HEM Unveils Serce Digital Audio System on a Module

Following the launch of three Ferrum products, HEM now announces Serce, a completely new digital audio platform that contains everything needed for a wide range of new hi-fi product developments. HEM is the audio manufacturing company from Poland that recently launched its own brand, Ferrum, with products aimed at high end audio enthusiasts. With Serce, HEM reinforces its position as a one-stop-shop solution for ODM/OEM audio electronics.
 
When HEM launched its Ferrum brand with a quick succession of three products — the power supply Hypsos, an headphone amplifier named Oor, and Erco an headphone DAC/AMP — it became clear that the company had competent design capabilities to match HEM's twenty years' history as an OEM/ODM manufacturer. This year, at the High End show in Munich, the company unveiled a new development that creates a foundation for a new generation of audio products.

Introduced as a digital audio system on a module, Serce is HEM's attempt to offer a complete solution for quality audio playback from digital input to analog output that can be fitted into DA converters, pre-amplifiers, integrated amplifiers, digital audio players, audio streamers, active speaker systems, etc.

The Serce compact module is a complete, advanced digital system that needs no additional integrated circuits to fully operate. According to HEM, every detail in its design was optimized for audio, including all digital inputs: USB-C, AES-S/PDIF, and I2S over HDMI. To reinforce the foundation, HEM added an ARM Cortex M4 Core processor that allows controlling all digital processing functions, including MQA decoding. All this in a compact board measuring just 5 x 7 cm.
 
Thanks to the programmed ARM processor, the Serce development platform supports PCM signals up to 32-bit/384kHz and up to DSD256, includes MQA full decoder and renderer capability, USB HID to support external controllers and displays, DoP decoding, signal level calculation. The platform also features a USB Audio Class 2.0 input, up to 4 AES-S/PDIF inputs, I2S input on HDMI socket, ARC input with CEC controlling, IR decoder, and an internal I2S input for any extension. Further interface options include I2C, SPI, UART, and GPIO’s. 

HEM will be able to support custom configurations thanks to the highly configurable system, including formats, inputs, USB identifiers and names, MQA mode and renderer blobs. To accelerate developments with the Serce platform, HEM is offering an evaluation board with connectors AES/EBU (XLR), S/PDIF Coaxial (RCA), S/PDIF optical (TOSLINK), ARC (HDMI socket), I2S (HDMI socket), USB-C, DAC/mainboard socket (2.54 mm pins), and IR receiver. The Serce module can be fitted on top of the evaluation board and forms a complete development platform, which can also be used directly in end products and DIY audio builds.. According to HEM, the evaluation board will be available in Q3 2022, with production for the digital audio system on a module scheduled for Q4 2022. Volume pricing is available under consultation and depends on quantity. Prices for the evaluation platform are yet to be determined, since HEM still needs to confirm availability and pricing of parts to initiate a production run.
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