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?
Yes, you can check it within the options. I don’t remember where, though.
Not my picture:
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You can check either in the settings->about device menu. Or take the lid off and the mainboard version will be written on the board itself
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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?
Thanks for the prompt reply!
I guess I was too impatient. Not that anything should change overnight … but it has. The Wandla is now playing DSD (via DOP) via the USB input.
DSD still doesn’t work via I2S. Is there a known incompatibility with Aurender servers? I’m aware that some devices won’t work if they lack the DSD flag. (Ferrum WANDLA - Impressions Thread | Page 50 | Headphone Reviews and Discussion - Head-Fi.org)
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.
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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
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