In my system, the punch is actually there but I'm missing the thump if that makes sense. Might just be that my brain is used to hearing that slower bass sound of the R26, but it still sounds more natural to me which is what I look most for in my music listening.

Thanks for your input! It's not hard to imagine that Susvara would reveal the differences much better. I really wish the Wandla had a bit more body/weight since after getting used to the bass of the R26, with the Wandla my Atrium sounds almost like it has quite a neutral bass tuning while my...

Coming from the R26, I'm having a really hard time enjoying my Wandla fully. I have about 50 hours or so on it so far, and while I enjoy the improved spatial presentation and the increased speed at the same time I'm really missing the weight of the sound from my R26. Especially kick and snare...

Yeah, I'll definitely give it more time, and I definitely want to try the spatial enhancement feature of the GSE! I would also be interested to know if the "Tube Mode" feature gives the Wandla a bit more weight to the sound. And yeah, it's definitely possible that the difference would be bigger...

I recently upgraded my Gustard R26 (with FMC mod and upgraded Gustard fuse) to the Ferrum Wandla+Hypsos combo. I have been using them with my Holo Red as a streamer and with the I2S connection (Supra UHD 8K HDMI 2.1 cable). I've been mostly using the HQ Apod filter on the Wandla, and the output...

I would like to hear more general impressions of the Ultra Perforated Suede pads as well.

I'm currently waiting for my Wandla+Hypsos combo, and I'm planning to pair them with my Trafomatic Head 2 amp. I'm pretty bad at reading the spec sheet so can you give any help as to how I should set the Wandla up with the Head 2 volume control/voltage adjustment wise?

Personally, I wouldn't call buying a $3,295 DAC leaving the audiophile circus behind. :smile:

I would definitely suggest you to try the ZMF Caldera then! :sunglasses:

I owned both but recently sold the Elite because I like the Caldera more. I mainly used the Elite with the Hybrid pads but I also used the Angled Alcantara pads for a while. I used to use the Caldera mainly with the stock Caldera Leather pads but I recently switched to the Thick Caldera Leather...

Are you referring to the Caldera Ultra Perforated Suede or the Leather pads?

Yeah, PJ Harvey is unfortunately one of those female artists, for me, that has made some amazing music but the intense vocals make it hard to enjoy sometimes. I also agree that the upper-mids are more aggressive sounding on stock Caldera but with Thick Caldera pads the sound is a little less...

I used to own a Burson Soloist 3XP, and it definitely had a brighter and harsher sound overall. After I switched to the Head 2, the problem with sibilance definitely diminished a little but has never gone away completely. I've tried Mullard and Philips NOS 6922 tubes with my Head 2 but didn't...

There are many female artists whose voice usually has some sibilance in my system, for example PJ Harvey, Taylor Swift, Lorde and St. Vincent to name a few. Some male vocalists also have some sibilance, for example Nick Cave and Harry Wilkinson (from the band Maruja) come to mind.

I have used them with Trafomatic Head 2 as an amp and Gustard R26 as a DAC so I think my gear shouldn't be the problem. I used to have sibilance issues on the same gear with Susvara and sometimes slightly with my Caldera as well.

I have had the same issue with my Elite. The sibilance isn't as aggressive sounding as with some Hifimans I used to own but it still is there more often than with my Atrium Open for example.

Thanks for a great write-up! I've been considering getting the Wandla to replace my Gustard R26 and the Holo Red to go alongside with it as a streamer. Did you use your Holo Red as a streamer or as a DDC? And did I understand correctly that you don't have the Hypsos with your Wandla?

I think they differ quite a lot in their presentation, although it's highly dependable what pads you use with them. Also with Atrium Open (AO), you can tweak the sound with different mesh options as well. I've been using my AO with Caldera Ultra Perforated Leather pads and the stock mesh. I've...

Has anyone shared any impressions of the new Ultra Perforated Suede Caldera pads with the Atrium?

But to my understanding, they are removing all of the MQA content so in time there shouldn’t be any MQA files left. I use Roon and have both a Qobuz and a Tidal subscription, and any new music that has been added to Tidal hasn’t had MQA files in a while.

Actually, Tidal has switched from MQA to all FLAC files, as far as I’m aware.

Thanks for the suggestion! Would it be possible to get a shorter cable since 5 meter long cable would be way too long in my system? I couldn't figure it out on the site.

Could I just buy two single mode modules since I already have the media converters now? For example, would these be the right modules...

Ahh, I see. Can you recommend some single mode SFP module if I want to switch to one down the road or would any single mode SFP module be equally good?

Thank you for the reply! I connected my single cables crosswise and got the FMC mod working right away! Haven't had a chance to listen to a lot of music yet, but after a quick listen the sound seems MAYBE a tad bit cleaner. There is MAYBE a little less sharpness around the edges of notes so the...