[Mimetic]

Before boxing, would you mind recording a video for reference? YouTube or whatever file dump service would be cool

I took a very short audio recording on my phone before I went to visit my dealer, not sure how or where I could upload that though.

 

[OhmsClaw]

I took a very short audio recording on my phone before I went to visit my dealer, not sure how or where I could upload that though.

can email me via DM the recording attachment, i'm really interested in how prominent it is

 

[GoldenSound]

I tried the iFi DC Blocker as well but for me it had no effect.

My dealer was gracious enough to let me try another Hypsos but unfortunately it produced the same noise as the first one, maybe slightly worse. Seems that the hum is within tolerance. You'd think at this price Ferrum could put a shield over the transformer or something, at least then if it hums you won't hear it.

I decided to return the Hypsos to the dealer and will be selling my Wandla privately. If anyone is looking to try one feel free to message me or keep an eye out for it.

If two units are doing it and the DC blocker didn't fix it that unfortunately means it's almost certainly due to high mains THD.

High mains THD will cause the core of the transformer to become saturated and vibrate. It's not actually negatively affecting performance (other than being slightly less efficient but the transformer is quite overspecced anyway so no issue), but if you'd want to address it you'd need to either use a regenerator such as the ones from PS audio, or use switching power supplies

 

[ericx85]

I got a Hypsos last week for when the gs Wanda arrives. I’ll give an update whether it has a hum or not but I usually keep things a little further away on the desk. Here’s hoping to it shipping this week.

 

[ChJL]

I tried the iFi DC Blocker as well but for me it had no effect.

My dealer was gracious enough to let me try another Hypsos but unfortunately it produced the same noise as the first one, maybe slightly worse. Seems that the hum is within tolerance. You'd think at this price Ferrum could put a shield over the transformer or something, at least then if it hums you won't hear it.

I decided to return the Hypsos to the dealer and will be selling my Wandla privately. If anyone is looking to try one feel free to message me or keep an eye out for it.

hey, try pushing firmley on top plate of Hypsos... or put a heavy weight on it 2kg
Long story short... dealt with noise on Hypsos myself... bought PSM156 for DC offset and after almost a year, emails to Ferrum, sending it in to dealer to check, asking on here I found out when applying pressure on device top made noise disappear!!!

 

[GoldenSound]

My hypsos hummed at my old place from about 9am to 2pm, but that was the case with everything that had big o type or toroidal trafos unfortunately as the mains THD went really high during those times.

Dead silent in the new spot though as the power is luckily nice and clean

 

[wagninger]

I remember hearing through my active speakers when someone 2 stories above me would use a hairdryer… electricity is funny sometimes

 

[ChJL]

My hypsos hummed at my old place from about 9am to 2pm

when someone 2 stories above me would use a hairdryer… electricity is funny sometimes

thought the same but even PSM156 and checking when all neighbors were asleep didn't help.
but...

I found out when applying pressure on device top made noise disappear!!!

chassis was vibrating

 

[GoldenSound]

thought the same but even PSM156 and checking when all neighbors were asleep didn't help.
but...

A power conditioner can't fix high mains THD.

A DC blocker (which the PSM156 includes) will help with DC offset but mains THD is actually a much more prominent issue and for that you unfortunately need a full regenerator.

 

[OhmsClaw]

My hypsos hummed at my old place from about 9am to 2pm, but that was the case with everything that had big o type or toroidal trafos unfortunately as the mains THD went really high during those times.

Dead silent in the new spot though as the power is luckily nice and clean

Have you gotten ahold of a Mjolnir 3 yet? I'm guessing that's what it's like.

 

[bluenight]

My hypsos hummed at my old place from about 9am to 2pm, but that was the case with everything that had big o type or toroidal trafos unfortunately as the mains THD went really high during those times.

Dead silent in the new spot though as the power is luckily nice and clean

Yeah i think mine is quiter at night then those busy ours in my apartment, so i have noticed this. I added an ifi Dcblocker that lessened the hum but not completely quiet all the time. On many times now i heard it very quiet where i could not detect a hum at night time. But on some occasions i can hear a faint hum putting the ear angled to it some 30 cm away. Like I did just now when i listened for and i could here some.

But my Lake People RS 02 with Transformer where always completely silent.

 

[krude]

After my misadventures in trying to order a Wandla from a problematic distributor and thankfully getting my money back after a few wasted months of waiting I decided to use my local distributor I used before (mp3store in Poland) and their service was impeccable as always.

I've been running Wandla for over a month now, and I was running Holo Audio May Level 2 for 3 years before that.

When I was considering my next DAC I wanted 4 things really :
1. I wanted it to be a little bit different to the May and a bit more analytical.
2. But I wanted it to retain the general quality of May, I wanted a natural timbre, refined sound, and most importantly fully holographic wide and deep stage.
3. I also wanted to have some flexibility in how the DAC sounds so I can make the fine adjustments to get it to synergise with my system.
4. I had to have good volume control and a remote.

And when I looked at the market, only Wandla seemed to have everything I was looking for at a sub 4k euro price. Plus I liked the form factor compared to huge and heavy r2r DACs. I also considered the Chord TT2, but I'm not sure if it would be as refined as Wandla is, and it definitely would have less tweakability (I had Hugo 2 some years ago and I was really impressed but I would only really use 2 filter settings and that's it).

I use higher end tube amps pretty much exclusively nowadays (300B and 2A3), so take system synergy into consideration.

So how is Wandla working for me coming from a long time with May? Did it do what I was hoping for?

In short, yes.

It is a bit leaner, a bit cleaner, 95% as refined, has really good bass, and really good dynamics, but most importantly it doesn't have digital glare and has a very comparable stage both width and depth to the May. I think it works particularly well with tube amps, as sometimes warmer and richer sounding DACs can be too much for tubes.

My May already has a new home in Scotland with a happy new owner. I enjoyed May for many many hours, but now I'm sure I will enjoy Wandla for a few years to come.

 

[ericx85]

After my misadventures in trying to order a Wandla from a problematic distributor and thankfully getting my money back after a few wasted months of waiting I decided to use my local distributor I used before (mp3store in Poland) and their service was impeccable as always.

I've been running Wandla for over a month now, and I was running Holo Audio May Level 2 for 3 years before that.

When I was considering my next DAC I wanted 3 things really :
1. I wanted it to be a little bit different to the May and a bit more analytical.
2. But I wanted it to retain the general quality of May, I wanted a natural timbre, refined sound, and most importantly fully holographic wide and deep stage.
3. I also wanted to have some flexibility in how the DAC sounds so I can make the fine adjustments to get it to synergise with my system.
4. I had to have good volume control and a remote.

And when I looked at the market, only Wandla seemed to have everything I was looking for at a sub 4k euro price. Plus I liked the form factor compared to huge and heavy r2r DACs. I also considered the Chord TT2, but I'm not sure if it would be as refined as Wandla is, and it definitely would have less tweakability (I had Hugo 2 some years ago and I was really impressed but I would only really use 2 filter settings and that's it).

I use higher end tube amps pretty much exclusively nowadays (300B and 2A3), so take system synergy into consideration.

So how is Wandla working for me coming from a long time with May? Did it do what I was hoping for?

In short, yes.

It is a bit leaner, a bit cleaner, 95% as refined, has really good bass, and really good dynamics, but most importantly it doesn't have digital glare and has a very comparable stage both width and depth to the May. I think it works particularly well with tube amps, as sometimes warmer and richer sounding DACs can be too much for tubes.

My May already has a new home in Scotland with a happy new owner. I enjoyed May for many many hours, but now I'm sure I will enjoy Wandla for a few years to come.

As a former may owner myself, this makes me very excited!

 

[slsmaster]

After my misadventures in trying to order a Wandla from a problematic distributor and thankfully getting my money back after a few wasted months of waiting I decided to use my local distributor I used before (mp3store in Poland) and their service was impeccable as always.

I've been running Wandla for over a month now, and I was running Holo Audio May Level 2 for 3 years before that.

When I was considering my next DAC I wanted 3 things really :
1. I wanted it to be a little bit different to the May and a bit more analytical.
2. But I wanted it to retain the general quality of May, I wanted a natural timbre, refined sound, and most importantly fully holographic wide and deep stage.
3. I also wanted to have some flexibility in how the DAC sounds so I can make the fine adjustments to get it to synergise with my system.
4. I had to have good volume control and a remote.

And when I looked at the market, only Wandla seemed to have everything I was looking for at a sub 4k euro price. Plus I liked the form factor compared to huge and heavy r2r DACs. I also considered the Chord TT2, but I'm not sure if it would be as refined as Wandla is, and it definitely would have less tweakability (I had Hugo 2 some years ago and I was really impressed but I would only really use 2 filter settings and that's it).

I use higher end tube amps pretty much exclusively nowadays (300B and 2A3), so take system synergy into consideration.

So how is Wandla working for me coming from a long time with May? Did it do what I was hoping for?

In short, yes.

It is a bit leaner, a bit cleaner, 95% as refined, has really good bass, and really good dynamics, but most importantly it doesn't have digital glare and has a very comparable stage both width and depth to the May. I think it works particularly well with tube amps, as sometimes warmer and richer sounding DACs can be too much for tubes.

My May already has a new home in Scotland with a happy new owner. I enjoyed May for many many hours, but now I'm sure I will enjoy Wandla for a few years to come.

Great writeup. Thank you for that!

I also love my Wandla with my newly aquired Euforia Klassik. It really pairs well with a good tube amp!
Also with the downgraded FW to 1.2.2 it has been rock stable! However, I miss the ability to switch max output voltage, can't wait to get that feature back with the upcoming FW update.

Sadly, I can confirm your bad experience with said distributor. Waited almost 7 weeks for my Euforia, while other distributors had it listed with 2-4 days shipping time. Had to force my money back and ordered elswhere....

 

[GoldenSound]

Just as an update on shipping, the final firmware is in QA testing and once passed will be installed on units (currently in the US with the distributor already). So fingers crossed Wandla GoldenSound Edition units should be with you guys in a week or so!