Ferrum Audio WANDLA GoldenSound Edition DAC Review by Stereonet

Polish company Ferrum Audio has made a name for itself on the global hi-fi stage thanks to a raft of high-quality products such as the Hypsos power supply, Oor headphone amp and more. The Wandla is a well-received DAC that has been reviewed here in GoldenSound Edition (GSE) form. The company says that this has some new features that give it a leg up from the original.

UP CLOSE

The Wandla uses the well-regarded ESS Sabre ES9038PRO chip, an 8-channel design with four channels dedicated to the signal for the left channel and four dedicated to the right. Each of the key sections of the chip has its own power supply source, and the company says there are separate filter sections for the clock, left, and right channels.

It works with Ferrum’s SERCE, a control module that handles receiving and coordinating signals, USB support, MQA detection, decoding and rendering. This is also where the additional, optional interpolation takes place, the result of applying anti-aliasing filters which were developed in collaboration with Signalyst, the creator of HQPlayer. The analogue and digital components are powered by their own dedicated power supplies that are properly separated and isolated from one another.

Ferrum has also ensured that Wandla is a fully balanced system, with the signals resistant to external interference and internal crosstalk between signals. The stereo channels are also separated from each other and processed independently thanks to the use of independent power supply rails, as well as self-contained circuits and integrated circuits.

What are the differences between the normal Wandla and the Wandla GSE, you ask? Ferrum partnered with Cameron Oatley from GoldenSound and decided to make a few changes. First, the MQA decoder has been omitted to get as much performance out of the DSP engine for the other features. This means everything will be kept as untouched PCM unless one of the sound tuning features is enabled. Digital processing headroom has been elevated to accommodate the additional DSP features we’ll discuss later. This allows the Wandla GSE to avoid additional distortion and clipping when playing tracks at full output level.

There is also spatial enhancement, which uses the SERCE module to provide an expanded soundstage and improved separation and clarity between instruments. There are modes specifically for headphones and speakers to tailor the enhancement to each use case as needed. The Wandla GSE also has a tube mode, which intentionally increases the even-order harmonic distortion produced by the DAC. This results in a warmer sound without changing frequency response or introducing noise. The new Impact+ feature will probably be used extensively by bass lovers looking to get a bit of a boost in the low end. It uses a customised 2-band EQ for additional punch, while not affecting other aspects of the sound.

Lastly, there’s an actual hardware change in the Wandla GSE, with a voltage output adjustment that allows the user to swap between just below 10 Vrms output to just below 4 Vrms output. This is done via a dedicated hardware voltage divider in the output stage of the DAC, so the user can select lower output voltage and ensure compatibility with all amplifiers, without needing any digital volume control or having analogue volume control components in the signal path.

Everything is housed in a stainless steel chassis that is powder coated with black lacquer, with corten steel used on one side, with the Ferrum logo laser cut into it. There’s a large touch-sensitive LCD screen on the front, along with a volume control knob. The volume can be controlled in the digital domain through the DAC chip, but there’s also analogue volume control via an integrated resistor ladder.

On the rear are a total of seven inputs, with six being digital. You get support for 32-bit, 768kHz PCM, DSD512 and DoP 256 through the USB Type-C and I2S HDMI inputs. The ARC HDMI port and AES input support up to 24-bit, 192kHz PCM, with the AES port supporting DoP 64 as well. The coaxial S/PDIF input supports up to 24-bit, 192kHz and DoP 64, while the optical S/PDIF supports up to 24-bit, 96kHz. There is also one pair of RCA phono analogue line inputs – effectively giving this preamplifier functionality, albeit limited – plus balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA output ports.

For this review, I paired the Wandla GSE with the Oor headphone amplifier, all powered by the Hypsos Dual Output linear/switching hybrid power system. This eliminated the need for the Ferrum Power Splitter. I was lucky enough to have the top-of-the-line RAAL 1995 Immanis headphones, which boast triple ribbon drivers, stunning detail, exceptional separation and a large soundstage. These need a lot of power, and a specialised transformer when paired with normal amplifiers – in this case the Oor amplifier via the Ribbon Current Drive Interface converter, which is included if you purchase the full package. The power out of the Hypsos unit was incredibly clean, with no hiss or crackle present and noise levels next to zero.

THE LISTENING

The Wandla GSE doesn’t sound quite like other ESS-based DACs that I have heard. ESS Sabre chips have a reputation for being a little clinical, but that really depends on how they’re used. Ferrum notes that the ES9038PRO has been implemented differently, resulting in an atypical sound – especially when paired with the custom filters.

The unit offers a beautifully deep soundstage with accurate instrument staging. There’s a distinctly three-dimensional feel, with a sense of having multiple distinct layers. Your experience will depend heavily on your choice of headphones, and I am lucky to have had the chance to use the RAAL headphones which have incredible tonality and dynamics. Despite the very high levels of detail and resolution, the Wandla didn’t have that sterility associated with many brethren running ESS chips. Listening to Birds by Dominique Fils-Aime, I marvelled at the crispness of the guitar strums, the percussive finger snaps and drums, the texture in her voice and how beautifully the subtle details were presented.

There’s even a little extra touch of warmth that took me by surprise at the start. Bass was impactful, and had great weight and texture while remaining well-defined and clearly separated from the midband. As someone who typically enjoys a little more emphasis on the treble region, I found that there was plenty of energy and clarity in the upper registers, without excessive sharpness, thanks to the HQ filters.

THE VERDICT

The Wandla GSE is an excellent digital-to-analogue converter that shines beautifully when paired with other Ferrum products in a stack. It delivers excellent reproduction and detail retrieval without being overly clinical or analytical. If you already have the Hypsos power supply and are in the market for a new DAC, this might just be for you.

Review for stereonet by Cheryl Tan

Get the WANDLA at the greatest price from Chameleon Audio.