Ferrum WANDLA 2.0 HP | Desktop DAC, Amp and Preamp

Ferrum WANDLA 2.0 HP Resides Comfortably in the Space Between Entry and Super Flagship Level for Headphone Enthusiasts

• Fully Balanced Headphone Amplifier
• ESS Sabre ES9038PRO DAC Combined with Ferrum's Current-to-Volage Tech
• Output Up to a Hefty 3.5 Watts at 50 Ω (balanced)
• Dynamic Digital Filtering

HP Stands for Headphone

In their quest to integrate the best possible headphone amplifier right into WANDLA, Ferrum created a balanced stereo headphone amplifier small enough to fit WANDLA’s housing and still able to output 3.5 Watts into 50 Ω. On the front of WANDLA HP the 4.4 mm balanced headphone socket is the only output visible, keeping it looks smart. To cater single ended headphones, they provide a 4.4 mm jack to 6.35 mm jack adapter in the box. WANDLA HP is perfect for music lovers who listen to speakers and headphones and are looking for single box solution containing a flagship quality headphone amplifier, preamplifier and D/A converter.

Two Amps, One House

In addition to being a top-notch DA converter, WANDLA HP now doubles as a premium preamplifier and headphone amplifier. You’ll find two digitally controlled attenuators for volume control: selectable analogue or digital. WANDLA kept its truly balanced topology, with fully balanced, composite IC headphone amplifier design, fine tuned for WANDLA and fine power section designs.

In addition to the six digital inputs (USB-C, coax, optical, AES, ARC, and I2S), there is one unbalanced analogue input. This input bypasses all digital processing to remain faithful to the highest-quality analog sources. Both balanced (XLR) and unbalanced (RCA) outputs and a configurable trigger are provided. As one would expect from Ferrum, there are two DC power inputs (FPL and 5,5 x 2,5mm DC pin) to connect WANDLA to the supplied power supply or our HYPSOS.

Under the Hood

WANDLA HP has at its heart Ferrum's proprietary ARM-based platform, SERCE. Running Ferrum's software, SERCE processes all incoming digital data streams. Their ARM processor singlehandedly performs the tasks of five chips and creates the shortest possible signal path for the audio-optimized USB, ARC, I2S, coaxial S/PDIF, and optical S/PDIF ports.

Behind the conversion stage, their engineering team implemented an advanced current-to-voltage converter and an output stage that benefited from their experience developing the acclaimed OOR. Based on HYPSOS' revolutionary hybrid design, multiple internal supplies power both analog and digital sections to minimize interference and noise and maximize channel separation.