While keeping all the great features of the original, WANDLA GoldenSound Edition Gen 2 improves on three of them: Impact+, Tube Mode and Spatial Enhancement. Each was completely overhauled and given its own Ferrum Sweet Spot Tuning. Gen 2 runs on the same hardware as the original GoldenSound Edition.

Please note that a firmware update is needed to use Gen2 features. The WANDLA GSE will have the first generation software out of the box.

The firmware update can be found here.

WANDLA GoldenSound Edition is Ferrum's fully balanced DAC and preamplifier, built on the EISA awarded WANDLA, one of the best DA converters in its league. Thinking about the potential of WANDLA's computing power, the Ferrum team set out to make Digital Signal Processing really work. The result is WANDLA GoldenSound Edition with Elevated Digital Headroom, Spatial Enhancement, Tube Mode and Impact+, all done in the DSP of the SERCE module. DSP done properly.

Impact+ is for those who enjoy a little more low end in their music listening experience. It not only elevates bass but provides additional punch and dynamic impact as well. In the original GoldenSound Edition, Impact+ featured a bass shelf and an additional peak to provide a beefier, more realistic sound signature.

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, these profiles, including specialised compensation for dynamic drivers, can be selected and the total impact level regulated from 10% to 130%. This allows the output to be tailored to a specific sound system, headphones or soundtrack.

Tube Mode is an intentional increase of the even order harmonic distortion produced by the DAC, similar to the distortion added by a tube amplifier. This delivers a warmer, richer sound without directly changing the frequency response. The original GoldenSound Edition added the sweetness of the second harmonic.

Gen 2 adds the artificial second harmonic and introduces the sound signature of five tubes (EL34, KT88, 300B, 2A3 and 7062), with reproduction up to the seventh harmonic. The effect level can be regulated from 10% to 200% in search of the perfect personal setting. The result is the tube sound without the associated negatives, such as big and bulky components, excessive heat production and the cost of tubes.

Spatial Enhancement provides an expanded soundstage and improved clarity of separation between musical elements, while avoiding the drawbacks commonly found in other approaches. It originally had two modes, tailored separately for speakers and headphones.

In Gen 2, the spatial effect can be toggled independently, the output mode (Headphones or Speakers) selected, and the new Transient Compensation, or T-Comp, engaged. T-Comp fine tunes the spatial enhancement algorithm and reduces how it affects high frequencies, resulting in vastly more realistic three dimensional staging.

Higher immunity to intersample overs, even in bypass mode at full output level, allows any music to be played back free from additional distortion, with high quality sound.

WANDLA GoldenSound Edition features a hardware level output voltage adjustment. This is facilitated via a dedicated hardware voltage divider, allowing a lower output voltage to be selected to ensure compatibility with all amplifiers, without the need for any digital volume control or analogue volume control components in the signal path.

WANDLA offers three ESS digital filters as standard and, as a world first, digital filters created for Ferrum by renowned filter maker Signalyst, known for the HQPlayer app. More filters follow through interaction with WANDLA users.

Amplification is handled by a proprietary, fully balanced modified IC preamplifier, fine tuned for WANDLA. The USB input is specially programmed, while the coaxial and optical S/PDIF, AES, ARC (TV) and I2S ports are tuned and optimised for audio.

SERCE is Ferrum's digital audio system module. Its optimised ARM chip offers the shortest signal path possible, making five chips redundant.

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

The FPL cable uses a unique design: two wires deliver the power and two wires provide feedback to ensure flat voltage at every moment. This eliminates the harmful effects of the cable's resistance, effectively improving transient response, and significantly improves current delivery speed at the powered device's input.

WANDLA comes with a carefully selected DC power adapter. HYPSOS and the FPL DC power cable are sold separately.