In this review we take a close look at the Ferrum Audio ERCO 2 DAC/AMP, selling for €1.795 Euro.
Disclaimer: Ferrum Audio is not related to Headfonia. The Ferrum ERCO 2 was sent to me to be featured on Headfonia.com.
HEM / Ferrum Audio
Founded more than 20 years ago in Warsaw, Poland by Marcin Hamerla, HEM set out to operate at the forefront of audio technology. Having done several projects for the Polish government, HEM’s focus shifted to industry leading digital technology in collaborating with Mytek Digital. Experimenting with hi-res audio and Master Quality Authenticated files in particular, HEM manufactured the finest Digital to Analogue converters in the world under the Mytek brand. Apart from being responsible for manufacturing Mytek, HEM distributed the brand in European and Far Eastern markets. Another brand in HEM distribution is Clarus Cable. HEM recently introduced a new and completely in-house developed brand of hifi products under the name Ferrum, which HEM will be distributing as well. Because of HEM’s in-house Research & Development and Software Programming Division, fields of expertise also include the manufacturing of original electronic equipment (OEM) and electronic designs (ODM).
The Ferrum brand was created in early 2020 and set out to combine sustainability, durability and quality into compact yet attractive packages, focused on one thing only: delivering the best possible audio experience at an affordable price level. The first product was the Hypsos PSU (Power Supply Unit) and the second Ferrum product was a headphone amplifier called, OOR, which we reviewed a few months ago.
Ferrum very quickly is building a name in the personal audio segment with their excellent Hypsos/OOR setup. In this new article we will be looking at their latest DAC/AMP unit, the Ferrum ERCO 2 (pronounced Ertso) which is the 2nd generation of their all-in-one DAC & headphone amplifier. The original ERCO’s article can be found here and we suggest reading up on that first.
As there are a lot of similarities between the ERCO and ERCO 2, multiple parts in this article will look familiar to those who have read the original ERCO’s article.
ERCO 2
The Ferrum ERCO 2 is a DAC and headphone amplifier but it also features balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA line outputs. It’s selling for €1.795 USD/Euro which puts it directly in the upper part of the market.
You can find out all about the Ferrum ERCO 2 on its dedicated web page here.
The name ERCO (not pronounced airco but ˈert͡so) is Esperanto for ore. We took to Esperanto for the name inspired by its creator Ludwik Lejzer Zamenhof, who used to live around the corner from our offices near Warsaw. Zamenhof started developing Esperanto in his childhood while still in school, pursuing peace around the world where one language would bring together humankind. We want to do the same through pure and honest music reproduction. In the end it brings peace to the mind.
Input-wise you get three digital inputs (USB-C, Coax, Optical) and one analog RCA input in case you want to bypass the ERCO 2’s DAC part. Headphone-wise the ERCO 2 features a balanced 4,4mm jack and an unbalanced 6,35mm jack on the front.
Size-wise the ERCO 2 is identical to the Hypsos, OOR and original ERCO and it measures 21.7 cm x 20.6 cm x 5 cm / 8.6” x 8.1” x 2.0” in W x D x H. With its 1.8 kg / 3.97 LBS it stands firm on your desk or on top of the Hypsos, and it doesn’t budge when connecting cables or plugging in/out headphones.
With the full reprogramming of ERCO’s software in combination with crucial changes in the analog circuitry, we are introducing a newer and better ERCO. The ERCO Gen 2 will bring our entry-level DAC one step closer to the performance levels of WANDLA, our flagship converter.
DAC-wise the ERCO 2 still features an ESS Sabre ES9028PRO chip but it now allows PCM up to 768k@32bit and DSD up to 512 (22.6 MHz / 24.6 MHz). For the full sample rate overview, check out the technical specs below. The ERCO 2 does render MQA for those who believe in and like to listen to the format.
The ERCO sports ultra-wideband ICs and according to Ferrum they’re fine-tuned for audio use to achieve the best possible analog quality. All digital ports are optimized for audio, MQA decoding and rendering is optimized for use with internal ARM chip. The signal path in this device is truly balanced.
ERCO 2 comes with a carefully selected DC power adapter which works fine but the ERCO 2 is made to excel when powered by Ferrum’s Hypsos PSU, using their proprietary Ferrum Power Link (FPL in short) to connect the two. HYPSOS – according to Ferrum – then will perform to its maximum, unleashing unheard musicality from the combination with ERCO. The Hypsos and FPL cable have to be ordered separately, but I have to admit that the Ferrum PSU really boosts the OOR’s and ERCO 2’s performance. It doesn’t stop their though, as you can easily use Hypsos with many other units. Anyway, if you have the extra budget ($/€ 3K total), go for the Hypsos to get the very best out of the ERCO 2. But if you can’t make it happen there’s nothing to worry about, as ERCO 2 will still sound very good.
Asio drivers for use with Windows operating systems can be found here.
ERCO 2 – Novelties
So what is new? The I/V converter stage has better overall performance and SERCE’s DSP engine provides oversampling using DDF preferred HQ Apodizing digital filter, which get the most out of the DAC chip almost emulating WANDLA performance. Last but not least maximum resolution is now PCM 768 kHz and DSD 512, as mentioned above. The original ERCO can be upgraded to ERCO 2 and all info about that can be found here. Basically, if you purchased your ERCO after July 1, 2023, the upgrade will be free of charge. Otherwise, the upgrade will cost €195 euro or USD.
Full info from Ferrum:
With the full reprogramming of ERCO’s software in combination with crucial changes in the analog circuitry , we are introducing a newer, better ERCO. ERCO Gen 2 will bring our entry-level DAC one step closer to the performance levels of WANDLA, our flagship converter.
The complete reprogramming of the original ERCO involves putting a new bootloader in the deepest part of its memory and goes much further than a regular firmware update. Doing it like this, we are even able to use the experience gained from developing our SERCE platform and elevate the original ERCO to a level nearing its bigger sibling WANDLA. Now, our entry-level DAC will bring you closer to the music than ever before. The DSP in ERCO Gen 2 will equal WANDLA, bringing things like 768 kHz support, DSD512, improved DAC performance and including our users’ most preferred WANDLA digital filter.
Analog improvements in ERCO Gen 2: After designing the new I/V converter for WANDLA, we’ve gained much experience and made many discoveries in this area. The ESS DAC chip used in ERCO Gen 2 is a smaller version of the one used in WANDLA (WANDLA – ES9038PRO, ERCO – ES9028PRO), but the original ERCO uses an I/V converter designed in the “pre-WANDLA” style. The ERCO Gen 2 has important updates to the I/V converted informed by our experience with WANDLA, which give it a more detailed sound signature.
Digital improvements in ERCO Gen 2: Since the digital hardware in ERCO is very similar to the hardware in our SERCE board, we were able to port the full SERCE software stack to ERCO. It means that ERCO Gen 2 behaves exactly as if it were based on SERCE. We have added the HQ Apodizing digital filter, the same which is available in WANDLA and preferred by current WANDLA users. We have bypassed the filters in ESS, including MQA for all non-MQA signals and USB playback of 768kHz signals is implemented. What’s more, we have reduced intermodulation and intersample distortions and adjusted output levels to meet RED book standard on the line output and maximum output power on headphone outputs.
The article continues on the second page. Click here or use the links or jumps below.
Page 1: Ferrum/HEM, ERCO 2, Novelties
Page 2: Design, Build quality, Lay-Out, Specifications
Page 3: Sound intro, Sound General, Sound output, Sound input
Page 4: Headphone Synergy, Comparison, Conclusion, Summary
Jim Hülse
Do I understand correctly that the Ferrum Erco 2 is not recommended as a preamplifier?
Lieven
it has a line out only