It has been a while since we heard anything from Poland’s Ferrum, but now they are unpacking their new WANDLA DAC.
The new Ferrum WANDLA is a DAC and preamplifier in one, immediately promoted to the manufacturer’s flagship. At its beating heart is an in-house ARM-based platform called Serce (which in turn is the Polish word for heart). According to Ferrum, the single-chip solution hereby handles the tasks normally processed by five separate ICs. The integrated and optimized Serce also ensures the shortest possible signal path for audio-optimized digital ports. And in the case of the WANDLA – a nod to the German word Wandler or converter – these are USB, I2S, coaxial and optical S/PDIF plus HDMI. Separate internal linear power supplies supply the various digital and analog components equally separately.
Filtering
You can choose from seven digital filters, while Serce also allows you to bypass the filters of the ESS DAC chip entirely. As mentioned, the Ferrum WANDLA is not only a DAC but also a preamplifier. Here you can use two volume controls, choosing from either digital or analog. To facilitate the preamp side, an analog RCA ‘Direct Path’ line input is provided. As for analog outputs, balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA are provided. A touch screen completes the package, while a classic IR remote control is also included. The recommended retail price is $2795, available from the end of this month.