Ferrum ERCO 2 | Desktop DAC and Amp

The Updated ERCO 2 Features Fully Reprogrammed Software, Changes in Analog Circuitry, and Improved Overall Performance

• Fully Balanced Headphone DAC and Amp
• Improved I/V Converter and DSP Engine
• Proprietary Optimized MQA Rendering and Decoding
• Suited for High-End Personal Audio

Analog Changes

After designing the new I/V converter for WANDLA, Ferrum gained experience and made many discoveries in this area. The ESS DAC chip used in ERCO Gen 2 is a smaller version (ES9028PRO) than the one used in WANDLA (ES9038PRO) but the original ERCO uses an I/V converter designed in the “pre-WANDLA” style. The ERCO Gen 2 has important updates to the I/V converter based on Ferrum's experience with WANDLA, which give it a more detailed and natural, engaging sound signature.

Digital Improvements

Because ERCO’s digital hardware closely resembles that of the SERCE board, Ferrum was able to bring the full SERCE software stack to ERCO. This includes the HQ Apodizing digital filter, also found in WANDLA and favored by many WANDLA users. Ferrum has also bypassed the ESS chip’s internal filters for all non-MQA signals, while adding USB playback support for signals up to 768kHz.

ERCO 2 further improves performance by reducing intermodulation and intersample distortion, while optimizing output levels to meet Red Book standards for line output and deliver maximum power through the headphone outputs.