You introduced the Wandla Golden Sound edition on another site and this paragraph caught my attention:
Hardware Voltage Adjustment - The WANDLA GoldenSound Edition utilizes a new hardware level output voltage adjustment of WANDLA motherboard, 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 this lower output voltage and ensure compatibility with all amplifiers, without needing to use any digital volume control, or have the analog volume control components in the signal path. This feature will also be available on standard edition WANDLA units starting with board revision V4.0.
Is there a way to confirm which motherboard a Wandla unit has? Can I tell by looking at the serial number?
Hi, folks! I purchased a Wandla but I can’t get it to play DSD. My source is an Aurender N200 music server. I’ve tried both the USB input and the I2S input without success.
(For I2S, I’m using a Sonore UltraDigital DDC: so, USB to the UltraDigital, then HDMI cable to the Wandla. That configuration plays PCM files, and decodes MQA correctly. It’s just DSD that fails.)
Any suggestions as to a solution? I’ve got I2S pin 15 set as a DSD trigger, but I’ve tried them all, pins 13-16.
I’ve heard of a few people having issues playing DSD from Aurender stuff with various DACs Have you checked if there’s any conversion enabled or something?
Does it just not play at all or is it converting to PCM or something?
The Wandla still isn’t playing DSD natively, but I’m confident that’s an Aurender issue. I had the same issue with Bryston BDA-3 when I first used the N200 and their service unit had to install a patch to rectify it. Presumably they’ll solve the issue with the Wandla for me the same way.
Yeah that’s most likely just the Aurender thinking the DAC doesn’t support native DSD. (Or the Aurender doesn’t have native DSD output capability? Not sure)
But if that’s the case that’d also explain why it wouldn’t work over I2S. DoP on I2S should still work fine though.
It’s not really relevant to a Wandla forum, but yes, Aurender devices are capable of exporting DSD natively. The user has to “switch on” a “button” in the advanced settings menu. But if the Aurender device doesn’t recognize the DAC as supporting native DSD, the button won’t switch on; instead you get a pop-up saying the DAC isn’t recognized as supporting native DSD.
The N200 fed DSD natively to my Bryston DAC, but only after Aurender intervened to enable it for that specific DAC. I assume they are enabling additional DACs as users call those DACs to Aurender’s attention.
Hi, folks! I recently purchased the Ferrum Wandla and subsequently added the Hypsos PSU.
I have to say that the Hypsos makes a big difference in my setup. For some reason the switch mode PSU generated a whine that was quite prominent when no music was playing. It usually became inaudible once the music started, but it seemed to me that it was still degrading the treble frequencies, where I was getting some distortion.
With the Hypsos, the whine is gone and the sound quality is noticeably improved. I am quite impressed—it’s exactly what I was hoping for after I read a number of reviews and decided to make the purchase.
@GoldenSound mentioned elsewhere that, if he was using the Wandla with a tube amp, he would use ‘Red’ mode and also decrease the volume to 90. My PS Audio BHK is a hybrid tube/solid state preamp and the suggested settings are right on.
Glad you’re enjoying it! And yeah I’ve found that a lot of tube amps seem to perform better objectively (and subjectively) when you feed them a lower than line level input.
Play about with it and choose what’s best for your ear ofc, but generally with tube stuff I’ve found red mode and about 90 on the vol (I recommend using analog mode not digital) is great for almost everything
@GoldenSound i was told by friends in the community that you may have mentioned that older WANDLA versions such as the v3 benefit from setting their volumes to 93 instead of 100 in pro mode, because of clipping issues when in bypass mode or full volume.
I use mine connected to an OOR which is known for liking hotter inputs so i am wondering if this is really a known issue with the WANDLA itself where it clips somehow, or if this is a misunderstanding.
Would you be able to shed some light on this topic when you get a chance please? I always used mine in bypass mode and i am wondering if i should change that…
Some claim the Ferrum products are not shielded as well as they could be and to avoid stacking with Hypsos. I have not noticed any difference. Still, I have stacked my two Hypsos together (I know overkill lol ) and have stacked the Oor on top of the Erco2 beside them. Arguably this 2x2 stack is pushing the real estate on my desktop but sounds great. The stack with the Oor and Ecro2 runs MUCH warmer and while I haven’t measured it it seems the Erco2 on the bottom is slightly less warm keeping all the ICs comfortable . The PSUs are cool by comparison for sure.
. The PSUs are cool by comparison for sure.