Ferrum

Like the best blast from the past, Ferrum Audio rekindle their Mytek Audio roots to produce Erco – a DAC and 4.4mm balanced headphone amplifier, with the star being an analog gain control pre-amp promising maximum transparency. Ferrum's know-how building Mytek Audio under the HEM label means they know how to extract the most from the renowned ES9028Pro from ESS Technology, even in the modern day. Airy, bathed in a beautiful light with delicate detail flowing around you either through headphones or speakers, Erco makes a case of working in any situation you expect in 2022. [See Product Desc. For More] Ferrum's proprietary work sees them leash Erco's current-output ES9028Pro to a 100Mhz master clock via PLL. This ESS workhorse turns DSP work over to an ARM MCU chip to work as a data master running its own slow roll-off minimum phase digital reconstruction filter, as well as all sorts of proprietary functions discussed. Ferrum's proprietary filter makes way for a Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) filter when such a stream is detected from Tidal Masters. More crucially, Erco's ARM MCU operates in tandem with the ALPS volume knob. Volume attenuation happens not only through signal level with a turn, but also adjusts internal analog gain via relays. This ensures Ferrum's volume control remains not only analog, but of the most transparent kind. The internal gain switching quashes noise by preserving signal at the ranges you're using Erco's pot at. Erco's MCU keeps you at the most transparent levels by intelligently dropping and increasing circuit gain as you really need. Erco makes the argument you won't need an external pre-amp post digital conversion into your stereo system. And this transparency is on full show plugged into its 4.4mm headphone output – capable of pushing 6 watts of balanced power. Integrated circuits from Analog Devices promise huge slew rates and 200Khz of closed-loop bandwidth to push your big headphones with nary a strain. Erco is Ferrum's promise – and a statement – that their single-box solution is ready to tackle nearly every task you have need for. Headfonia summed up that Ferrum have the perfect foil for Oor in Erco, with Headfonics citing the excellent headphone output power. Indeed, measurements from Hi-Fi News confirmed Ferrum's extra work payed off. Audiophilia implore you to approach this all-in-one with an open mind, and be blown away by a high value proposition. Hear how expanding upon Erco's compact talents could pay off by exploring the rest of Ferrum's range here, or view our other desktop devices here.

Ferrum Audio redefine DC linear power supplies with HYPSOS. Ordinarily, a box capable of outputting 30 volts and an instantaneous 9 amperes of current via DC barrel would automatically take the headlines. But that wasn't enough for Ferrum to stop at. Builders HEM – the hands behind Mytek Audio – started with a toroidal transformer taking power from AC but didn't stop there. They added their interpretation of filtered switch-mode power supplies and regulation for the ultimate hybrid. [See Product Desc. For More] READ ALSO How Ferrum redefined the linear power supply HYPSOS adopts the strengths of linear and SMPS to reduce voltage ripple, and lower noise plus EMI, by way of multiple levels of filtering.  This little box capable of putting out 80 watts of power into your DC-powered components will enhance their fidelity due to the raw quantity and quality of power. HYPSOS allows the user to tailor the required voltage to suit a pre-determined list of gear, or manually set custom parameters. A wide continuous ouput voltage range of 5 to 30 volts, with up to 6 amperes of current, can be delivered to the load. HYPSOS audibly improved the variety of components 6moons and Hi-Fi News tested. Use this in tandem with Ferrum's Oor headphone amplifier, view the rest of their range here, and our other desktop devices here.

It's quite clear being named Oor (meaning 'ear') how Ferrum Audio intended their dedicated headphone amplifier to be enjoyed. Yet under the hood, there's so much to chew on from the collaborators of Mytek Audio's meteoric rise, about their compact overachieving flagship built to drive the best Head-Fi has to offer. Still we let the accolades judged by ear pour in from seasoned reviewers hailing EISA's Best Headphone Amplifier of 2022 supreme. It's on Headfonia's Recommended Buys list for a reason, and Headfonics were equally sweeping in their praise. [See Product Desc. For More] Oor was too fun for Soundnews who put Ferrum's upstart against the industry's top dogs. Even Hi-Fi-centric Part-Time Audiophile awarded it an Editors Choice, and Hi-Fi News an Outstanding Product award complete with measurements.  In Oor is the complete package. Ferrum managed to balance the demand for neutrality in a flagship source, with the deep, impactful bass of a DC-coupled design. The technical chops are on show throughout by the proudly Polish HEM, who built Mytek but know a thing or two about circuit design themselves.  Oor's business side of things – a power stage consisting of a discrete transistor op-amp designed from the ground up – remains inherently linear. Even before negative feedback is applied.  Excellent frequency response in the open-loop, without coupling capacitors in the signal path, allows excellent low-frequency performance guaranteeing tight bass. And high-frequency extension soars to 60Khz, before negative feedback took that out flat to 100Khz. Phase response in the human hearing range is stellar, for potent, precise and hard-hitting dynamics to show off your flagship headphones. READ ALSO The inside story designing Ferrum Oor Feedback is not of the ordinary variety either, with current feedback providing speed of the loop gain through the capacitance of solid-state transistors for low transient intermodulation and slew-induced distortion.  Ferrum make their good Oor great, meanwhile, biasing the transistors making up their proprietary power stage in novel manner. Sitting between a sliding bias Class A and high-bias Class AB output stage in definition, Oor achieves the best benefits of both – highly linear transistor operation, plus high efficiency and lower quiescent current and heat. Thus is 8 watts of power delivered into HIFIMAN's Susvara achieved. Oor gives you power in quantity as well as quality. Certainly the same thing can be said about the listener's level of enjoyment too, regardless of headphone. Take Oor up another notch with the addition of the HYPSOS power supply, browse all of Ferrum's products here, or view our other desktop devices here.