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Ferrum Hypsos hybrid PS, variable 5-30V DC / 6A


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Gets a lot of praise. Did anyone compare this PS to the Farad Super3, Paul Hynes supplies or the Uptone JS-2?

 

The variable voltage makes it a very interesting player in my view. Or as the manufacturer says: the possibility to find / set exactly the voltage sweet spot of the connected device.

 

link: https://ferrum.audio/hypsos/

Streamer dCS Network Bridge DAC Chord DAVE Amplifier / DRC Lyngdorf TDAI-3400 Speakers Lindemann BL-10 | JL audio E-sub e110 Head-fi and reference Bakoon HPA-21 | Audeze LCD-3 (f) Power and isolation Dedicated power line | Xentek extreme isolation transformer (1KVA, balanced) | Uptone Audio EtherREGEN + Ferrum Hypsos | Sonore OpticalModule + Uptone Audio UltraCap LPS-1.2 | Jensen CI-1RR Cables Jorma Digital XLR (digital), Grimm Audio SQM RCA (analog), Kimber 8TC + WBT (speakers), custom star-quad with Oyaide connectors (AC), Ferrum (DC) and Ghent (ethernet) Software dCS Mosaic | Tidal | Qobuz

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  • skatbelt changed the title to Ferrum Hypsos hybrid PS, variable 5-30V DC / 6A
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11 hours ago, edwardsean said:

What are you comparing it to?

 

More curious is how this is being compared/evaluated?!

 

Seriously, has there been any systematic documentation on the effect of something like this to objectifiable improvements whether to noise floor or jitter, etc...? Or in this case on the front page: "more dynamics, better bass performance". These are not exactly hard to define or measure if the device made a difference!

 

Nowhere on the webpage do I see the company demonstrating the supposed effect of this $1000 box. Having said this, it does look good on a hi-fi rack and the UI for device selection looks cool.

 

Archimago's Musings: A "more objective" take for the Rational Audiophile.

Beyond mere fidelity, into immersion and realism.

:nomqa: R.I.P. MQA 2014-2023: Hyped product thanks to uneducated, uncritical advocates & captured press.

 

 

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22 hours ago, edwardsean said:

No. I'm more more curious about the comparison.

 

If anyone has firsthand experience using this against supplies, please share what you hear. 

 

Hmmm... Sure. I just hope the results are meaningful however it's done.

 

Archimago's Musings: A "more objective" take for the Rational Audiophile.

Beyond mere fidelity, into immersion and realism.

:nomqa: R.I.P. MQA 2014-2023: Hyped product thanks to uneducated, uncritical advocates & captured press.

 

 

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42 minutes ago, Archimago said:

 

Hmmm... Sure. I just hope the results are meaningful however it's done.

Some peoples meaningful is other peoples nonsense. So best to qualify the frame of reference. The problem with all audio evaluations is that they are situational...

the amp you like with an 8 ohm speaker may suck with a 4 ohm speaker. The DAC that you like may sound good with book shelf speakers but suck with a floor stander where you can hear the lack of low bass integrity. Etc., etc,. An opinion without the system used and comparisons to known good competitors is just random noise to me

Regards,

Dave

 

Audio system

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hey Svampebob, 

 

I agree, it is an absolute pleasure to use. Most power supplies are just a bare case. I think that's a good move so that all cost can go to where it counts in sound quality. However, Ferrum made it sound great too, so I just really like the unit all way around. 

 

As for the cable, yeah, 2 wires go to the center pole signal, and 2 wires go to the outer "ring" ground. Many audiophile power supply cables use this configuration even without any sensing technology involved. 

 

I think you would really want to make sure all four terminals are connected in this way for two reasons. 1) Without a schematic you don't know which are the leads for the power and which go to sensing. You could figure it out with the unit turned on, but that is asking for trouble. 2) I think most people would want to use the sensing technology as I've only found benefits without any cost I can discern. I agree with you, the noise spread feature does some good things, but it also takes away from SQ to my ears. I also have it disabled. 

 

Honestly, I really think the cable upgrade is worth it, but only if you're going to spend the money on a premium cable. I think some of the builders like Audiosensibility, Zenwave, etc. might take the custom job if you send the connector to them. Again if you do a search for Weipu SF1210/P4 on Amazon it comes up, at least in the US. 

 

Where are you using it with by the by?

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Thanks! Happy to hear my ears may not be deceiving me :-) I heard better spacial info and more relaxed sound with noise spread off + sensing off (may solely be because of the former). 

 

I probably have an unusual pairing, I use it with a pi2aes (200$). I believe it sounds much better than its price suggests, I have an enormous holographic sound with sounds emerging anywhere in the room (also behind/to the sides). So together they play as the birds sing (hm, maybe a danish expression.. :-)). Pi2aes takes 15-48v, so that may be the reason I have no benefits from the sensing. Before the Hypsos I used a diy power supply with the predecessor to https://www.diyinhk.com/shop/eol-product/88-08uv-ultralow-noise-dac-power-supply-regulator-91215v-15ax2.html and an r-core transformer. It was already really good, in fact I am not sure the Hypsos sounds better in my system. My impression when switching was probably more image depth with the Hypsos, however vocals seems a bit further back in the mix, where as with the diy the vocals stood out more in front (I later read another Hypsos review that also said that vocals went back). No idea how this is possible by switching a power supply, and would have to test some more to be sure (have a bad habit of tweaking several things at a time).

 

Your info about the jack was great, I couldn't find it myself. I saw it is available several places, I would probably buy from tme.eu (Poland) and see if I can make them myself. Read good things about a star quad cable geometry, but I think I would lean towards twisted neotech SOCT instead. UP-OCC wire seems to be special to my ears. Which pins, yes - is a good question :-) 

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Without first telling me his own impressions, Svampebob privately messaged me on another forum and suggested I try the changing from the default 4T Sensing and Spread Spectrum settings on my Hypsos, which he knew I also used to power an RPi4/Pi2AES at 30v.  I then go via I2S into my Metrum Onyx with the new DAC3 modules. 

 

Quite independently of Svampebob and edwardsean above, I can confirm that I found that turning both these settings to "OFF" gave me slightly fuller bass, slightly better soundstaging (wider and deeper) and above all, much smoother and cleaner treble.  Recordings that I didn't like because treble harshness are now more listenable.  Well-recorded cymbals are now noticeably sweeter and more natural sounding. 

 

I can confirm Svampebob's impressions and at least part of ewardsean's findings on my system.

 

Based on edwardsean's recommendation, I have ordered an SR Orange fuse for my Hypsos.

WAN (direct from router - no other switches in signal path) or LAN (NAS) > DX Engrg DXE ISO-Plus > BJC Cat 6a > DX Engrg DXE ISO-Plus > Uptone Audio EtherRegen powered by Uptone Audio LPS 1.2 @12v with AfterDark Emperor Double Crown 10 MHz External Master Clock powered by AfterDark Modernize LPS > RPi4b/Pi2AES powered by Ferrum Hypsos LPS at 24v running Volumio as end point using Spotify Desktop App or JRiver > I2S over ethernet UTP > Metrum Onyx NOS DAC w/DAC3 Upgrade Modules > balanced AES/EBU > PS Audio SGC Preamp > balanced AES/EBU > Parasound A23 > NHT Classic Towers with dual sealed NHT subwoofers using miniDSP digital xover

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Hi, just to clarify on my end, I disable spread spectrum which I feel clouds the sound ever so slightly. However, I do engage the 4T Sensing. I really think both these features are going to be highly system dependent. I'm glad the options are there so people can experiment with their gear. 

 

For example, for me, I use convolution which already makes the sound fuller and sweeter so I need the extra clarity the 4TSens provides. On a system like Qstik's the opposite holds true. 

 

Hypsos owners should experiment instead of just taking the default options. It is simple, and part of the versatility of the design. 

 

Also, as I posted, I definitely think the fuse upgrade is worthwhile, but the more dramatic gain may be from the cable--if it is of a very high caliber.

 

Please do keep posting impressions. I think this is a special little unit that deserves more attention. 

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I made my own cable, following the guide at https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/58164-building-a-diy-music-server/page/2/?tab=comments#comment-1021544  .

I used 4 pieces of 1.3 mm Elecaudio silver wire+1.5mm teflon tubes, since I felt it would be too expensive with Mundorf wires (I did use Mundorf 1.5 mm for the DC cable for my PaulHynes 4t). I could only fit one of those cotton sleeves since 4 wires becomes quite thick.

The cable used in the original is the inexpensive Canare 4s6 https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/bi-wiring-amping/canare-4s6-star-quad-speaker-cable-copper-4x05mm-o6mm-p-12593.html?search_query=canare 4s6&fast_search=fs 

The original connector I bought from https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32848154785.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.27424c4dWKmGpV

 

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Forgot to say, I have only used it on the clean powered part of my Allo digione Signature, but since it has usb-c connectors I had to use small converter cable of dubious quality. Comparing to the Sbooster I had there before, I do think the Hypsos sounds better with more dynamic sound.  When I get a better player, I will probably move the Hypsos to powering the router, but I should also test it against the Paul Hynes that is running the Etherregen. I just have to make another DC cable for that first.

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8 hours ago, Egill23 said:

Forgot to say, I have only used it on the clean powered part of my Allo digione Signature, but since it has usb-c connectors I had to use small converter cable of dubious quality. Comparing to the Sbooster I had there before, I do think the Hypsos sounds better with more dynamic sound.  When I get a better player, I will probably move the Hypsos to powering the router, but I should also test it against the Paul Hynes that is running the Etherregen. I just have to make another DC cable for that first.

Which Paul Hynes do you have? If you do compare it, please do post!

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On 9/29/2021 at 7:13 PM, edwardsean said:

So, in went an SR Orange fuse and a week of burn in. Definitely worth the cost. All the usual improvements with this fuse emerged in the Hypsos: better resolution, imaging, layering, but instead of a colder sound, it produces an almost tube-like magic quality.

Even though his system is considerably different than mine with the exception of also having a Hypsos and Pi2AES, I absolutely concur with edwardsean on the value of adding an SR Orange fuse to the Hypsos and powering the Pi2AES.  My fuse has been burning in for 72+ hours now.  Even before it is fully burned-in, I am trying hard not to be too effusive.  The SR Orange fuse has transformed the sound of my system!  All recordings now have considerably more body and weight.  Everything now just sounds fuller and more harmonious (tube-like).  I know - how is that level of improvement possible with a stinking fuse change?!  I never would have imagined.  On a 1-10 scale, I was hoping for a 0.2 to 0.5 level improvement.  This is more like a 1.5 level improvement.  All I can think is that it must be like tube rolling and comes down to the mysteries of thin wires...

 

After a week of continuous burn-in, I will try reversing the fuse to see if it is installed in the correct direction.  I have to believe I got lucky and it is already in the best orientation.

 

I ordered another SR Orange fuse for my DAC.  I have my fingers crossed for another significant jump in SQ.

WAN (direct from router - no other switches in signal path) or LAN (NAS) > DX Engrg DXE ISO-Plus > BJC Cat 6a > DX Engrg DXE ISO-Plus > Uptone Audio EtherRegen powered by Uptone Audio LPS 1.2 @12v with AfterDark Emperor Double Crown 10 MHz External Master Clock powered by AfterDark Modernize LPS > RPi4b/Pi2AES powered by Ferrum Hypsos LPS at 24v running Volumio as end point using Spotify Desktop App or JRiver > I2S over ethernet UTP > Metrum Onyx NOS DAC w/DAC3 Upgrade Modules > balanced AES/EBU > PS Audio SGC Preamp > balanced AES/EBU > Parasound A23 > NHT Classic Towers with dual sealed NHT subwoofers using miniDSP digital xover

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Someone needs to tell Ferrum and their US distributor, Vana LTD, that they should start offering fuse upgrades for the Hypsos. 

 

Hopefully, they are following this forum.

WAN (direct from router - no other switches in signal path) or LAN (NAS) > DX Engrg DXE ISO-Plus > BJC Cat 6a > DX Engrg DXE ISO-Plus > Uptone Audio EtherRegen powered by Uptone Audio LPS 1.2 @12v with AfterDark Emperor Double Crown 10 MHz External Master Clock powered by AfterDark Modernize LPS > RPi4b/Pi2AES powered by Ferrum Hypsos LPS at 24v running Volumio as end point using Spotify Desktop App or JRiver > I2S over ethernet UTP > Metrum Onyx NOS DAC w/DAC3 Upgrade Modules > balanced AES/EBU > PS Audio SGC Preamp > balanced AES/EBU > Parasound A23 > NHT Classic Towers with dual sealed NHT subwoofers using miniDSP digital xover

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  • 2 months later...
On 9/29/2021 at 7:13 PM, edwardsean said:

Ferrum Hypsos Review—Insane in the tympanic membrane.

 

I really don’t know why this unit is not getting more play on audiophile forum sites. It debuted to quite a warm reception among reviewers even garnering an EISA award, but I don’t hear much about it on forum sites. It really is a shame that Jay at Audiobacon wasn’t sent a unit for his PS battle royale review. So, I thought I’d provide a detailed end-user experience. 

 

I just got my Hypsos fully settled into my system. I was thinking of moving to a Grimm MU1, but that meant giving up my current chain: PGGB>Optical>Phoenix>Sablon2020>SRC-DX>dual HFC-CT2 (feeding BNC DAVE+SJ DC3), which I quite like. So, I thought I would see what I would gain by improving the power supply on my optimized NUC (Apacer, etc.) + Euphony server. 

 

I was using a one of a kind Farad Super 3, which I optimized with Mattijs. It also had the Furutech IEC, SR Orange fuse, and a Zenwave silver cable. I loved this little unit, and it performed considerably better than stock Super3s esp. in high end detail and clarity. I am quite sure that my customized Super3+cable addressed some of Jay’s issue with what he tested using the standard copper cable. Still, I understand his assessment, and it never did quite satisfy in the resolution/precision category. 

 

The Hypsos intrigued me because I do believe its hybrid switch mode/linear approach is a game changer. Unless I miss my guess, I think we will start seeing more of this type of power supply. It is always gratifying to find a product that does exactly what it advertises: It combines the smooth fullness of a linear supply with the accuracy of a switch mode supply. It gave me the greater resolution and clarity I was looking for without giving up any of the richness I prized in the Farad (after tuning). What I didn’t expect was also a greatly expanded soundstage and a good step up in dynamic punch. 

 

It was clear to me, out of the box, that this supply was in a different class, but set to the same 19V as my Super3, it was missing some of that analog density. Here is where the unit’s flexibility goes beyond mere marketing hype. I started to use the “sweet spot tuning,” raising up the voltage. It’s also great to have the display telling you exactly what is going on in terms of volts, amps, and watts. I kept moving up until I wound up at 24.1V. Voila! Once dialed in the sound was big, thick, rich, and powerful while retaining clarity. North of 24.2V the sound  gets richer still but starts to exact a noticeable cost in transparency.

 

The thing is, i would never have gone up this high in voltage without having the option of variability, and this is incredibly rare in audiophile supplies. It totally makes sense to me that the cleanest design uses components at preset values for a fixed voltage, so I don’t know how Ferrum accomplished this. I discussed the possibilities/tradeoffs of higher voltage for a Plixir supply with James Oh. This supply was given stellar marks in Jay’s roundup. I’m sure it’s excellent, but James seemed convinced that 19V was best. He may very well be right for his supplies of course. I was sad that I didn’t get a chance to audition the Plixir, but he understandably offers no trial period. The Hypsos, at least here in North America, has a generous, no risk, demo policy. In the end, the Hypsos just seemed to offer so much more. If I’m allowed to speculate from all the information I could gather, the Hypsos should equal or surpass the Plixir’s resolution/staging while also providing the dimensional molding that Jay thought the Plixir lacked. 

 

Rounding out the flexibility is the Hypsos’ proprietary sensing technology which does improve transients and dynamics, subtle, but worth engaging. It also has a spread feature that distributes noise across the spectrum. The sound is smoother but I thought it also seemed to introduce a slight veil, so I disabled it. These tuning features alone have been completely unique in my experience of audio power supplies. 

 

Lastly, came the aftermarket upgrades. At this point, I was already sold on the Hypsos. I found out my demo unit was practically pristine and so it ended up never leaving my system. However, we are all here because we are never satisfied. So, in went an SR Orange fuse and a week of burn in. Definitely worth the cost. All the usual improvements with this fuse emerged in the Hypsos: better resolution, imaging, layering, but instead of a colder sound, it produces an almost tube-like magic quality.

 

Now came the harder part. I’m a big believer in cable upgrades but no simple swap was possible. I was told by the distributor, Vana (great folks by the way), that the cable is proprietary made for their sensing technology. I found out that this does not mean any embedded circuitry in the cable but takes advantage of a four conductor design. So, that’s fine, but the connector they use is not easy to source. It is not any of the popular 4 pole connectors used in other supplies. I managed to track it down (Weipu SF1210/P4) and I don’t think you can get it anywhere except from China. So eBay is an option, but surprisingly, Amazon has a supplier (O’ AZ what can’t you get?). The only hiccup is, even with expedited shipping, you are looking at around a 2 week lead time. Completely worth it. I have a Mundorf 4 conductor cable all set to be soldered, but for me, no one does DC umbilicals better than Zenwave’s twisted geometry of 8 lighter gauge Neotech solid silver cores. 

 

TL;DR; All this together, summed up, the performance is… insane in the tympanic membrane. I’ve always known that power supplies are the beating hearts of an audio system as the D/A conversion is the brain. Even so, I simply did not expect this much transformation by moving from my already capable modded Farad. This is a very special unit at an incredibly reasonable price. I think it finally answered the switch mode vs. linear  debate. Which is better? According to Ferrum, both. 

 

Please post your experiences if you have a Ferrum, negative or positive, this is product is worthy of greater discussion. 

 

 

 

Hey, what were the dimensions of the fuse you used for the hypsos? I am going to order a SR purple fuse to put in my hypsos. Is it 5x20mm 3.15A Slo blo or fast blo? Oh, and in what direction did you orient the fuses in the hypsos. The S in what direction and R in what direction (on the fuse)?

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On 9/23/2021 at 8:42 AM, davide256 said:

Some peoples meaningful is other peoples nonsense. So best to qualify the frame of reference. The problem with all audio evaluations is that they are situational...

the amp you like with an 8 ohm speaker may suck with a 4 ohm speaker. The DAC that you like may sound good with book shelf speakers but suck with a floor stander where you can hear the lack of low bass integrity. Etc., etc,. An opinion without the system used and comparisons to known good competitors is just random noise to me

 

Yes, which is why I use the word "meaningful" to incorporate a broader concept including a reflection of the psychological impact and the beliefs we hold. So long as it brings pleasure, I guess...

 

Many times in audiophilia, this will clearly not translate into physically meaningful change as in the electrical properties of the output signal or the compression/rarefaction in the air.

 

Archimago's Musings: A "more objective" take for the Rational Audiophile.

Beyond mere fidelity, into immersion and realism.

:nomqa: R.I.P. MQA 2014-2023: Hyped product thanks to uneducated, uncritical advocates & captured press.

 

 

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