/decoupling devices and methods. Of course I have nocomplaints about the review whatsoever, I only would like to add somesmaller clarifications to avoid misunderstandings:. The transformer of the PWX power supply has a dedicated groundedisolation coil between primary and secondary coils.
This results infiltering of common mode interferences on the mains. There are noseparate chokes used.
Black Cube SE: Cult Object With PowerSince 1995, the Black Cube has gained the reputation of being the most cost-effective phonostage on the market, and has been overwhelmingly acclaimed by the international press. The Black Cube SE takes what is already great to a whole new level, and provides an excellent entry into high-end audio. It has the same features as the Black Cube, but the PWX power supply is added to the package. The PWX features a 30W toroidal transformer; the main reason for the significant upgrade in sonic performance.
This PWX sports a grounded isolation coil between the primary and secondary coil, resulting in much more bass authority, a more fluid midrange, as well as more openness. The price per performance ratio is why more and more analogue lovers choose the Black Cube SE right from the start.The device was vastly improved in 2006.
A special 30 VA toroidal transformer of the PWX power supply is the main reason for the sonic performance achieved with the Black Cube SE. This transformer is not only overdimensioned but also sports a grounded isolation coil between the primary and secondary coil. The results: much more bass authority, a more liquid midrange as well as more openness. These sonic benefits are without a doubt the reasons that more and more music lovers choose the Black Cube SE right from the start.
No More Need for Expensive Impedance PlugsThe Lehmannaudio Black Cube SE phono stage is compatible with practically all available cartridges on the market from High Output MM to MC. Apart from the standard switch settings there is one onboard slot plus one hard wire slot that can be fitted with a custom impedances to supply perfect termination even for the most exotic cartridges. No more need for expensive impedance plugs!The input stages used in the Black Cube SE can also be found in top notch mixing consoles or in well known professional microphone preamps.
The entirely passive RIAA equalization network is realized with high precision foil capacitors. All resistors are of the low noise metal film variety. The switches for gain and load settings have gold plated connectors. Because of the small outer dimensions the Black Cube SE can be placed next to the turntable. This minimizes loss due to cable lengths.Lehmannaudio always pays special attention to details: the cable between power supply and audio section is shielded and uses Neutrik connectors with gold plated contacts at the power supply side.
The cases of both the power supply and the audio section are made of nonmagnetic material (aluminium) and are equipped with a top cover coated with a special anti-resonance treatment. PWX Power Supply Features:.
30VA (=10x Black Cube) high-current toroidal transformer with protection coil. Only top notch electronic parts.
Ultra fast recovery-rectifying diodes. Advanced series voltage regulation stage. Output voltage: app.
+/- 15VDC. Double sided PCB. Detachable cable with professional 4-pole XLR connector with gold-plated contacts. Aluminum case. Dimensions: 230mmDx90mmWx44mmH. All connectors at the rear sidePhono Preamp Features:. Input Stage: Dual mono Microphone preamp Chip newest generation.
OR Open your Settings – Dial-up – Unlock SIM card – Enter 8 digits unlock code (NCK Code) in your ZTE MF90 WiFi MiFi router. Click OK then the device. Unlock your ZTE MF-90 modem with DC-unlocker client. NOTE: This guide is only for ZTE MF90 device with firmware: BDBOLTMF90V1.0.0B08. Device also can get damaged during unlock for which DC-unlocker is not responsible. If software was closed during unlock process due to any reason and device remained in download mode, then after. Zte mf90.
Gain settings: 36 dB, 46 dB, 56 dB, 66 dB. Max. Gain: 66 dB. Internal impedances (selectable): 47 k, 1 k, 100 R. Internal input capacitance and cap type: 100p, KP 1%. Soft Bass Rolloff filter (selectable). RIAA filter caps: MKP.
Bass coupling after RIAA: MKP. Second gain stage: Dual Mono Burr Brown OPA 134. Discrete Output buffer for Zero global feedback.
Output capacitor: MKP. DC-Output jumper. Power supply features on audio board. RC-Filters with high electrolytic bypass. This is not only about the most expensive purchase I've ever made (aside from a car), but hands down also the most worthwhile. Compared to a typical stereo's phono input, this is superb.
Lehmann Audio Black Cube Decade
Crystal clear. Effectively ZERO hum or radio interference at max volume.
Lehmann Audio Decade Review
I've had the SE for over 6 years now, plugged in 24/7, and it delivers absolute perfection every time. My stylus is a (somewhat pedestrian by audiophile standards) Ortofon Nightclub E and the pairing is, again, absolute perfection. You can switch impedances to work with pretty much any stylus right down to the ceramics used in old BSR-style changers (for that retro response). No regrets whatsoever with this pre-amp.