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I measured the Ferrum Wandla with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It"). As HR had told me he much preferred the sound with the optional Ferrum HYPSOS power supply, I performed a complete set of measurements using that supply (set to the appropriate 24.0V), then repeated some of the tests with the wall-wart.

Looking first at the Wandla's behavior as a D/A processor, Apple's USB Prober utility identified the Wandla as "Ferrum WANDLA" from "HEM" with the serial number string "12 mb=HEM014964;serce=HEM015368." The USB port…

The love of music can drive human beings to astonishing lengths. For Prinz, cofounder/owner of California's Amoeba Music chain, that fervor revolves around the work of country-rock pioneer Gram Parsons. Despite the often-outlandish mythology that's grown up around this…

Girard explains how this not knowing drives history and…

HE-R10P
In Herbworld, HiFiMan's HE-R10P closed-back wood-cupped planar magnetics are performing at a level equal to or above that of every other model in my headphone herd. In daily use, their comfort and grainless presentation conspire to make them disappear. The R10P's focus and resolve (and $5499 price) are almost equal to HiFiMan's $6000 Susvara. Its transparency is almost at the Abyss AB-1266 level. The 83dB-sensitive Susvara are open-back. When my room is quiet, they exhibit a blacker background than the 30 ohm, 99dB-sensitive R10Ps, where I can always hear the vibrating walls…

There was a time in London, in the mid-'80s, when a party would invariably close with a couple of Pogues songs. It didn't matter what music had preceded them—it could be reggae or soul or whatever—but the Pogues would be played, to enthusiastic sing-a-longs by the party guests. Even I was known to join in occasionally.

As often as not, one of the songs would be the Pogues's cover of Ewan MacColl's "Dirty Old Town." It didn't matter that the song had been written about Salford (a city in Greater Manchester): Everyone would…

That quest may be ongoing and never-ending, because our tastes and preferences evolve over time, money comes and goes, and we're simply never satisfied. And even if we are, eventually, we're audiophiles, and the industry always offers something interesting and new, or…

I decided to test the low-frequency performance of The Nines. It pleased and amused me to learn that John Atkinson uses a Taylor Swift tune, "All Too Well (Taylor's Version)," from her remade Red (24/96 FLAC, Big Machine Records/Qobuz), to test low bass. It's a good tune for that purpose, with a prominent bassline dropping an octave at 2:25, when she sings, "'Cause there we are again in the middle of the night." The Nines clearly reproduced the descending low-frequency energy, but pushing the SPLs pushed the fuzziness. These little boxes are great at reasonable volumes, but they simply…

Description: Two-way bass-reflex, standmount digital loudspeaker system with integrated D/A conversion, class-D amplification, and on-board DSP. Drive units: 1" Titanium LTS vented tweeter with Tractrix silicone-composite horn; 8" high-excursion fiber-composite–cone woofer in a rear-ported enclosure made of MDF and finished in wood veneer. Crossover frequency: 1.6kHz. Frequency response: 34Hz–25kHz, –3dB. Dynamic bass extension: 22Hz at 35% volume. Maximum output: 115dB at 1m (stereo pair). System power: 100W (low frequencies), 20W (high frequencies); 240W total…

Analog sources: Technics SL-1200MK5 turntable with KAB modifications (fluid tonearm damping, tonearm rewiring, 78rpm speed added); Ortofon 2M Blue moving magnet cartridge; Sony KD-34XBR960 digital CRT TV/display.
Digital sources: Lenovo ThinkPad L530 laptop PC running Windows 10, Qobuz desktop app, and Foobar2000 music player; Oppo DV-970HD DVD/CD/SACD player; iPhone 7S (wireless Bluetooth connection).—Tom Fine