Hello Lalit. I am listening to this dac as I type this. I have had it here for a day or so and it sounds stunningly good. Colin of Gestalt Audio Design brought it by yesterday. The build is very interesting. The internal boards are completely isolated from the chassis. I like the aesthetics of the dac as it is like a piece of art/sculpture on my audio rack.
Dual mono 27 bit differential resistor ladder with over 430 resistors within a .01% tolerance. They say the conversion engine operates as a self sufficient voltage source eliminating the need for a traditional analog output stage. This delivers a very short signal path.
If tonal density and uncanny realism are important to you, then I have personally not heard any digital piece do it this well. No, a Topping or $2000 Chinese dac will not deliver the emotional connection and realism of this piece. Not even close based on my experience. At least not for me. However, for me any piece of audio that helps transform my system from playing nice sounding recordings to a more live and personal experience is everything.The audiophile words we all try and use to convey what we are hearing seem to fall short of what I am experiencing with this dac. Flesh and blood vocalists with physical bodies are singing right before me. Much more connection to the performance compared to a “sonically great sound recording” kind of experience.
We all have different priorities in this hobby. Many really nice sounding dacs can be purchased for $1000 - $2500 or so. No doubt about it. At the same time it is a rare piece that apprehends me so completely taking me beyond the “sounds” into a genuine experience with the music. Those who hear this dac and have the same physical/emotional experience will understand. For those people this dac is very special. Not all will appreciate this and that my fellow Aphiles is just fine.
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Well that is a great question. Both are outstanding dacs with that rare quality of realism in spades. In the end I suspect it would come down to system synergy and subjective sonic priorities. The Tron plays the whole of the performance with ease and purity of tone. The Galle separates the finer points with a tad more nuance. Perhaps two slightly different perspectives based on my system. Both dacs engage my heart over my head/mind and get at the emotion of the performance.
Tonal saturation is a tad more nuanced with the Galle. Both are immensely musical and fun to listen to. Both make me smile while listening. The Tron plays classical music beautifully because of its scale and tonal purity The Galle plays vocals superbly due to its extracting of inner detail and realism.
When you get to this level of refinement and performance one just needs to listen for themselves to decide. I need more time to better understand the slight differences between these two dacs.
My wife commented on how vocalists are presented in a tangible/physical manner as if one could reach out and touch them with the Galle. I sensed the space the singer occupied. The Tron, while not as localized vocally, played vocals slightly larger and spread across the stage more. These can at times be subtle differences, but depending on your sonic appetite can be important.
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The Tron dac is also special in that regard. As you know I own the Tron dac. It is a wonderful dac. Also greatly enjoying the Galle right now. Fun listening to both in my home 🙂.
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It is unique for sure. Looks very nice in person. Very heavy for a dac at about 55 pounds.
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Sorry my last post misspelled Galle. It is spelled Galle with no “i” at the end.
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I will report back on where I land with my system. The Galli also serves up music with lots of texture, body and weight. I find this attribute often missing in digital playback. The Galli delivers a muscular sound if you will. Muscular is the best word I can come up with to describe what I am hearing. It certainly is part of the reason this dac sounds so complete and right to my ears.
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@ricred1 you have a nice system as I checked it out on the virtual system page. I really like the Live Vibe products!
Once you establish any kind of baseline relationship with a dealer most are willing to work with you. Colin is no exception. I imagine you have purchased items from a couple of the suppliers you listed and have that baseline or better relationship in place. Based on your system upgrades over the last few years and sticking with brands like Rowland and Antipods that may be a reasonable conclusion.
It is certainly wise to have a card on file as back up before shipping high end gear to folks with no prior history with a seller. Seems more than reasonable. Would you agree? Far too risky not to do this in my estimation.
Colin is wonderful to work with and I suggest you start that baseline relationship if interested in some of the great gear he imports and sells. Just a suggestion as he is passionate about great sound and finds manufacturers that share this passion.
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I just purchased the Galle dac after hearing it in my system. No, other $3000 dacs are not 99% as good. My goodness folks, please post here based on your actual experience with the Cinnamon Galle dac. My favorite two dacs up until this point have been the Tron Atlantic Signature and Mojo Audio Evo Pro with all possible upgrades. These dacs cost $12-$15,000 and are outstanding. The Galle just pleased my soul even more. Considerably more. This is a very special dac folks. One of those special pieces that one just can’t forget about after hearing.
Yes, you can buy some wonderful sounding dacs for $3500 and up. No doubt about it! However, dacs such as the Galle can certainly deliver far more realism and can be actually be worth the price in the right system and with the right person. Great big audio world out there!
The Cinnamon Galle dac will be at Capital Audio fest. The importer/dealer Colin of Gestalt Audio Design has two rooms #653 & #325. The dac will be in one of these rooms and most likely room #653. These rooms will include products from Cinnamon, Wolf Von Langa and some other interesting companies.
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The new Galle II is an absolute beast of a dac costing more than 2x the regular Galle dac. It has some 2 farads of filtering capacitance! Yes, you read that right. This is 2,000,000 uf of capacitance 😳
You can read about it on the Cinnamon site
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@hchilcoat
I directly compared the Cinnamon Galle dac to my Tron Atlantic Signature dac. I could not get past how much I enjoyed listening to the Galle. It just made music with a realism and muscularity that captured me completely. I wanted Colin to leave the Galle in my system and wanted to buy it on the spot.
This is saying a lot because I loved my Tron dac. The Tron bested the Mojo Pro dac pretty obviously to my ears in my system. That gives you a sense on how good I think the Galle is.
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Sorry Agoners seems I made a mistake. The Galle ll dac has 2000 farads of filter capacitance, not 2. That means 2,000,000,000 uf !
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@lalitk
I am waiting for my Galle to deliver and am so looking forward to it. It will be fun to hear the Model II!
What is the retail selling price of the Merging Tech stack?
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@mikhailark
Not a typo or mistake. It is part of the design. Just under 2000 farads. Other design features of both models are on the website.
Cinnamon is not likely to show internal pics as they are trying to protect some innovation under the hood. Both models do not have a conventional analog stage, but rather use a more direct output method.
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@mitch2
I read your 6 dac review thread and you did a wonderful job! I also owned the Mojo Audio Evo Pro which Ben helped me upgrade it with all possible upgrades. I did most of the upgrade work including installing Belleson Op amps, Lundahl amorphous chokes, better internal wire, additional shielding/dampening and other bits. Ben makes fantastic dacs and the Evo Pro is one example.
I thought it was going to be my last dac as it sounded so natural, unforced and has that wonderful bottom up sound with great body, foundation and fullness. Many good dacs can’t match the Evo Pro in that last area.
Then I listened to the Tron Atlantic Signature dac and it was the first dac that moved me even more than the Evo Pro. Improved realism and a purity of sound that the Evo Pro could not match. The Tron had me and my wife in tears as it emotionally connected to some of our favorite music in a special way. I purchased the Tron🙂.
As an FYI, I also had the Merason Dac 1 mkII for in home audition, but preferred the Evo Pro slightly.
When we heard the Cinnamon Galle dac we were smitten. It elevated my digital front end in ways that surprised me. The Galle is the rightest sounding digital piece I have ever heard. You find yourself listening with the heart and turning off your mind. No more listening for this or that audiophile sound adjective. The music sounded so real and enjoyable. No matter how loud or how mediocre the recording, we found ourselves relaxing into the music and hearing many recordings for the first time. The mighty Tron was unseated and we could not go back. My wife knew what we spent to get that Tron dac and she knew the price of the Galle, however she said the Galle is just too special to ignore. We purchased the Galle 🙂.
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@lalitk
Good response on the benefits of copious amounts of filter capacitance. I will also add that the 2000 farads of filtering capacitance is not the only trick used in the separate power supply. It also uses three high quality and well shielded power transformers to feed the power needs of the dac. Each power feed is separated including its own umbilical feed into the dac.
Power supplies greatly impact the sound of a dac. A great power supply can eliminate noise and artifacts that steal realism. All that filter capacitance helps eliminate noise!
If you do a search on Supercapacitors/Ultracapacitors which are used in the Galle Model II, then you will learn that the uf values are much higher than conventional capacitors. They have much lower voltage ratings however. Not a problem in a non-tube dac as voltage requirements are around 3.3v to under 20V max.
The chassis is also an important part of the design and overall sound. Cinnamon went to great lengths to eliminate noise and artifacts introduced by vibration and other external forces like EMI/RFI.
I have not heard the Galle Model II, but plan to shortly! Not in my home, but in Colin’s listening studio. The standard Galle is all this Audiophile will ever need or want. Sure Bill. Ha!
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I have not heard or compared the Totaldac. Which model are you interested in as they seem to offer many levels?
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@lalitk thank you for the information. Interesting on the new parent company Master Fidelity also. Great digital front end!
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@mikhailark seems like this newer Supercapacitor technology has a lot to offer. I plan to read more about it as I find it interesting. Never heard the Terminator dac, but know it is well reviewed.
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The price is $13k, but I think a price increase has come or is coming. The chassis material is not concrete or stone, it is sand-cast aluminum. It looks like natural stone however.
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@mitch2 i just read the TM review of the D1-Unity dac and I am sure it is a beautiful sounding piece. I have always been aware of this company and their dacs, but never took a deeper dive for some unknown reason. Love to compare this dac to the Galle. Both are about the same price and seem focused on similar sonic goals.
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Well @jc51373 your post is not helpful in any way. If you want to add something helpful, then post on your actual experience with the Galle dac. If you have no experience with it, then please don’t make a comparison claim to a dac you happen to own. You have absolutely no idea how the two dacs compare in your system. Zero insight or knowledge. Your negative post seems way out of line and certainly makes me question the rest of your post.
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@larryi I heard the Cinnamon dac and speakers at Gestalt Audio and agree the music sounded fantastic. I was also impressed with the build quality of those open baffle speakers.
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I expect the dac early next week! Hard for me to be patient, but based on my extended audition it is worth the wait. I will share on the initial sound as well as the sound after break in.
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I owned the Mojo Audio Evo Pro dac per my comments vs the Galle. Mojo is well reviewed and known. Also owned and compared several other dacs to the Galle including a fantastic build by John Tucker of Exemplar Audio and the Merason Dac 1. I have owned and heard many cuts of Dry aged ribeye over the last few years🤓. Merging Technologies dac, Neodio and others. I’m no newbie or sophomore to auditioning fine dacs. The Galle is certainly a very special sounding dac.
Is there anything about a “standard reference dac” that assures it sounds better than a Tron or Cinnamon Audio piece? Certainly not. Actually, smaller innovative companies are where I find some of the best sounding and innovative gear. Great big audio world out there and all we can do is listen for ourselves. Said differently, a small independent restaurant can sometimes serve up a better steak than Ruth’s Chris. Won’t know until you venture out and sample. This is making me hungry.
”
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@mclinnguy
I purchased the WVL Conica stands that just came out recently. They raise the speakers 7 inches and sound fantastic! Stage height is taller and the Sons sound even more open. Now I had to work on repositioning my speakers and listening position to achieve this result. I found more toe-in helped me not lose any deep bass or body. My Sons are now pointing at my shoulders and I can just barely see the inner side of the speakers from my listening position. I also moved my listening position forward about 10 inches. The Sons never sounded better in my room.
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@hchilcoat
The Galle dac sounded fantastic with the Sons and Circle Labs. Just fantastic! Look forward to your comments.
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@jond thanks for asking. Well, I moved 5 times in the past 2 years and let’s just say it has been a stressful time period. The Audiophile’s Wife and I are now settled and hopefully for many years 🙂. I now have a nice treated and dedicated listening room.
I have the Wolf Von Langa Son speakers with Conica stands, Innuos Pulsar streamer, Cinnamon Galle dac, cables all made by John Tucker of Exemplar Audio and John’s hybrid integrated amp. I will most likely add a tube amp to rotate in at some point in the future. The Galle dac is due in any day now. Once the Galle dac is in place I will load my system into Virtual Systems.
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@hchilcoat
Congrats on your New Audio Frontiers gear! Heard them several times with the WVL Sons at Colin’s and man they sound great together.
The Galle dacs shown on the Cinnamon Audio Facebook page are all going to Colin at Gestalt Audio Design! Yes, one of them is mine 🙂.
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Well I have the Cinnamon Audio dac in my system now. It has some 80 hours on it thus far and I am just elated with the sound of my system. I told Colin the Galle is the most enjoyable and “perfect” sounding piece of audio electronics I have owned or heard in my system. I could write several pages of superlatives, but I will save that for a review I plan to post. Not ever experienced such a radical progression towards realism and tonal richness with a piece of gear. It is the heart of my system and just so much fun.
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Thank you @lalitk for your kind comments!
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I will be comparing the Cinnamon Audio streamer vs my Innuos Pulsar. The Pulsar costs about $2000 more so it will be interesting. I really like the Pulsar and Innuos Sense software so the Cinnamon has a real hurdle 🙂.
@mclinnguy it may be nice to have a double basin 🤣
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Well, the Paul Pang LAN cable replaced the topline Network Acoustics cable in my system. It is a more relaxed and “at ease” sounding cable compared to the high resolution of the NA cable. That’s how I would describe the difference…at least in my rig.
As you know I am a big fan of the NA filters, switches and cables per my numerous posts over the years on their effectiveness. Since setting up my new system I found it sounded more to my liking without any ethernet switch or filter in place. This fact took me by surprise and still has me scratching my head. The Innuos Pulsar is the piece that brought on this change. It may be interesting to try the new NA Tempus switch I suppose, but I really like where the system is at right now.
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Agreed! I will just move forward without a switch. I had an opportunity to listen the Cinnamon Audio Galle streamer over the last two days in my rig. I currently own an Innuos Pulsar which is really fantastic. It turns out both are actually priced about the same at around $8000 MSRP.
The comparison was interesting. The Galle streamer was used with both Roon and a Jriver. I preferred Roon’s feel and features, but felt Jriver sounded a little better. Jriver was a little more buttoned up/refined sounding during complex passages and sounded a bit cleaner with less digital “edginess” if you will. Improved purity of signal is another way to put it. Not a huge difference, but discernible to those who really care about such things.
Comparing the Pulsar to the Galle streamer proved interesting. The differences were not anything approaching day and night. Both units are really first rate and so enjoyable. I had a slight preference for the Galle in my system. However, remember I have the matching Galle dac. The Galle offered a bit more overall clarity while the Pulsar had a tad more scale and stage size. The Galle sounded more intimate while the Pulsar was less immediate sounding with the presentation set back a bit more. The biggest difference to me was in this one area; at lower volume levels, 40-50db average, the Galle sounded a little more vibrant and impactful. This was not really noticeable as the volume was turned up however (60 -80db). I listen at lower volume levels often so this difference, in my particular system, can be important.
I am not sure this comparison would play out the same way in another system. This is the nature of audio where different systems and preference play a huge role on what one prefers. I have decided to buy the Galle as I like it as much as I my Pulsar and it is the natural mate to my Galle dac!
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@facten The Tron really sounded good my system and we enjoyed it for a couple of years. Bottom line is the Galle is a very special piece that based on my listening experience transcends what I thought was possible from a dac. It delivers in spades on realism. No other piece of gear I have owned does realism at this level.
Yup, I am that over the moon with this piece. More muscular sounding than the Tron with a richness that is so engaging. You hear the resonate body of instruments that were previously missing or muted. I can honestly say one has to hear this in their system to fully grasp the experience it delivers.The Galle sorts out the simple and complex passages with an ease and flow that both captivates and relaxes you.
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@facten You have an outstanding Neodio dac/cd player. If you mostly spin CDs it is certainly a plus to have a great transport and dac built into the same piece. No need for an extra power cord and digital cable. Not sure how much streaming you would do?
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