Lehle Basswitch IQ DI

The Lehle Basswitch IQ DI is an all-in-one bass preamp built as a floor unit: an A/B input switcher, a high-end preamp, a clean booster, a parametric EQ, an FX loop switcher and a DI box in one chassis¹. It was introduced by Ruppert Musical Instruments and manufactured by Lehle in Germany on behalf of RMI²³. Lehle describes it as a central controller for bass setups, and the unit is now discontinued².

The idea behind it came from Lehle's founder, whose vision of an all-in-one bass preamp led to the product⁴. For a bass player, it means one box on the floor can take two instruments, shape the tone of the main one, switch an effects loop in and out, boost for solos, and feed a mixing desk from a balanced DI output.

What it does

The Basswitch IQ DI has two inputs, which lead to channels A and B respectively³. Input A is the standard input for all instruments, designed to accept active and passive instruments, and it can also take piezo or high-impedance pickups¹. Input B takes a second instrument, which is what makes the unit work as an A/B switcher: a player can keep a bass on A and an upright or a second bass on B, and switch between them with a footswitch.

Input A is routed through the high-end preamp with a four-band EQ designed specifically for bass instruments, with bass, treble and two semi-parametric mid controls⁵. The EQ bands as published by No Treble:

The unit also carries Lehle True Sound Technology², and Premier Guitar's review noted it comes with Lehle switching technology, the relay-based switching approach Lehle is known for⁶. Vintage Guitar reported that it uses high-grade components⁷.

Piezo pickups and the impedance switch

Input A has an impedance switch that changes the input impedance from the standard 1 MOhm to 10 MOhm, permitting the direct connection of piezo pickup instruments¹. The switch is off, at 1 MOhm, in the up position and on, at 10 MOhm, in the down position¹. Bass Musician Magazine's reviewer described the A input as having an impedance switch to accommodate both traditional electromagnetic and piezo pickups⁵, and No Treble likewise noted the toggle allows optimal input levels from an active or passive bass or piezo pickups³.

For a player with an upright bass, an acoustic guitar with a piezo, or any high-impedance source, this means the Basswitch can take it directly without a separate impedance-boosting device in front¹⁵³.

Power and connections

The Basswitch IQ DI cannot run on batteries. The manual states plainly:

No Treble's reviewer Damian Erskine confirmed the same point: "you can't run it on batteries"⁸. Instead, it accepts an external supply of 9 to 20V, AC or DC, with a minimum of 130 mA¹. Polarity is not relevant, because the unit internally rectifies, filters, stabilizes and brings the supply to 18V¹. Bass Musician Magazine's reviewer noted it is designed to accept virtually any power supply, provided the jack is correct, and that no power supply is provided with it⁵.

The unit also has a tuner output jack, so a tuner can stay connected and fed from the Basswitch without taking up an output⁵.

Specifications

Where it came from

The manual for the Basswitch IQ DI directs readers to RMI's site, www.rmi.lu, for more information⁷. The unit's documentation also details its physical footprint, with a length of 16,2 cm, a width of 22,0 cm and an overall height of 4,2 cm¹. Among its controls, the ΩA switch changes the impedance of Input A from the standard 1 MOhm to 10 MOhm, permitting the direct connection of piezo-pickup instruments; it is off at 1 MOhm in the up position and on at 10 MOhm in the down position¹.

What reviewers said

The manual's documentation gives players a clear picture of the unit's controls and physical size. The ΩA switch changes the impedance of Input A from the standard 1 MOhm to 10 MOhm, permitting the direct connection of piezo-pickup instruments; it is off at 1 MOhm in the up position and on at 10 MOhm in the down position¹. The unit measures 16,2 cm in length, 22,0 cm in width and 4,2 cm in overall height¹. For further details, the manual points readers to www.rmi.lu⁷.

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