[Aetherhole]

I know that there are a few owners of this unit that lurk in the Ferrum OOR thread, but this beauty deserved its own dedicated thread. Since I recently took ownership of an ERCO and HYPSOS, I wanted to share my eagerness by giving Ferrum’s newest product some well-deserved admiration in photo style.

Product information can be found here at Ferrum Audio - ERCO

I’m curious to see who else is rocking the ERCO with or without the HYPSOS. Let’s start the discussion!

 

[linknet]

Thanks for starting this thread
I don't have an Erco but i'm looking for the day when i'll be able to try one.
Can u say something about listening with and without the Hypsos ?

 

[Terco]

Beautiful photos, thanks for sharing.

 

[Aetherhole]

Thanks for starting this thread
I don't have an Erco but i'm looking for the day when i'll be able to try one.
Can u say something about listening with and without the Hypsos ?

I think you're in for a real treat once you get to hear the Erco. I'll be honest, I have not listened to the Erco without the Hypsos. I will definitely be experimenting, but the Erco is still pretty new in my system, only received it Thursday, but I am breaking both the Erco and Hypsos. Plus I am just having fun listening to as much as I can on the system right now.

I want to give it more time, but first impressions are very high. The Ferrum products both look amazing and the pairing sound equally so. I will say first and foremost, the technical sound characteristic that is the easiest thing to comment on is the extremely low noise floor. It's fascinating! The absence in background noise translates to marked benefits to the technical capabilities of the Erco+Hypsos, like articulation, detail retrieval, and sound stage. I'm imagining as I put more time on the Erco and the Hypsos, those aspects will also improve more.

 

[Aetherhole]

Beautiful photos, thanks for sharing.

Thank you for your compliment! I briefly checked out your website. Some beautiful portraiture on there; your style is visually engaging. I really like rich blacks and shadows, it lends to the overall dynamic nature of your images. Plus your color editing style is so well done. I'm a passionate, but budding photographer who assists and second shoots with my fiance.

 

[Tachyon88]

Yo ! Are you using balanced ? Do you still have your burson in your signature to compare ? Can you eventually try without the PSU ?

 

[Aetherhole]

Yo ! Are you using balanced ? Do you still have your burson in your signature to compare ? Can you eventually try without the PSU ?

Fancy seein' you here in this thread! Yep, I still have the Burson. And definitely, at some point soon, I definitely will be trying the Erco without the Hypsos.

 

[Tachyon88]

Fancy seein' you here in this thread! Yep, I still have the Burson. And definitely, at some point soon, I definitely will be trying the Erco without the Hypsos.

Indeed, you sure move fast ! haha.

Oh, your last picture answered both my questions on balanced use and gain settings. So you have it on high gain with the volume all the way to close to max ? What song was that, do you remember ?

 

[Aetherhole]

Indeed, you sure move fast ! haha.

Oh, your last picture answered both my questions on balanced use and gain settings. So you have it on high gain with the volume all the way to close to max ? What song was that, do you remember ?

I think I am settling down though!

You know... I think that was probably for picture purposes. The plug is actually the unbalanced 6.3mm plug because I hadn't gotten my 4.4mm balanced cable yet, which came the next day. When I ordered it, I realized after the fact that I only had a 6.3mm cable and the 4-pin XLR cable, so I had to immediately order a 4.4mm terminated cable.

For my comfort level at my loudest, I am running it on high gain, on balanced, it's somewhere 60-75% on the volume knob; again, that's where my music is at my threshold of extended listening comfortability. So there's still a bit of headroom. While I'm working though or doing other things, for relatively standard listening, I am usually at about 40-50% on the volume pot.

 

[Tachyon88]

I think I am settling down though!

You know... I think that was probably for picture purposes. The plug is actually the unbalanced 6.3mm plug because I hadn't gotten my 4.4mm balanced cable yet, which came the next day. When I ordered it, I realized after the fact that I only had a 6.3mm cable and the 4-pin XLR cable, so I had to immediately order a 4.4mm terminated cable.

For my comfort level at my loudest, I am running it on high gain, on balanced, it's somewhere 60-75% on the volume knob; again, that's where my music is at my threshold of extended listening comfortability. So there's still a bit of headroom. While I'm working though or doing other things, for relatively standard listening, I am usually at about 40-50% on the volume pot.

Oh I overlooked it was the SE connection ! I wish it had XLR though, oh well. Have you noticed any difference in sound stage between the Burson so far ? What did it do overall to the arya ?

 

[Aetherhole]

Oh I overlooked it was the SE connection ! I wish it had XLR though, oh well. Have you noticed any difference in sound stage between the Burson so far ? What did it do overall to the arya ?

Yeah I also wish it had XLR; the Oor utilizes the XLR connection, while this uses the pentacon. Not entirely sure why, but it is what it is, I suppose.

As far as the sound stage differences, I think it might be a bit bigger than the Burson. The C3XR is already quite good in the sound stage department; it is one of it's biggest strengths. I think where the difference lies is in the noise floor. The Burson does have a relatively high noise floor in comparison to the Erco. For sure, I feel there is more depth and layering within the sound stage.

For the Arya, it is a decent amount punchier in the bass and it did open the sound up a bit more. Highs seem a little less edgy, but still the retention of detail and speed are quite remarkable on the Ferrum stack.

 

[Aetherhole]

Where are the other Erco owners at??

So a bit of an update as I've put more hours on the Erco+Hypsos. The sound has opened up in various aspects. The macro dynamics have improved. Sound stage has broadened a bit more and imaging has also improved; the distance between instruments and details has become just a little bit more pronounced both laterally and in depth. Bass has also become a little be more prominent with a little bit more impact and slam.

I am really digging this pairing a ton. The Ferrum stack with the Hifiman Susvara and Arya are quite fun and be curious to hear other owners impressions!

 

[Ultrainferno]

Today's article on Headfonia is all about ERCO!

https://www.headfonia.com/ferrum-audio-erco-review/

 

[Aetherhole]

Today's article on Headfonia is all about ERCO!

https://www.headfonia.com/ferrum-audio-erco-review/

Great review! Glad to see it getting some attention and thanks for sharing it here. I also appreciate the comparisons to other systems at the end and makes me interested in hearing the Musician Pegasus or other R2R DACs.

 

[Ultrainferno]

T

Great review! Glad to see it getting some attention and thanks for sharing it here. I also appreciate the comparisons to other systems at the end and makes me interested in hearing the Musician Pegasus or other R2R DACs.

Thank you for the kind words!