The Black Cube is a tried and true phonostage that has been an industry-favorite for years. It easily handles high output MM to low output MC cartridges. Apart from the standard switch settings there is one onboard slot that can be outfitted with custom impedance to effectively match the most exotic cartridges. The case on the audio section is made of nonmagnetic aluminum, and the top cover is coated with a special anti-resonance treatment.

Lehmann Black Cube Phono Preamp Review By Needle Doctor Patrick, May 2010

I have been using, and enjoying the phono stage built in to my Audible Illusions Modulus 3 for a couple years now. The only problem is that I'm limited to using moving magnets or high output moving coils. So, I leaped at the opportunity to audition the highly versatile Lehman Black Cube in my system.

The Black Cube has between 40 and 66db of gain, and 6 different impedance/capacitance settings. So, it can be calibrated to match virtually any cartridge in existence.

I was using the Audio Technica 440MLa on my Thorens TD-125MkII with a Rega RB300 when I first made the switch. I had the MM gain set, and the stock capacitance. The 440, with its micro-line stylus, had a lot of detail and great channel separation already. Running the signal through the Black Cube's gain stage and passive filter network brought a new level of clarity to the music. Elements of the music which were once subtle background layers, became instantly more present. The music felt faster and more energetic than it did through the tubes in my Audible Illusions' phono stage. The combination of this cartridge and preamp, which are both a little more forward, was bit on the bright side, but had very impressive detail and pacing.

Next up was the Grado Statement Master. These wood-bodied MI cartridges are world renowned for their warmth and tonality. However, the low output Statement series can be a hard match for a phono stage, as they have a low 0.5mV output, but call for 47kΩ loading. Other than Grado's own PH-1, the Lehmanns are the only preamps I am aware of that can provide this combination of settings. There are a lot of trade-offs in hi-fi. The warmth and tonality mentioned above can come at the cost of fine detail and resolution. However, when the Grado met the Lehmann, they immediately hit it off. The rich, full “Grado” sound was still there, but the Lehmann made it much more revealing. The sound had the same accent but a much larger vocabulary. In my opinion, this combination offered the best of both worlds.

The third and final cartridge I tried with the Black Cube was the Benz Micro Ace with the .8mV medium output. Benz cartridges in general are very focused on neutrality. Their main goal is to not add any color to the recordings, just step aside and let the music play. Now that may sound great on paper, but in certain systems, they can sound somewhat dull, and uninvolving. Not so when plugged in to the Lehmann. The clarity and resolution of this pairing was astounding. Every nuance of the music was audible, but not over-exaggerated. The Lehmann really livened up this sometimes “sleepy” cartridge, making it much more fun to listen to.

Overall, the Lehmann Black Cube is an amazing phono stage for the money. It is about as versatile as anything on the market, in fact, I can't think of any cartridge that it wouldn't play well with. It offers a highly articulate sound that will immediately make any cartridge more detailed and exciting. If you plan on experimenting with a wide variety of cartridges, or just want to take your existing cartridge to the next level of detail retrieval, pick up a Lehmann Black Cube, you won't regret it.

Lehmann Black Cube Features and Specifications

Chokes in the power supply lines of the audio section

Dual mono output stages

Up to 66dB gain, optimizes handling of cartridges with a very low output

Additional hard-wire slot for special impedance and custom loads

A soft Soft-Bass-Roll-off jumper (6dB/Oct. @ 60Hz) protects the woofers

Outboard power supply, power supplied through shielded cable and Neutrik XLR connectors

Gain at 1kHz: 40dB/61dB MM/MC

Signal to noise ratio: 77dB/69dB MM/MC

Input capacitance: 100pF

Selectable input impedance: 47k, 470, and 100 ohms, DIP switches located underneath the unit

Output impedance: <100ohm

RIAA filter: passive equalization between two linear gain stages