Ok so here are my impressions of the Exogal Comet Plus DAC, lent generously to me by Todd from TTVJ.
In general, the Comet is fairly feature heavy. Having a remote, multiple types of inputs/outputs, an integrated hp amp, and bluetooth antenna is a lot in the DAC world, especially because this is not really advertised as a combo unit. I didn't test out the bluetooth feature because I don't have any wireless headphones, but it is really cool to have in case I would get some in the future because my computer does not have built in bluetooth. I found the remote to be difficult to use sometimes, though. I'd think I'd found the right angle to point at the unit (even right next to it), but it wouldn't always respond. I didn't test with other batteries, so maybe the loaner batteries are on their way out? I personally don't need a remote at all, but since there weren't any manual buttons on the unit, it was the main way to control it.
For the review, I had my schiit bifrost and the comet connected simultaneously to my Apex Sangaku amp for quick A/B switching between sources to compare the DAC sections specifically. I also used many of the songs I heard during my time with the Questyle CMA600i. My headphones used were my Audeze LCD3 with a silver dragon premium cable.
Straight to the point, the biggest strengths of the comet over the bifrost and the questyle were definitely soundstage and track separation. One of the albums I often use to test new gear is Fox Territory's Degressive Fusion because it is a good example of music that can get quite busy and some of the instruments are compressed (truncated treble), so setups weaker in separation and soundstage will sound very muddy with this album. With the comet, however, the instruments were spaced more definititively, and while I knew there was a vocal track in the mix, there were parts of the songs that had subtle humming vocals that I had not heard with my normal equipment.
Another thing I liked was that the comet was not pounding you in the face with the notion that it was better. It didn't overaccentuate the details it was retrieving just to prove that it could find them. This was apparent in the Flamingosis albums I heard, which feature many samples from 70's disco and 90's r&b alongside new studio produced instrumentals. Going from A to B, the music was so much more lively and crisp, yet it was hard to put a finger on why besides everything taking on a more “studio quality” character. It was just better. Pardon my lack of reviewer jargon. They sounded recorded in a much more quiet room with better microphones.
Heavily produced, modern EDM style tracks did not benefit from the comet nearly as much as tracks with acoustic instruments or live performances. If it was made on a macbook synthesizer instead of recorded in a studio, there aren't really details to retrieve since every note in that recording was planned and never was “recorded” since it originated from code, but I think that holds true for all DAC comparisons.
I did not test the unit without the upgraded power supply because if I were to purchase this DAC, I would get this power supply since my house traditionally has some issues with ground looping and power conditioning, which were not an issue with the Comet. If I had to give concluding remarks, it would be that the Comet did everything I would want a high end DAC to do. I feel much of the price was on the power supply (worth it) and some extra functionality (I personally don't need most of them). I wouldn't use it with the integrated amp section, but the actual stereo amp addon that wasn't included would be a dynamite combo imo. I can recommend this DAC to someone who wants a feature rich, effortless DAC without any weird peaks or "personality"
In general, the Comet is fairly feature heavy. Having a remote, multiple types of inputs/outputs, an integrated hp amp, and bluetooth antenna is a lot in the DAC world, especially because this is not really advertised as a combo unit. I didn't test out the bluetooth feature because I don't have any wireless headphones, but it is really cool to have in case I would get some in the future because my computer does not have built in bluetooth. I found the remote to be difficult to use sometimes, though. I'd think I'd found the right angle to point at the unit (even right next to it), but it wouldn't always respond. I didn't test with other batteries, so maybe the loaner batteries are on their way out? I personally don't need a remote at all, but since there weren't any manual buttons on the unit, it was the main way to control it.
For the review, I had my schiit bifrost and the comet connected simultaneously to my Apex Sangaku amp for quick A/B switching between sources to compare the DAC sections specifically. I also used many of the songs I heard during my time with the Questyle CMA600i. My headphones used were my Audeze LCD3 with a silver dragon premium cable.
Straight to the point, the biggest strengths of the comet over the bifrost and the questyle were definitely soundstage and track separation. One of the albums I often use to test new gear is Fox Territory's Degressive Fusion because it is a good example of music that can get quite busy and some of the instruments are compressed (truncated treble), so setups weaker in separation and soundstage will sound very muddy with this album. With the comet, however, the instruments were spaced more definititively, and while I knew there was a vocal track in the mix, there were parts of the songs that had subtle humming vocals that I had not heard with my normal equipment.
Another thing I liked was that the comet was not pounding you in the face with the notion that it was better. It didn't overaccentuate the details it was retrieving just to prove that it could find them. This was apparent in the Flamingosis albums I heard, which feature many samples from 70's disco and 90's r&b alongside new studio produced instrumentals. Going from A to B, the music was so much more lively and crisp, yet it was hard to put a finger on why besides everything taking on a more “studio quality” character. It was just better. Pardon my lack of reviewer jargon. They sounded recorded in a much more quiet room with better microphones.
Heavily produced, modern EDM style tracks did not benefit from the comet nearly as much as tracks with acoustic instruments or live performances. If it was made on a macbook synthesizer instead of recorded in a studio, there aren't really details to retrieve since every note in that recording was planned and never was “recorded” since it originated from code, but I think that holds true for all DAC comparisons.
I did not test the unit without the upgraded power supply because if I were to purchase this DAC, I would get this power supply since my house traditionally has some issues with ground looping and power conditioning, which were not an issue with the Comet. If I had to give concluding remarks, it would be that the Comet did everything I would want a high end DAC to do. I feel much of the price was on the power supply (worth it) and some extra functionality (I personally don't need most of them). I wouldn't use it with the integrated amp section, but the actual stereo amp addon that wasn't included would be a dynamite combo imo. I can recommend this DAC to someone who wants a feature rich, effortless DAC without any weird peaks or "personality"
