Ferrum Audio ERCO 2 Review

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Sound – Intro

In this article we will be looking at the Ferrum ERCO 2 as a DAC/AMP combo unit, as most people will be using it this way. Sources for the ERCO 2 were my Dell laptop (ROON) for USB (with the AudioQuest FMJ) and the Eversolo DMP-A6 for the coaxial input. I used a multitude of headphones for testing, but we will go into detail about that later in this article. Unless specifically mentioned, the USB input was the one used.

Ferrum doesn’t really comment on the ERCO 2’s sound signature, though we do find this on their site: the Ferrum ERCO remains focused on a balanced and very transparent sound signature, making listening fatigue something of the past.

Let’s find out how it sounds and performs!

Sound – General

For this chapter we used the ERCO 2’s balanced headphone output together with the USB input. See the next chapter for the differences between to the single ended and the balanced output.

The Ferrum ERCO 2, just like the original, is a more neutrally tuned unit where precision and dynamics are very important. The delivery is not overly analytical but it’s fluid and very musical. ERCO 2 is balanced and linear.

With the ERCO 1 and 2 you get a perfectly black background, ahigh level of clarity and a clean sound. The amount of body and impact from lows to highs is normal, meaning full and controlled. ERCO 2 is not overly boosted or thick and heavy, but it sounds natural, dynamic and precise. It’s the typical tuning of higher end, neutral gear and it’s very well executed here.

Sound stage wise the ERCO 2 scores well in both width and depth and, while more impressive than the ERCO 1, the OOR/Hypsos combo still has the edge on it. Layering and positioning are good but there’s margin for improvement when comparing it to super high end gear. With the ERCO 2 you – like with the ERCO 1 – get an excellent left/right balance and stereo image. The overall extension, note extension, timbre, airiness and spaciousness are extra good here and especially the extension, decay and note extension are better in the ERCO 2. It is where the unit really shines and why I prefer it over the original. Because of this, you with the new ERCO also get less perception of an intimate presentation.

One of the favorite things about the ERCO 2 are the vocals. With almost all of the headphones I hooked up, the vocal presentation was sublime. I find them to be better than in the original ERCO, and because of it, the naturalness of the ERCO 2 is even better/higher. Another aspect I like are the excellent dynamics and transparency from top to bottom. Last but not least I adore the mid timbre and the very musical, engaging and effortless delivery. The ERCO 2 draws you into your music and you want to keep playing more and more tracks on it. That of course is good news for Ferrum, as this is what makes unit win awards.

Do note that it’s key to feed the ERCO 2 with a good quality signal and source file. Feed it crap and you will hear it, the ERCO’s are not very forgiving.  

Sound – Balanced vs Single Ended headphone output

For this section I used the Hifiman Susvara Unveiled with the ERCO 2 being fed by the DMP-A6 over Coaxial. Note that you can’t listen to both the SE and Balanced outputs simultaneously.

With some units there is almost no difference between the balanced and single ended headphone outputs but with the Ferrum ERCO there are some important ones. When going from balanced to single ended, you will immediately get a lighter tuning, where the overall amount of body is lower. It’s still present but in a lighter way.

Another big difference is in the vocals. Where they in the balanced way are full, natural and smooth, they with the SE output are lighter, less present and less smooth. The mid timbre is also less expressive in single ended mode.

The third big difference for me is in the energy level. Where you in balanced mode get great clarity and vividness, this is reduced in SE mode. The downside here is that you also get a lower level of dynamics. SE-mode just sounds flatter.

The two signatures are rather different, with the balanced one being the best to my ears. It’s the fuller, more engaging, musical sounding one. Personally I have almost exclusively used the ERCO 2 with the 4.4mm balanced headphone output, as it sounds so much more natural and addictive.

Sound – Inputs

Very often DACs and DAC/AMP combos sound different depending the input used. For this test I used the Hifiman Susvara Unveiled in balanced mode and I used the optical and coaxial output from the xDuoo X10Tii.

To be honest, I in this configuration can’t hear any real difference between the Optical/Coaxial and the USB-input. I have listened to the same track over and over switching between inputs, and I really can’t find a difference. If any, the optical and Coaxial inputs might slightly be more energetic and lively on top, but I think it’s my ears and brain playing tricks on me.

I don’t feel there are any big differences between the inputs at this stage, and I will happily use the USB-input as that is the most easy one for me.

The article continues on the fourth 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