For all Exogal gear
My dealer, Arizona HiFi, recommended the Exogal product line to me a few years ago as a complete desktop/small room solution after we spoke for a long while on the matter based on wants and desires.
Jeff Hagenstad the owner of Exogal had many years experience in the industry and wanted to bring an āaffordableā high end solution to people who were looking to go all digital and did not want to go deep into cables, and multiple components. As of 2022 Jeff had to shut down Exogal, the backlog of parts and other monetary crushes brought on by the worldwide pandemic were more than he and his group were able to deal with. 
I have had excellent service, dealings and support from Jeff while they were in business. He was professional and fully supported his products along with having a great desire to hold on as long as finances allowed them to keep their doors open.
I continue to use and enjoy his Exogal Comet + DAC and a fully loaded ION āPowerDacā amplifier. Both his products are NON-traditional and based almost completely on mathematical computer software and technology that despite my best efforts I was not able to ever get him to fully disclose the exact methodology used in their output. He kept very tight lipped on certain aspects of his trade but made several YouTube videos and had some explanations on his website referencing how the products worked and the design issues they had to get them fully operational and into the marketplace.
The ION āpowerDACā amplifier will ONLY work together as a combination with the Exogal Comet dac and cannot be combined with any other outside components. The ION amplifier is NOT designed to interface with other preamplifiers, or DACs. The Comet DAC can be used as a standalone unit and will work as any normal DAC. It has a volume control feature and also a modest built in HP/IEM output.
The DAC itself performs as expected at its MSRP price point and is a good used value that IMO, gives excellent performance to price ratio on the used market. It features multiple inputs and both RCA and XLR outputs that can be used to feed a subwoofer and other equipment as other standard DACs do. The volume control also allows it to act as a pre amplifier for added value.
The CONS: the remote used to operate the DAC is most basic and at best a modest performer. It is IR based and needs close in direct view of the screen to work. The display screen is monochrome and impossible to read unless you are looking at it directly and from close up. The upgraded remote was also not much of an upgrade. I used it for a few days and packed it away. There is a good software package built into the DAC that works via an app and Bluetooth which works well if you can find the app and have a device it will work from. IOS/MAC software no longer supports the app. When it did it worked well. I use an inexpensive tablet to operate the software sometimes, otherwise in my use case scenario the remote works just fine as long as I get up close to the unit.
The GOOD: Imaging, separation and depth are really good using the COMET DAC, soundstage is not particularly wide but I have gotten great height on many different combos. Instrument separation, and sound reproduction seem to be on par with other DACs in the $3-4k price range I have had the opportunity to use. In other words, I very much appreciate the features and performance of the unit. On a personal note for those familiar with the Lampi Amber3 my own preference at that price point has been the Exogal Comet + for a more ānaturalā slightly less pronounced or āfunā effect on the rest of my chain.
In my own personal set up I found that the DAC offered improvement across the board especially in rejection of mechanical noises from my laptop when paired with a good Nordost USB. The unit also seems to have a blacker background when paired with an improved front end or best yet off a dedicated streamer avoiding noisy laptops which can induce noise. (Ie. clicks, pops, whirring and the like)
I use the improved power supply on my Comet and do not know how much if any improvement it offers over the standard power supply because I have not ever been able to compare. I have used improved power chords on the power supply and honestly canāt tell if there is any enhancement to performance. I did have to replace the power supply once because it developed an annoying hum and it was an easy process while they were open for business. As far as I know it was the only known instance and they requested the old power supply in exchange because they had never encountered that issue before.
The Exogal ION āpowerDACā was built to ONLY pair with the Exogal comet DAC. It is a 2 channel amplifier that outputs roughly 125 watts per channel into an 8ohm load I think. 
I do not understand the technology. My unit is the most up to date the company had available before they shut down. It has a custom connection to the COMET DAC via a cable that looks like an HDMI but is NOT. It was built to perfectly match the Comet and will stack with the DAC. It only comes with a simple power supply and NO upgrades are recommended for it in reference to cables.
The power output is solid, bass performance in speakers I have tried with it is tight, midrange and highs seem fairly neutral. It is clean, never producing any noise or hiss even on my most sensitive speakers. I really like powering bookshelves or small towers with this combo and playing modern music, rap, edm, etc. I get excellent volume, the music is powerful and nothing is particularly pronounced by the DAC or amp as far as the sound signature is concerned. I feel like I am simply getting what the speakers are able to reproduce with minimal coloration from the DAC or amp.
In conclusion;
I own both units, they are not a permanent part of any system, I simply rotate them in once every few months somewhere. I have zero desire to let them go simply because they work well, and are such a simple and easy way to get High end sound in a small simple footprint. You are not dealing with budget items, dare I say not even mid-fi, using this combo with some high quality speakers should be a satisfying experience even for a conisuer , especially if itās a desktop or small room set-up where space is critical and streaming/digital is your preference.
Edit to add: the comet DAC does have a HP output. I enjoy it just fine with IEMās. Itās noise free even using my most sensitive IEM. It is not bad nor particularly good or stand out. It simply performs like an average IEM amplifier that does not induce hiss. I did not really care for it on HPās but is an easy go to for any IEM under $1k value, I donāt see any performance degradation and itās basically neutral in its sound signature.
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Speak of the devil. https://forum.sonusapparatus.com/t/used-deals/27/1153?u=db_cooper
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I canāt give any real comparisons since the Exogal Comet Plus is the highest tier DAC Iāve had the opportunity to hear, but everything NickMimi wrote about the Exogal is true: the depth and separation are great, the sound signature is very neutral, and itās small and light and easy to move around to different setups.
My only caveat is that personally, I wouldnāt get one without a DDC of some kind. The USB input doesnāt seem to have any isolation and even the difference between my basic isolators (iFi iGalvanic, etc) and my DDC (Singxer SU-2 KTE) is like youāre getting another half of a DACās worth of sound quality.
But honestly, itās not much of a caveat: I bought my Exogal on the used market for around $1.3k and Iāve seen SU-2 KTEs go for $500, so you could get both an Exogal /and/ a DDC for the price of a Yggy if you shop around. In terms of bang-for-your-buck, this is an awesome deal if you find one.
Also, I opened mine up a while back and it really is just using an FPGA, itās not an R2R/FPGA-hybrid design or anything like that:
Another thing, when I tried my Gae Bolg on the built-in headphone output, it sounded wonderfully detailed, but the signature also tilted really warm: I later found out that apparently, the Exogal Cometās headphone out is around 8ohms and I think thatās what was causing that shift. (As far as I understand, 8ohms is quite a high impedance for an IEM source.)
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Itās a holiday today and I got the day off so Iām trying to burn through the pent up energy of a good nights sleepš
I re-did my rack in the small listening room. And thanks very much to @dB_Cooper i have a proper SOTM set up with streamer and USB regeneration along w/ a Matrix XSPDIF DDC feeding my Exogal Comet & ION combo and I must say, Iām very impressed at the quality of the sound Iām getting.
The SOTM and Matrix pieces really work well with the Exogal and seem to be exactly the type of noise free front end the Exogal equipment need for their engineering to show off.
First things first, the badā¦some older and poor recordings really sound crappy now. I mean ouch, damn, I did not realize just how much the laptops were diminishing the output of the units. Iāve listened to at least 3 familiar songs so far today which I did not realize contained so much āgrain and hissā. Last time I had the unit hooked up to a righteous front end I mistook the grain to be coming from tubes further up the chain which caused an almost comical series of events in me trying to hunt down the noises. I clearly understand now, the grain is simply coming from poor recordings which my front end up here previously hid because it was running direct off my laptop.
The further bad: I dislike the remote, itās a cheap infrared unit that needs direct line of sight with the screen. I also dislike the screen, itās monochrome that can only be seen directly from in front and even then I need a flashlight to make out the words. The APP works well if you have IT items that you can download it to.
I really wish the unit had some buttons and or a better remoteš¤
The good: the level of detail and separation is excellent for a unit at this price point. Especially since these units sell for well below their original retail pricing. Furthermore the unit really helps speakers disappear if their placement has been done well.
The ION amplifier has solid power, easily 100 wpc, this output can be put to good use on less sensitive speakers. Bass is well controlled and tight, the units do not get boomy or have much slop in the bottom end. Bass has great detail, and there is good slap and punch. Integrating a subwoofer with these units is not as straight forward or easy as would be my preference but it can be done with the right subs and cabling.
The midrange and upper registers are neutral moving towards the bright end, Iām not getting a sense of warmth or any thickness. Treble detail is strong and lively. Honestly itās at the upper most level of what I find enjoyable, anything beyond this and I would personally call the sound too bright for my tastes.
Despite the fact that Iāve owned these 2 units since 2020 I feel like Iām finally getting performance out of them more in-line with their reviews by the professionals. There is a certain quality to the sound which could be appropriately called āaudiophileā levelā¦Imaging is very precise, soundstage is full, not exaggerated, the height and depth are both appropriate and proper for the room the set up is playing in now. The performance feels intimate and size appropriate for the space. This description makes much more sense when I play certain combos of equipment in my larger listening space for comparison. 
The Matrix DDC, good cables, solid power, the SOTM streamer and USB regeneration, the Comet & ION combo all together have really made my inexpensive speakers shine.
You can tear down what the individual speakers sound like relentlessly, we all have various ideals of what great sound are. What you canāt argue with though is the presentation this combo of gear is putting forth in my space. Detail, razor sharp imaging, depth and separation in the music so crisp you can walk between pieces, width that reaches wall to wall.
Keep an eye out for used gear, you can build a damned fine 2 channel set up for less than the cost of a no frills car (
), itās completely doable!
Hereās sme pictures from every angle since these units are no longer available new or supported by the manufacturer.
o
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Just saw this and thought Iād post it, if only to remind myself where it is:
The old sales manager at Exogal posted links to all of the firmware updates and manuals and stuff.
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Got my ION in a couple days ago, canāt use it since the Comet needs a firmware update. USB to 3.5mm cable arriving today to do that. 
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Damn, hope it all goes well. I was fortunate, during the pandemic I sent both my units back to Jeff and had updates and upgrades done. Cost a bunch but hopefully allows for a few more years of trouble free operationā¦ Congratulations on the new acquisitions!
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Since weāre talking about Exogal stuff in the other thread, it reminded me to ask: how did you find the update process? Smooth sailing or did you run into any issues?
At first I had issues getting the thing to be detected but it turns out I had it plugged into the ION and not the Cometā¦ thankfully it wasnāt plugged in and I didnāt ruin it by sending it the wrong firmware. Was smooth sailing after that.
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Just picked up a comet plus and trying to configure it with my PC but getting an error:
the pc is recognizing it as a USB device but itās not coming up as an audio device that is selectable for output. Iām wondering if I need a different driver or if there is another setting I need to modify? The user guide for Exogal points me to a site that is defunct:
Did anybody save their last windows driver for the comet plus or have a link where I can get it?
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I had the same problem but honestly youāll need a DDC with the Comet Plus.
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I got the driverā¦ thanks @M0N
This community is just the best!
@DDT yes 2 DDCs will be my next purchaseā¦ After my next paycheck Iāll be in good shape. Thinking of going 1 SU6 and 1 XPDIF 3 just to test the differencesā¦ My main problem is Iām good at spending money faster than I can make it. 
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Does it work fine? if so Iāll upload it here for future reference
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Yes it worked!
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This hobby.
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Driver (7zipped so it doesnāt get flagged, you might need something like 7zip or peazip to open)
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Damn, Windows Defender still flagged it lol
Really lol, mine didnāt catch anything
Also @Rmsanger how is it so far?
I went ahead and allowed it and it seems to work fine. Enjoy access to my emulation machine, I guess lol
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