[XERO1]

Not with ESS they won't.

While I'm usually no fan of D/S DACs, I have heard a few that sounded great, like the Weiss DAC502 ($10,500) which uses two ESS DAC chips (but only as a delta-sigma modulator and Weiss' own code for everything else) and it sounded fantastic. So it is possible for DACs using of-the-shelf D/S DAC chips to sound good, but they are usually really expensive. The cheapest good sounding D/S DAC I've heard so far is the TEAC UD-701N ($4300), and I'm hoping the WANDLA can come close to or match it's SQ for $2800.

 

[George Hincapie]

While I'm usually no fan of D/S DACs, I have heard a few that sounded great, like the Weiss DAC502 ($10,500) which uses two ESS DAC chips (but only as a delta-sigma modulator and Weiss' own code for everything else) and it sounded fantastic. So it is possible for DACs using of-the-shelf D/S DAC chips to sound good, but they are usually really expensive. The cheapest good sounding D/S DAC I've heard so far is the TEAC UD-701N ($4300), and I'm hoping the WANDLA can come close to or match it's SQ for $2800.

Interesting. I have just returned the £10K Weiss 501 Mk II. I was incredibly disappointed with it for a variety of reasons. It absolutely did not sound fantastic.

 

[XERO1]

Interesting. I have just returned the £10K Weiss 501 Mk II. I was incredibly disappointed with it for a variety of reasons. It absolutely did not sound fantastic.

Well then, I guess D/S DACs definitely aren't your cup o' tea!

 

[kingoftown1]

I don't think this has been posted yet


They say it uses filters developed by Jussi Lasko (HQPlayer). That could make it an interesting proposition for those who aren't already using HQPlayer for upsampling & noise shaping.

 

[Chartreuse]

I don't think this has been posted yet


They say it uses filters developed by Jussi Lasko (HQPlayer). That could make it an interesting proposition for those who aren't already using HQPlayer for upsampling & noise shaping.

When you can buy the full implementation of HQP separately for a couple hundred bucks though, why settle for an on-board version in a $4000 delta sigma DAC?

 

[kingoftown1]

The use case doesn't apply to me, but I'm sure there are others in situations where they either can't or don't want to use HQPlayer in their setups. I'll maintain a neutral perspective until user reports come in on the Wandla, but having more options is not a bad thing. Competition drives innovation. If HEM is able to bring something new to the table, that pushes the competition and ultimately benefits all end users.

 

[rsbrsvp]

This unit has ANALOGUE volume control with remote; very much not the norm with ess chip dacs from China.

 

[TaronL]

headphones.com show an ERCO stacked on top and connected by 3-way power splitter

That's an Oor on the top of the stack. The ERCO doesn't have the 4-pin XLR output on the front of the unit.

I can't comment on the 6moons article but everything I have been told from Ferrum themselves has been that the HYPSOS with the 3-way splitter will have no issues with the Oor and Wandla.

 

[XERO1]

This video goes in-depth on the WANDLA's design, features and interface. It is by far the best video from Ferrum on the WANDLA.

Turn on CC to see the well-translated English subtitles.

 

[Getafix]

If you buy your dacs based on looks, we need a Look what I bought subforum.

 

[kumar402]

When you can buy the full implementation of HQP separately for a couple hundred bucks though, why settle for an on-board version in a $4000 delta sigma DAC?

I am not supporting this DAC for pricing or anything but even though HQPlayer as software is cheap, some filters and Upsampling Freq does require one to have beefy computer which adds to cost so I can see the market for HQPlayer within DAC itself. Also HQ Player running in a separate computer requires NAA endpoints or to be connected via USB. I don't like my noisy computer connected to DAC via USB and NAA endpoints have always been unstable for me.

 

[LoveKnight]

Sabre chips are not bad if brands can implement them well. Soulnote does a very good job when design and product their DACs with Sabre chips like in this video. It is comparable to Chord Dave and more. In fact to most of the tests I like Chord Dave and Soulnote than other DACs.



I have a question about ARC. Does the Wandla dac accept the signal from a HDMI port of a bluray player or game console to ARC of Wandla itself? Thanks

 

[kundica]

Yeah, implementation is everything with these off the shelf chips. I've heard great ESS DACs like the Weiss, and a lot of "just okay" ones. Wandla seems to be more than just a DAC though, it's also a preamp and has a good amount of I/O.

Also, I'm sure we'll know more detail in the coming weeks but I want to point out that Wandla isn't running HQPlayer on the DAC, it has oversampling filters created by HQ Player dev.

 

[George Hincapie]

Yeah, implementation is everything with these off the shelf chips. I've heard great ESS DACs like the Weiss, and a lot of "just okay" ones. Wandla seems to be more than just a DAC though, it's also a preamp and has a good amount of I/O.

Also, I'm sure we'll know more detail in the coming weeks but I want to point out that Wandla isn't running HQPlayer on the DAC, it has oversampling filters created by HQ Player dev.

The Weiss was disappointing. Great isn't a word I'd attribute to it. I'm not even sure why it gets so much hype.

 

[Arniesb]

The Weiss was disappointing. Great isn't a word I'd attribute to it. I'm not even sure why it gets so much hype.

Didn't understand either.
Looks overpriced to the extreme like most Western companies.
Don't think its worth even 3k let alone what they are asking.
I don't care about the brand i care about product.