Ferrum WANDLA GoldenSound Edition Gen 2 Fully Balanced Headphone DAC/Preamp

↓ Details provided by Ferrum ↓
(Specifications and appearance of this product are subject to change without notice)

WANDLA GoldenSound Edition Gen 2

• WANDLA GoldenSound Gen2 Edition, fully balanced DAC/PREAMP
• New features include elevated digital headroom, spatial enhancement, tube mode, impact+
• Proprietary fully balanced modified IC pre-amplifier, fine tuned for WANDLA GoldenSound Gen2 Edition
• Specially programmed USB, and tuned coaxial and optical S/PDIF, AES, ARC and I2S ports, optimized for audio
• Proprietary optimized ARM chip offers the shortest signal path possible, making 5 chips redundant
• Four proprietary Signalyst filters
• Proprietary 4-pin Ferrum connector for HYPSOS
• Balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA line outputs
• Digital and Analogue volume control
• EES Sabre ES9038PRO with selected filter
• Remote control included

While keeping all great features of the original, WANDLA GoldenSound Edition Gen 2 manages to improve on three great features, called Impact+, Tube Mode and Spatial Enhancement. In Gen 2 our engineers completely overhauled them and each got their own Ferrum Sweet Spot Tuning! Something great just got even better. 

The EISA awarded WANDLA continues to be one of the best DA converters in its league. WANDLA GoldenSound Edition managed to add three great features. One to enhance the sheer impact in the lower frequency, one to simulate the warmth of a tube stage and one to offer an enhancement in the third dimension. With WANDLA GoldenSound Edition Gen 2 these three features, called Impact+, Tube Mode and Spatial Enhancement, were completely overhauled and each got their own Ferrum Sweet Spot Tuning! Something great just got even better.

Three great features just got even better. Impact+, Tube Mode and Spatial Enhancement were completely overhauled and each got their own Ferrum Sweet Spot Tuning!

Gen 2 Impact+

You can now control your low-end sound signature by choosing one of seven predesigned settings of bass and dynamics and adjusting its level from 10% to 130%.

Gen 2 Tube Mode

You can now choose your tube sound signature by choosing one of five popular tube designs (EL34, KT88, 300B, 2A3 and 7062) and adjusting the level of its effect from 10% to 200% in search of your personal perfect setting.

Gen 2 Spatial Enhancement

You can now independently toggle the spatial effect, select your output mode (Headphones/Speakers), and engage the new Transient Compensation to fine-tune the imaging in search of your preferred setting.

Gen 2 Elevated digital headroom

Higher immunity to intersample overs even in bypass mode at full output level, allowing you to play back any music free from additional distortion, and enjoy a high-quality sound.

Gen 2 New Voltage Adjustment

The WANDLA GoldenSound Edition benefits from a hardware level output voltage adjustment of standard WANDLA, allowing the user to swap between just below 10 Vrms output to a just below 4 Vrms output. This is facilitated via a dedicated hardware voltage divider, allowing the user to select lower output voltage and ensure compatibility with all amplifiers, without a need to use any digital volume control, or to have analog volume control components in the signal path.

Gen 2 Dynamic Digital Filtering

WANDLA has three ESS digital filters to choose as standard and, as a world first, two digital filters created for Ferrum by renowned filter-maker Signalyst, know for their HQPlayer app. More filters will follow after interacting with WANDLA users.

Gen 2 Proprietary amplification

Fully balanced modified IC pre-amplifier, fine tuned for WANDLA.

Gen 2 Optimized Digital inputs

Specially programmed USB, and tuned coaxial and optical S/PDIF, AES, ARC (TV) and I2S ports, optimized for audio.

Gen 2 Made for HYPSOS

WANDLA performs beautifully right out of the box, but you can take its performance above and beyond when pairing it with HYPSOS. Using the proprietary Ferrum Power Link (FPL) connection with 4TSD voltage sensing, both components will perform to their absolute maximum, unleashing unheard-of musicality.

Gen 2 SERCE

Digital audio system module - Our optimized ARM chip offers the shortest signal path possible, making 5 chips redundant.

Impact+

Impact+ in the original GoldenSound Edition featured a base shelf and an additional peak to provide a beefier, more realistic sound signature. WANDLA GoldenSound Edition Gen 2 evolves this by offering seven distinct shape settings (Reference, Ref+, Smooth, Kick+, DD-Comp, DD-Comp+, and Sub-Bass). Instead of a single fixed enhancement, you can now select from these profiles – including specialized compensation for dynamic drivers – and regulate the total impact level from 10% to 130%. This allows you to perfectly tailor the output to your specific sound system, headphones, or soundtrack. Enter Gen 2’s Impact+ with Ferrum Sweet Spot Tuning.

Tube Mode

In the original GoldenSound Edition added the sweetness of the second harmonic. With GoldenSound Edition Gen 2 apart from adding artificial 2nd harmonic, we introduce the sound signature of five tubes (EL34, KT88, 300B, 2A3 and 7062) with reproduction up to the 7th harmonic. Experience the tube sound, without the associated negatives like big and bulky components, excessive heat production, not to mention the costs of tubes. To take things further, you can also regulate the levels from 10% to 200% in search of your personal perfect setting. Enter Gen 2’s Tube Mode with Ferrum Sweet Spot Tuning.

Spatial Enhancement

You can now independently toggle the spatial effect, select your output mode (Headphones/Speakers), and engage the new Transient Compensation to fine-tune the imaging. Spatial Enhancement originally had two modes, which were tailored for speakers and headphones separately. GoldenSound Edition Gen 2 introduces Transient Compensation, or T-Comp in short. This setting fine-tunes the spatial enhancement algorithm and reduces how it affects high frequencies, resulting in a vastly more realistic three-dimensional staging. Enter Gen 2’s Spatial Enhancement with Transient Tuning.

Specifications:

DAC chip: ESS Sabre ES9038PRO

DAC resolution: 768 kHz / 32 bit, DSD 512

Digital inputs:
 • USB Type-C (up to PCM 768 kHz / 32 bit, DSD 512, DoP 256)
 • I2S (up to PCM 768 kHz / 32 bit, DSD 512, DoP 256), PS Audio® compatible
 • ARC (up to PCM 192 kHz / 24 bit), TV input with CEC
 • AES (up to PCM 192 kHz / 24 bit, DoP 64)
 • Coaxial S/PDIF (up to PCM 192 kHz / 24 bit, DoP 64)
 • Optical S/PDIF (up to PCM 96 kHz / 24 bit*)
  *may work up to PCM 192 kHz and DoP 64 – depending of customer optical cable and transmitter

Analog inputs: RCA

Analog input Vmax: 9.5 V _RMS (2 – 3.5 V _RMS recommended)

Analog input impedance: 47 kΩ

Line outputs: balanced XLR, unbalanced RCA

Volume control: analogue with bypass option / digital for DAC operation only

Output level (@ 0 dBFS / 1 kHz sine):
 • PRO: 8 V _RMS balanced, 4 V _RMS unbalanced
 • Red Book: 3.5 V _RMS balanced, 1.75 V _RMS unbalanced

Frequency response: 10 Hz – 200 kHz +/- 0.1 dB analog inputs

DAC THD: -121 dB (0.00009 %), THD+N: -118 dB unweighted

Analog input THD: -123 dB @ 2 V _RMS

Dynamic range (A-weighted): 127 dB analog, 119 dB digital

Crosstalk: -120 dB for 1 kHz, better than -100 dB for 20 Hz – 20 kHz

Output impedance: 22 Ω unbalanced, 44 Ω balanced

Power consumption: 10 W idle, 15 W max

Power inputs (22-30 V _DC ):
 • 5.5/2.5 mm DC connector, center positive
 • proprietary Ferrum Power Link (FPL) 4-pin DC connector

Power adapter: 100-240 V _AC to 24 V _DC

Remote control: included

Dimensions: 21.7 cm x 20.6 cm x 5 cm / 8.6″ x 8.1″ x 2.0″

Weight: 1.8 kg / 3.97 lbs