First, I have read may of your posts, glory, as they frequently pertain to products of interest to me. Your opinions of products/manufacturers are strictly binary (1 or 0) and your posts are unfailingly condescending to others. Not just a bad day here and there as happens to us all, but always.
Second, I own the Exogal Comet Plus. I have found it to be a product that requires time to appreciate and was tipped on that by the friend that recommended it to me prior to my purchase.
I have also found it to be perhaps the most sensitive component I have owned to cabling. Different power cords, USB cables, and even upstream Ethernet cables (in that order) will swing it significantly in a favorable or unfavorable sonic direction. Its sonic character becomes that of the accompanying cord/cable to an comparatively large extent. This, to me, indicates its intrinsic neutrality/transparency/revealing nature, but it is what it is regardless of labeling. I regret that Exogal chose to discourage buyers from experimenting with cords/cables in the product manual and suggest that Jeff reconsider that position.
My usual favorite line of power cords, the "tunable" Synergistic Research active type, drives it from semi-warm to ice cold depending on the model. The usually overly-bass-ripe Tesla T3 UHC power cord is the best I have yet tried with the Comet as it adds low-frequency heft to its sound, which I feel to be the primary challenge in getting the Comet to really sing.
The very fast and ruthlessly revealing WW Platinum Starlight 7 USB cable between my Aurender and the Comet was unlistenable (however that USB cable was magic with the Modwright Elyse). Substitute the Shunyata Venom USB and the sound is somewhat dull, as it was with the other DACs in the comparison. Then, a Curious USB and the porridge from the Comet is nearly just right.
After then comparing three upstream Ethernet cables between my router/modem and my Aurender using the Comet, the excellent SOtM dCBL-CAT7 ethernet cable with its built-in noise reduction network and NASA-level connectors, I found to be not organic enough for the Comet, the SR Ethernet Active UEF SE about the same, but the gray UEF tuning bullet vs the overblown-sounding silver one was very good at adding some needed warmth, yet the Purist Ethernet cable is the best combination of the bunch in this chain in my opinion. Organic, musical, detailed, balanced, beautiful. VERY good cable period, that Purist, and the least expensive (and complex) of the three.
I still, to this point, find that the Comet slightly lacks "Meat on the Bone" harmonic texture and can sound lean compared to robustly rich (in a good way) DACs I have compared it to. However, it showed such promise as a potential keeper from nearly the very beginning in resolution, detail retrieval, PRAT, listener involvement, and tweakability that I will recommend it to those that cannot buy a $$$ "plug and play" DAC and enjoy/are willing to work with it regarding ancillaries.
Dave
Second, I own the Exogal Comet Plus. I have found it to be a product that requires time to appreciate and was tipped on that by the friend that recommended it to me prior to my purchase.
I have also found it to be perhaps the most sensitive component I have owned to cabling. Different power cords, USB cables, and even upstream Ethernet cables (in that order) will swing it significantly in a favorable or unfavorable sonic direction. Its sonic character becomes that of the accompanying cord/cable to an comparatively large extent. This, to me, indicates its intrinsic neutrality/transparency/revealing nature, but it is what it is regardless of labeling. I regret that Exogal chose to discourage buyers from experimenting with cords/cables in the product manual and suggest that Jeff reconsider that position.
My usual favorite line of power cords, the "tunable" Synergistic Research active type, drives it from semi-warm to ice cold depending on the model. The usually overly-bass-ripe Tesla T3 UHC power cord is the best I have yet tried with the Comet as it adds low-frequency heft to its sound, which I feel to be the primary challenge in getting the Comet to really sing.
The very fast and ruthlessly revealing WW Platinum Starlight 7 USB cable between my Aurender and the Comet was unlistenable (however that USB cable was magic with the Modwright Elyse). Substitute the Shunyata Venom USB and the sound is somewhat dull, as it was with the other DACs in the comparison. Then, a Curious USB and the porridge from the Comet is nearly just right.
After then comparing three upstream Ethernet cables between my router/modem and my Aurender using the Comet, the excellent SOtM dCBL-CAT7 ethernet cable with its built-in noise reduction network and NASA-level connectors, I found to be not organic enough for the Comet, the SR Ethernet Active UEF SE about the same, but the gray UEF tuning bullet vs the overblown-sounding silver one was very good at adding some needed warmth, yet the Purist Ethernet cable is the best combination of the bunch in this chain in my opinion. Organic, musical, detailed, balanced, beautiful. VERY good cable period, that Purist, and the least expensive (and complex) of the three.
I still, to this point, find that the Comet slightly lacks "Meat on the Bone" harmonic texture and can sound lean compared to robustly rich (in a good way) DACs I have compared it to. However, it showed such promise as a potential keeper from nearly the very beginning in resolution, detail retrieval, PRAT, listener involvement, and tweakability that I will recommend it to those that cannot buy a $$$ "plug and play" DAC and enjoy/are willing to work with it regarding ancillaries.
Dave