Ferria

This review first appeared in August 2022 on fairaudio.de. By request of the manufacturer and permission of the author, it is hereby syndicated from the German original to reach a broader English audience. Ed.

Reviewer: Jochen Reinecke
Analog sources: Rega Planar 3 with Exact MM or Ania MC
Digital sources: C.E.C. CD 5, HiFiAkademie Stream6mini, Marantz PM7000N
Preamps: Abacus Preamp 14, Tsakiridis Alexander,Pro-Ject Phonobox DS+
Integrated amplifiers: Tsakiridis Aeolos+, Marantz PM7000N
Power amp: Valvet A4 MKII, Abacus Electronics Ampollo Dolifet
Loudspeakers: ProAc Response DT8 & D20R, Harbeth 30.1, Quadral Rondo, Audes Maestro 116, B&W 606 S2 Anniversary Edition
Mobile: iPod Classic 5 160GB, Pro-Ject Dock-Box S digital
Cables: StudioConnections Reference, Audioquest Evergreen, in-akustik Premium, Oehlbach XXL Series 7 MkII coax & XXL Serie 80 Toslink
Power delivery: Adam Hall AHPCS10 conditioner
Review component retail: €10'900/pr

"The trumpets of Jericho!" 'twas the spontaneous first reaction of my brother-in-law Martin who helped unpeel 33kg worth of Horn Acoustic Ferria from their boxes and set them up. When he's right, he's right. The Horn Acoustic Ferria looks indeed polarizing; or perhaps better, uncommon. Its tweeter horn clearly protrudes from the baffle of the mid/woofer to credit the bell of a trumpet or trombone. But I can already spoil one concern: in contrast to the Biblical wind instruments (Joshua 6, 4-20), Ferria won't collapse your house, just make it tremble with relish. But first things first.

This Polish speaker house is still young. Founded in 2017, its Rafal Szczepaniak and Marek Kostrzynski are no strangers to the industry however. They come with years of experience as former designers for Cube Audio and Pylon Audio respectively. For now their own company they have thus far created two loudspeakers of the same basic concept: the large Vivo for rooms up to 50m² and the slightly smaller Ferria said to be suitable for rooms up to 30m² and today's review subject. It's a pan-European effort and a two-way ported design. The 8" mid/woofer is from Seas of Norway and comes with a hand-coated paper cone and natural rubber surround. Its generously dimensioned magnet system promises fast precise transient response and high efficiency. The compression driver behind the high-frequency horn is from Italy and production takes place at the company's headquarters in Poland.

The crossover blends out the mid/woofer at 1'100Hz and 12dB/octave. A somewhat steeper 18dB/octave filter blends in the 1.75" mylar compression driver from Italian manufacturer RCF. The horn profile is a Tractrix available in various colors all very discreet so no loud tones unless by express request for a €400 surcharge. The standard options are dark red, blue, green, brown and black. The mid/woofer loads into a multi-braced damped cabinet of 19mm MDF whose rear port suggests against close wall or corner proximity. Claimed sensitivity is 91dB/W/m at a nominal 8Ω.

Flawless execution and noble overall appearance are worth mentioning. From the meticulously applied high-gloss finish to the smoothly crafted horn made from cast synthetic resin and single-wire terminals, Horn Acoustic haven't missed a thing – which was to be expected at €10.9K/pr. If you now expect me to dutifully cover the usual topics of tonality, resolution, dynamics and staging, I must disappoint. In my opinion, the special merits of the Horn Acoustic Ferria demand a different story; one of approach. Here we go!