Ferrum WANDLA GoldenSound Edition - Pre-Orders are Live!
Mar 15, 2024 at 2:17 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 67
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Exclusively available through Headphones.com in North America, the Ferrum WANDLA GoldenSound Edition is now live and available for pre-order!

Pre-Order in the USA https://headphones.com/products/ferrum-wandla-dac-goldensound-edition
Pre-Order in Canada https://headphones.ca/products/ferrum-wandla-dac-goldensound-edition

Screenshot_20240310_233346_YouTube~2.jpg

Features
  • Elevated Digital Headroom - The GoldenSound Edition has elevated headroom to accommodate it to its additional DSP functions which most modern DACs do not accommodate for.
  • Spatial Enhancement - A unique spatial enhancement provides an expanded soundstage and improves clarity of separation between musical elements without the drawbacks commonly found in other approaches
  • Tube Mode - Intentionally increases the even-order harmonic distortion produced by the DAC, similar to the distortion added by a tube amplifier. This allows the user to enjoy a warmer, richer sound without directly changing frequency response.
  • Hardware Voltage Adjustment - The WANDLA GoldenSound Edition utilizes a new hardware level output voltage adjustment of WANDLA motherboard, allowing the user to swap between just below 10 Vrms output to a just below 4 Vrms output.
  • Impact + - A customized two-band EQ which not only elevates bass but provides additional punch and dynamic impact.
  • No MQA - The WANDLA GoldenSound Edition no longer uses any MQA processing, with all content being kept as untouched PCM
Watch @GoldenSound announcement below



Pre-Order the Ferrum Audio WANDLA GoldenSound Edition exclusively through Headphones.com or Headphones.ca

USA Pre-Orders
Canada Pre-Orders
 
headphones.com Stay updated on headphones.com at their sponsor profile on Head-Fi.
 
https://www.headphones.com/ andrew@headphones.com
Mar 15, 2024 at 11:23 PM Post #4 of 67
In
Our agreement with Ferrum is only exclusivity in North America so dealers in Europe and other parts in the world should have no issues!
Any plans or schedule to upgrade existing Wanda owners?
 
Mar 16, 2024 at 7:02 PM Post #6 of 67
In

Any plans or schedule to upgrade existing Wanda owners?
If you watch the GoldenSound video he mentions that they will have an optional firmware for existing owners for around $600. Or I read it in the comment section. Either way it looks like existing owners will have the option to get the GoldenSound edition.
 
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Mar 17, 2024 at 6:35 AM Post #7 of 67
I love how they tout no MQA as a feature. The industry needs more middle fingers to MQA
 
Mar 17, 2024 at 5:51 PM Post #8 of 67
If you watch the GoldenSound video he mentions that they will have an optional firmware upgrade for existing owners for around $600. Or I read it in the comment section. Either way it looks like existing owners will have the option to get the GoldenSound edition.
Firmware for $600? I’d be pissed if I bought the original.
 
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Mar 17, 2024 at 6:01 PM Post #9 of 67
Firmware for $600? I’d be pissed if I bought the original.
Regular updates are still going to be provided for all Wandlas.
This is just if you want the extra features developed in the GoldenSound edition. It's not a necessary purchase if you don't
 
Mar 17, 2024 at 8:05 PM Post #10 of 67
Regular updates are still going to be provided for all Wandlas.
This is just if you want the extra features developed in the GoldenSound edition. It's not a necessary purchase if you don't
Do you understand why topping or smsl releasing a new dac every few months is bad? If so, you should be able to see why this is bad.

Paying $3000 only for your purchase to be (to some degree) obsolete months later, within the same brand's lineup, would be real crappy.
 
Mar 17, 2024 at 8:10 PM Post #11 of 67
Do you understand why topping or smsl releasing a new dac every few months is bad? If so, you should be able to see why this is bad.

Paying $3000 only for your purchase to be (to some degree) obsolete months later, within the same brand's lineup, would be real crappy.
The original Wandla was released a year ago, and is in no way obsolete due to the release of the GoldenSound Edition.

Additionally we made the conversion available specifically so that existing wandla owners won't miss out or have to buy a whole new unit if the new features are ones they would like to have.
 
Mar 17, 2024 at 8:18 PM Post #12 of 67
The original Wandla was released a year ago, and is in no way obsolete due to the release of the GoldenSound Edition.

Additionally we made the conversion available specifically so that existing wandla owners won't miss out or have to buy a whole new unit if the new features are ones they would like to have.
A lesser featured version of the same product isn't obsolete to a more fully featured version? I think that's disingenuous. 'Obsolete' doesn't mean useless.

Right, they don't have to buy a new unit. But they have to pay $600 after already paying $3000 for what was literally marketed as the flagship.

I think any reasonable person would expect that a 'flagship' product not be succeeded within months, no? Or you can call it a year if you wish, but that isn't even accurate as the product launched in April of 2023.
 
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Mar 17, 2024 at 8:24 PM Post #13 of 67
A lesser featured version of the same product isn't obsolete to a more fully featured version? I think that's disingenuous. 'Obsolete' doesn't mean useless.

Right, they don't have to buy a new unit. But they have to pay $600 after already paying $3000 for what was literally marketed as the flagship.

I think any reasonable person would expect that a 'flagship' product not be succeeded within months, no? Or you can call it a year if you wish, but you know that very few people bought this product on release.
One doesn't need to have the latest thing at all times.
The original Wandla is available with all the same features it had upon release, with the same performance, at the same price.

The GoldenSound Edition is available for those who do want to pay the extra for the features it offers. And for existing wandla owners they can convert their existing unit for almost the same price as the price delta anyway if they also would like the new features.

For those that don't want or need the new features, they can opt not to pay for them.

Both paths are available.

As for Ferrum, releasing new products every few months with very minor changes would be irritating, but releasing a product with substantial new features after a full year (that is also an optional variant and not a direct replacement) , why wouldn't you do that?
 
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Mar 17, 2024 at 8:32 PM Post #14 of 67
One doesn't need to have the latest thing at all times.
The original Wandla is available with all the same features it had upon release, with the same performance, at the same price.

The GoldenSound Edition is available for those who do want to pay the extra for the features it offers. And for existing wandla owners they can convert their existing unit for almost the same price as the price delta anyway if they also would like the new features.

For those that don't want or need the new features, they can opt not to pay for them.

Both paths are available.

As for Ferrum, releasing new products every few months with very minor changes would be irritating, but releasing a product with substantial new features after a full year (that is also an optional variant and not a direct replacement) , why wouldn't you do that?
So you agree that they released a better version of the same product less than a year after the original, without any indication to early adopters that this would ever be the case, yes?

I'm not asking whether you think that's fine, you've made it clear that you do.
 
Mar 17, 2024 at 8:38 PM Post #15 of 67
So you agree that they released a better version of the same product less than a year after the original, without any indication to early adopters that this would ever be the case, yes?

I'm not asking whether you think that's fine, you've made it clear that you do.
Ferrum didn't know when there would be a significant Wandla revision ready or a Wandla 2 etc at the time they released Wandla.

When you buy a TV, they don't tell you when a new version will come out and they likely don't know when it'll be ready themselves.

When you buy a headphone, the manufacturer provide the anticipated release date of their next one and at that time they likely don't know either.

But in either of those cases once a new one is released, there's a slim chance you'll be able to get it without selling your old one and buying the new one.

Products should be released when it's sensible and there is a worthwhile reason to do so. That's the case here. Worthwhile and desirable features were fully developed, and enabling people to get the new one for almost the same as the price delta as well means no, there really was no reason to delay this release.
 

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