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Ferrum ERCO Gen 2 Balanced DAC & Headphone Amplifier

Ferrum ERCO Gen 2 Balanced DAC & Headphone Amplifier - Main image
$1230 $2050 In stock

Category: Headphone Amplifiers

Improvements brought to you by ERCO Gen 2

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.

Proprietary Technology

Industry leading technology is applied. All digital ports are optimised for audio, MQA decoding and rendering is optimised for use with internal ARM chip.

Suited for high end personal audio

Connect your favorite headphones to the balanced 4.4 mm jack or unbalanced 6.35 mm headphone jack outputs or powered loudspeakers on your desktop to the XLR or RCA outputs to perform to their max.

Clearing the path for high end audio

Perfect mix of flagship Ferrum technology combined with high grade in house developed Digital to Analog conversion. Choose from three digital and one analog input.

Discrete/IC hybrid design

Ultra-wideband ICs fine tuned for audio use to achieve the best possible analog quality.

Enhanced transparency

The whole design remains focussed on a balanced and very transparent sound signature, making listening fatigue something of the past.

Truly Balanced

The signal path is truly balanced from early D/A stage and becomes truly balanced using the RCA inputs.

Ferrum Power Link

ERCO performs very, very good right out of the box. But ERCO is made to excel above and beyond when used together with HYPSOS. We use what we dubbed our Ferrum Power Link (FPL in short) to connect the two. HYPSOS then will perform to its maximum, unleashing unheard musicality from the combination with ERCO.

Highlights

  • ERCO Gen 2 fully balanced headphone DAC/AMP
  • Improved I/V converter
  • Improved DSP engine
  • Improved Digital Filter (HQ Apodizing)
  • Improved max resolution (768 kHz / DSD 512)
  • Proprietary IC power amp design
  • Proprietary optimised-for-audio digital inputs
  • Proprietary optimised MQA rendering and decoding for ARM chip
  • Proprietary 4-pin Ferrum connector for HYPSOS
  • Balanced 4.4 mm jack and unbalanced 6.35 mm jack headphone outputs
  • Balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA line outputs

Technical Specifications

Feature Details
Headphone Output Gain Balanced: -5.8 dB, +6 dB, +17.8 dB; Single-ended: -11.8 dB, 0 dB, +11.8 dB
Operation Fully balanced, proprietary IC power amp
Power Inputs 5.5/2.5 mm DC connector center positive; Proprietary FPL 4-pin DC connector (FPL)
Analog Inputs RCA (Red Book level 2V RMS recommended, PRO level supported)
Digital Inputs USB-C (MQA, up to PCM 32-bit/768kHz, DSD512, DoP256);
S/PDIF Coaxial (MQA, up to PCM 24-bit/192 kHz, DoP64);
S/PDIF Optical (MQA, up to PCM 24-bit/96 kHz guaranteed, should work up to PCM 24-bit/192 kHz and DoP64 – depends on user’s optical cable and transmitter)
DAC Chip ESS Sabre ES9028PRO
PCM Sample Rates 44.1 / 48 / 88.2 / 96 / 176.4 / 192 / 352.8 / 384 / 705.6 / 768 kHz
DSD Sample Rates 2.8224 / 3.072 / 5.6448 / 6.144 / 11.2896 / 12.288 / 22.5792 / 24.576 MHz
DAC Resolution PCM up to 768k@32bit; DSD up to 512 (22.6 MHz / 24.6 MHz)
MQA Decoder and Renderer (USB, OPTO, and COAX inputs)
Headphone Jack Outputs Balanced 4.4 mm (TRRRS); Unbalanced 6.35 mm (TRS)
Line Outputs Balanced XLR; Unbalanced RCA (Red Book level: 4V RMS balanced / 2V RMS unbalanced)
Volume Control Analogue with bypass option (bypass for line outputs only)
Frequency Response 10 Hz – 30 kHz (+/- 0.05 dB); 10 Hz – 200 kHz (+/- 1 dB)
Output Power (Unbalanced) 300 mW into 300 Ω; 1.7 W into 50 Ω
Output Power (Balanced) 1.2 W into 300 Ω; 6.1 W into 50 Ω
THD on Balanced Output < 0.00018% / -115 dB, 1 mW into 16 Ω; < 0.00018% / -115 dB, 100 mW into 16 Ω
THD on Unbalanced Output < 0.00032% / -110 dB, 1 mW into 16 Ω; < 0.00057% / -105 dB, 100 mW into 16 Ω
Dynamic Range (Analog) 129 dB (A-weighted)
Dynamic Range (Digital) 117 dB (A-weighted)
Input Impedance 47 kΩ
Output Impedance (Unbalanced) 22 Ω on pre-amp
Output Impedance (Balanced) 44 Ω on pre-amp
Output Impedance (Headphones) < 0.3 Ω
Power Consumption Idle <15 W
Power Adapter 100-240 VAC to 22-30 VDC
Dimensions (W x D x H) 21.7 cm x 20.6 cm x 5 cm / 8.6” x 8.1” x 2.0”
Weight 1.8 kg / 3.97 lbs
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Customer Reviews (4.0 / 5 · 5 reviews)

Steven ★★★★★

The new I/V converter stage really tightens up the low end compared to my previous amp, making bass lines sound more defined. I’ve been running it with the HQ Apodizing digital filter engaged, and it smooths out harsh treble without losing detail. For the price, this is a noticeable step up in clari

Evelyn A. ★★★★★

Swapped out my old stack for this and the background is just black now, even with sensitive IEMs. The Apodizing filter in the DSP engine makes cymbals decay so naturally it's almost eerie. Two weeks in and I keep finding new details in albums I've played for years.

Riley Q. ★★★★☆

Ran it with my older planar set and the I/V converter change is actually noticeable — cleaner separation between instruments than my last DAC. Only gripe is it runs warm enough that I leave a little extra space on the shelf.