[chaturanga]

I got the Erco and Hypsos combo yesterday and hooked it up with the Sony WM1AM2 DAP via USB in the back. Half of the time, the music sounds jumbled and broken, and if i skip to another track, it sounds normal (and it sounds wonderful when it does!). I tried multiple USB cables and the same issue. Did anyone experience somethign similar? I wonder what the issue is?

Did you update Hypsos and Erco to the latest firmwares available on Ferrum's support page?

But even after updates, it's better to use with a computer. (And download ASIO driver from Ferrum Support page for Erco if you use with a Windows computer)

Yes it's working with smart phones and it will work with any device that have OTG capability but the device is not optimized perfectly for portable sources (at least yet).

I have Android and I am able to use it but not perfect, for example when I play my music on Tidal, (directly from Tidal app or Tidal via Usb Audio Player Pro app) if I hit play button and let it play for an album or list it plays with no problem, but whenever I manually change the track (next track, previous track or choosing another track from the list) then it starts to behave unpredictable,

And can you update us how you describe sound of Erco with and without Hypsos? Is there a very big noticeable difference?

I have only DAC not Hypsos.

 

[thingwfeathers]

And can you update us how you describe sound of Erco with and without Hypsos? Is there a very big noticeable difference?

From what I remember, dynamics improve a little with the Hypsos. Plus, there is the added benefit of tweaking the voltage. The Hypsos will help you get the most out of the Erco. For me, the difference was noticeable but not hugely apparent. I don't regret buying the Hypsos, but I'd recommend snagging a used unit rather than buying new because it is quite expensive for what you are getting sound-wise.

 

[edwin194847372838]

One suggestion if you’re having problems with the Erco on Windows: go to your power settings in windows and disable selective suspend.

Windows has an annoying bug (well, can’t blame MS entirely for trying to optimize power consumption), where a device that shares the same USB hub can affect adjacent devices when it enters a low power state. It sounds like the Ferrum driver isn’t signaling to the hub “wake up”.

Windows has a specific power setting for web browsing as well. This only applies to IE / Edge.. so it could very well be that the power policy was entering a lower state once you close your browser.

Any ports in the same “row” as well as ports on the front of your PC are all part of the same hub. Moreover, there is a parent/child relationship that establishes the adjacent ports as siblings.

 

[chaturanga]

Does anyone know an alternative power adapter for Erco?

 

[chaturanga]

Anyone here using a BT receiever with Erco? I am thinking to buy Slash6 BT receiever.

 

[SolarCetacean]

My local hifi shop let me demo the Erco + Hypsos combo for a few days. I've just set up the Erco alone on my desktop setup, replacing the FiiO K9 Pro (AKM), and the difference is quite obvious. The sound is more dynamic, similar to when I use dynamic EQ on the K9, but across the entire spectrum instead of specific bands. All of these details "pop" and are more easily noticeable where before I'd miss them if I wasn't specifically looking for them in the mix.

The sound signature carries through to the preamp outputs, as I'm driving a Hifiman Shangri-La Jr via a modded Stax amp right now, and the sound pairing is excellent. Estats often lack punch and macro-dynamics, and the punchiness of the Erco's sound goes a long way to rectify those issues. I normally add a dynamic bass shelf via Fabfilter Pro Q 3 to the Jr, but I've been listening to it with the Erco all night without EQ and I've never found the need to add more punch.

The only downside would be that the dynamism sometimes makes the treble on the Jr harsher. The Jr's treble is elevated, but overall quite smooth (assuming it isn't underpowered), and I consider it the headphone that best straddles the line between elevated and sharp treble, but the added dynamic swing can push it over the edge to sharpness in some songs.

Tomorrow I plan to try it out on my Stax SR-L700 to see how that estat changes with the Erco. I'll also get some more listening time with my non-estats, like the Aeon 2 Closed and Z7M2. I'm definitely pleased with this demo; I've long been a DAC skeptic, and I didn't hear any substantial differences between other Topping/FiiO DACs, but the Erco was a significant step up.

I'm curious how the Hypsos improves things. I've seen comments saying it's a marginal upgrade and others saying it's significant.

 

[SolarCetacean]

Bought the Erco (picked it up from the store today). Somehow cheaper than I was expecting (lower price including tax compared to the product price listed on the Ferrum website), but I'm on good terms with the store owner and he may have given me promotional pricing as a courtesy. Sounds just as good as the demo!

I ended up not getting the Hypsos as I didn't find it to make much of a difference when running in line out mode, and the headphones that benefit most are my estats where the Erco will be just a DAC. From my understanding of the Hypsos, it helps maintain voltage in the face of highly variable current output, but in preamp mode there isn't much current going out, so the benefit is limited.

Also, there was a firmware update 1.0.3 released yesterday that improved line output levels (4V on XLR) and headphone output levels with digital sources. I found I didn't need to turn up the volume pot as high on my Stax amp compared to the demo unit with the earlier firmware.

 

[dfiled]

Has anyone tried the Erco with the Verite Closed and if so how is the pairing?

 

[ardilla]

A question: Do you shut down the equipment overnight?

Always do if you want the components to last

 

[MartinBal]

Hi, I plan to change the Astell Kern SP2000 Ultima to Ferrum Erco + Hypsos. Does anyone have experience? What can I expect? I have a Meze Elite. Thanks for any opinion.

 

[Shape77]

Today I tried the ERCO with my Annihilator 2023.
It's a fair DAC/Amp, but sincerely I wasn't really impressed. Now I am using the ifi Gryphon.

First of all I tried ERCO at -dB config, but something was wrong, there were not "my" Anni: too much bass and less dynamics than I am used with the Gryphon.
Then I changed the config to 0 and everything turned back as I know: bass are a little bit stronger than Gryphon, but the highs are in the right place, even if they are less crispy.
Sound is smoother and more pleasant than Gryphon, but I feel that I miss some details in the high frequencies and dynamics in the bass, I don't know if because of the different DAC chip or the Amp stage.
I thought that Ferrum products were more neutral than Gryphon (that is a little bit warm), but I find the ERCO warmer than Gryphon, maybe too much for my tastes

At 3x price of the Gryphon I can't say that there's the same different in quality. And actually I can't say if I prefer the ERCO, maybe it's because of the way I'm used to Gryphon, probably I need a longer listening time with the ERCO. BTW this are my first impressions
I'll come back to the shop in order to try it again and also to try the OOR/WANDLA/HYPSOS chain (HYPSOS wasn't available, so I couldn't try with ERCO).

 

[SolarCetacean]

Sound is smoother and more pleasant than Gryphon, but I feel that I miss some details in the high frequencies and dynamics in the bass, I don't know if because of the different DAC chip or the Amp stage.

Interesting, I should try out some iFi products then. I find that the Erco is quite dynamic, moreso than Chord products or my FiiO K9 Pro. If iFi (assuming a consistent house sound across products) is even more dynamic, then perhaps I'll find them even better. Though I generally use my Erco as a pure DAC with line-outs going into an electrostatic setup rather than with IEMs.

 

[Shape77]

Interesting, I should try out some iFi products then. I find that the Erco is quite dynamic, moreso than Chord products or my FiiO K9 Pro. If iFi (assuming a consistent house sound across products) is even more dynamic, then perhaps I'll find them even better. Though I generally use my Erco as a pure DAC with line-outs going into an electrostatic setup rather than with IEMs.

In this thread someone said that iFi desktop amps are not comparable to ERCO:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/ferrum-audio-erco-headphone-dac-amp.962635/post-16888990

But maybe in ERCO I didn't find the same high of the Gryphon, so it seems darker than Gryphon.
But I have to listening again because the longest session were with -dB config, that was even worst.

 

[SolarCetacean]

Gen 2 Erco??? Link

Not sure if this page was meant to be up already, but from the text there, it looks like Ferrum is offering an upgrade program for existing Erco owners. The upgrade link is not active yet. The Gen 2 upgrade should bring over a few of the Wandla features like the HQ Apodizing filter, as well as an improved I/V conversion stage. Very interesting!

 

[SolarCetacean]

Blog post
Looks like it's official. Initial pricing for the upgrade is only $200 (free for any Erco purchased at an authorized dealer after July 1st, 2023), which is very nice! I'll look into this; I had been interested in the Wandla for the improved filters, but if I can get them in the Erco (with other analog upgrades) and for only $200 instead of $2800, I'll be a very happy owner! In fact, looking through my receipts, I purchased mine just within the July 1st cut-off window for the free upgrade.