Ferrum BROEN Network Streaming Transport

The Ferrum BROEN is a network streaming transport: it streams your music and sends a clean digital signal to your DAC. Its name means “bridge” in Danish. Powered by Volumio, it plays Spotify, TIDAL and Qobuz (each with Connect), AirPlay, UPnP/DLNA, web radio, CD and your own files, and Ferrum’s new SERCE DDC passes the signal to galvanically isolated AES, coaxial, optical, I2S and USB outputs with ultra-low-jitter clocks. It works with most quality DACs, and pairs with Ferrum’s WANDLA and HYPSOS.

A new digital heart

As with HYPSOS, Ferrum started at the very beginning of the digital transport, a stream of zeros and ones, and set out to keep it as clean as possible from start to finish. That meant creating a new digital heart, the SERCE digital-to-digital module, tuned for DDC operation with FPGA-based reclocking. The input domain (streaming and control) and the output domain are kept separate, the synchronous outputs (coaxial, optical, AES, I2S) run from ultra-low-jitter clocks, and all audio outputs, USB DAC outputs included, sit behind a galvanic isolation barrier for the lowest noise. A dedicated VBUS gives the USB DAC outputs clean power.

Made for streaming

Volumio OS 4, tailored for BROEN and used by more than half a million people, gives you:

• Spotify and Spotify Connect, TIDAL and TIDAL Connect, Qobuz and Qobuz Connect.
• AirPlay (Shairport Sync), a UPnP/DLNA renderer and integrated web radio directories.
• CD playback and ripping, Bluetooth A2DP playback, and streaming to Sonos and Chromecast.
• Playback from USB drives, an internal M.2 NVMe SSD or NAS.
• Multi-room playback in up to six synchronised zones, AI-powered SuperSearch, Infinity Playback, album and artist stories and extended metadata, 29 languages, and alarm and sleep functions.
• The Volumio plug-in store, with options such as Roon bridge.

Control it from the iOS or Android app or any web browser (full control), from the front-panel buttons (basic playback), or from a Ferrum DAC’s touchscreen.

Made for WANDLA

BROEN works with most quality DACs, controlled from your phone, tablet or computer. With Ferrum Streaming Control Technology (FSCT) it integrates with Ferrum’s WANDLA and ERCO Gen 2 converters: artist and title appear on the WANDLA’s screen, and its touchscreen and remote control BROEN directly, which Ferrum calls a flagship-level streaming combination.

Connections

Audio leaves by AES/EBU (XLR), coaxial S/PDIF (RCA), optical S/PDIF (Toslink), I2S over HDMI (configurable pinout) and two dedicated USB DAC outputs (USB-A and USB-C). An HDMI video output lets you watch Volumio on an external screen. For the network, Wi-Fi is standard and an SFP socket takes the included RJ45 Ethernet module, or an optional optical SFP module to connect to an SFP switch, keeping network noise to a minimum. Two USB 3.0 ports (A and C) take drives, and trigger in and out are provided. A hotspot mode makes first set-up easy.

Made for HYPSOS, and for the future

BROEN performs beautifully with its supplied DC adapter, and can go further with Ferrum’s HYPSOS hybrid power system over the Ferrum Power Link (FPL cable sold separately), with 4TSD voltage sensing. Over-the-air firmware updates, a plug-in platform, the internal SSD slot and the SFP slot keep it up to date for years to come.

Good to know

• BROEN has no DAC or analogue output, so you need a DAC.
• The Ferrum Power Link cable for HYPSOS is sold separately; an SSD for the internal slot is not included.
• In the box: BROEN, AC/DC power adapter, power cord, remote control, SFP RJ45 module and Wi-Fi antenna.