Check This Out!

Cheaper than an ad.

Don't know if they sound good, but they certainly have quite a different style.

Kind of dystopian, homemade chic.  Can't say I've ever seen an unfinished plywood  back plate on a DAC before.

I'm looking at pictures of what is labeled a DAC, and I'm thinking, is this a joke? 

thanks @lalitk

If Mad Max had a stereo system, this would be his DAC. But..I’m not Max and I’m not mad. I’ll pass.

Portugal's answer to OMA.

There are many excellent ReferenceR2R dacs out there in the $6k range from

Denafrips as well as Holo Springs , and delta sigma dacs like the Excellent T+A 200 dac. You possible May get 2-3% better possibly at $13k butimo that extra $7k 

can be better spent on a very good Ethernet hub, Ethernet,and or usb cables 

and as I always state Any wall wart to your router or elsewhere is adding noise to your system get rid of it ,the LSA -LPS power supply is by far the best unit under $1200 on Audiogon $700 and has a excellent DC cable most charge $150.

There are many excellent ReferenceR2R dacs out there in the $6k range from

Denafrips as well as Holo Springs , and delta sigma dacs like the Excellent T+A 200 dac. You possible May get 2-3% better possibly at $13k  that extra $7k 

can be better spent on a very good Ethernet hub, Ethernet,and or usb cables 

and as I always state Any wall wart to your router or elsewhere is adding noise to your system get rid of it ,the LSA audio - LPS power supply is by far the best unit under $1200 on Audiogon $700 and has a excellent DC cable most charge $150 for  look on your power supply most are 12v ,the LSA can ramp up to 8 amps 

router- modem combo  around 4 amps.

Cool but unlikely worth the $$$...  so many great DACs for less from companies with pedigree.  

It’s certainly different. Agree with @yoyoyaya on the OMA vibes this gives off.

The source selection via signal reception is neat, and necessary since it lacks any buttons.

The casework is unique, but I feel when products go over the top on the case or box (Sonus Faber) that’s a large part of what you’re paying for. Give me the performance first, and aesthetics second. Lots of glamor shots of the exterior, but none of what’s actually in the box. Don’t be afraid to show your work.

Also curious how much a DAC is affected by resonance?

Almost $13K is an absurd price! Add up the parts cost and I doubt they cost even 25% of the price. DAC's are the equivalent of sound cards. Those can be built for less than $100. Charging five-figures for a DAC is legal robbery!

Even paying four-figures for a DAC these days is not necessary. There are  excellent DAC's available for three-figures: SMSL, Topping ... more!

Ah, the patina of oxidized aluminum!

Lots of pictures of smelting.

A metaphor for removing impurities, perhaps?

No Issues with the DAC, each to their own.

I also am a advocate of selecting materials for structures used in Audio that do assist with managing energies being transferred    

Does a DAC need to have such a excessive process used for producing the Casing?

Surely alternate Industry Standard Materials that are not solely produced for one tole only could have been utilised?  

What does the Company offer as a Carbon Neutral Offset for all that energy needed to create the Molten Metal, for a few Bespoke Produced Cast Casings? 

Looks Like the Wax is used to prevent Oxidation in the form of Verdigris, being the Green Coating collected on Copper or a Alloy with a Copper contained.    , 

You mean to tell me I could have just bought a soundcard and I would have had a state of the art dac,I'm glad someone said something.

"The result is truly liberating: the Galle DAC simply exists."

That's reassuring.  I was thinking "this cannot be real."

I am keeping my hopes alive for someone to chime with actual experience with the DAC. 

@lalitk ...you may be in for a long pause for that experience....

I thought the dipole speaker had a nice 'look' overall, esp. the amt housing.  The main frame looked a little rough, but since the dac cases looked like cast concrete, so.....

Designers go off on tangents that may become trends despite how one thinks about the trend....*L*

“actual experience” is not a requirement to post on forums, unfortunately

If he’s both distributor and dealer on this product as well, his margin will definitely cover home demos. Listen for yourself at home, forget show conditions.

Be sure you like it, this will have minimal value on the secondhand market…

Greetings to everyone.

I have heard this DAC in two setups (including my own - I purchased it). To those for whom the price is "silly" let me say that I have heard DAC's four times the cost of the Cinnamon Galle (dCS Vivaldi) and much more (top-of-the-line MBL). I have an audio system (photo available on this forum) that includes Alsyvox speakers and New Audio Frontiers Stradivari 211 monos. No matter the cost, I haven't heard digital conversion match the Lp front end I am lucky to own - until I heard the Galle. All those who have heard it have had the same reaction. Of course, there are those for whom the price is simply out of the question - that's a different issue - but in the era of six-figure DAC/Clock systems, this is simply an outstanding product. Oh - and no, I have zero link to the Portuguese company that produces it nor any financial interest in the audio store in Nashville that is the dealer. I just enjoy wonderful (mostly classical) music. Of course, my hearing, and that of my audiophile friends, is just our opinions. If you have the chance, however, I do strongly recommend listening for yourself. Thanks for your patience with this long posting.

@steinedm1 

I really appreciate you for taking the time to chime in. I have heard nothing but positive feedback from folks that were fortunate to audition this DAC and end up buying it. BTW, you have a beautiful system, ever since I’ve heard Alsyvox they have been on my wish list. Back to Gallo, it will make its debut at Capitol Audio. 

Cheers!

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.

@grannyring  Bill, how would you compare this to the Tron Signature? I auditioned the Tron previously at Colin's so i am familiar with its sound. Thanks

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.

Thanks Bill. I actually thought the Tron had reach out and touch centered vocals.  I don’t recall the name of the Chinese female vocalist that Colin played some tracks of but to me she was as if she was right there.

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 🙂.

When a PhD electrical engineer specializing in computing and fluid mechanics gets together with a guy with a masters in soil mechanics and they develop a DAC this is what it looks like  Doesn't bother me at all; I like unique.

It is unique for sure.  Looks very nice in person.  Very heavy for a dac at about 55 pounds. 

@grannyring 

Thanks for taking the time to share your impressions. Your feedback comes as no surprise knowing your fine taste in gear and keen sense of musicality. Colin @gestalt knows how to pick his gear which makes it harder to stick around with our existing system long term…LOL!  

When he mentioned about Galle DAC, all I said, bring it on and let’s see if it can dethrone my superb Merging stack of DAC +PS +Clock. Not that I’m looking to buy another DAC but I am always open to hear the latest gear. Musicality is a constant in my choice of audio gear. If a specific audio component cannot convey music with its natural emotions, then it simply failed in its purpose regardless of its price of admission. I would like to point out, your rest of your system should be equally complimentary to take full advantage of a DAC like Galle or Merging. 

I remain interested in knowing if you’re going to make a switch to Galle 😊

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.  

it is so nice to read an enthusiastic yet informed and measured exchange….. 

Sorry my last post misspelled Galle.  It is spelled Galle with no “i” at the end.

Just a second post to echo what Grannyring is reporting. There is something of a "house sound" that I believe connects Collin’s judgments to those of Jeff at High Water Sound, Dr. Vinyl here in Maryland, and a few others. Those of you who have heard the High Water setups at various audio shows will know what I mean: the sound is just immediately engaging, relaxing, and emotionally moving - not because it is colored or euphonic, but because you find yourself in a musical, not electronic experience. Until hearing (and then purchasing) the Galle, I had not heard this from digital sources. The closest I got was from my Audio Note CD player, with its excellent digital chip (the texture of the music was there, but extraneous information also). I have heard very expensive digital setups ($70,000+) with vanishingly low noise floors and massive detail, but in the end, there was still something "two-dimensional" and/or unreal about the voice or the instrument. No stereo system will put you 100% into Carnegie Hall, but for me, the Galle has meant that each evening I face a genuine and happy choice between digital and analog front-ends.

@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.

+1 @grannyring 

WOW 12,995 for a Dac,that's way out of my price range...

+2, @grannyring 

No dealer or distributor I know of in my 20+ of buying new and used gear would be open to loaning high dollar item without any financial security if you didn’t have any prior dealings. So @ricred1, have you bought anything from @gestalt before? 

I would like to learn if Precision Audio, 3ma Audio and Antipodes allows home audition to new customers without any financial security. 

Thanks @ricred1 ….we can read between the lines. Cheers!

"Thanks @ricred1 ….we can read between the lines." I don't think you can, so I sent you a PM.

Grannyring has a unique way of helping settle arguments and debates in forums.

He actually "listens" and gives a neutral opinion, without barking obtrusively.

Due credit of course to Steinedm1, nice, informative postings.

$12,995 Must be nice ,but alas I will never know.But even if I did ,I never would spend that amount.

Thanks @lalitk - finding a DAC at this price point that can sonically compete with the best DACs is daunting.  

@kennyc 

The DAC being demoed at Capital Audio Fest, if you can, have a listen. 

WOW 12,995 for a Dac,that's way out of my price range...

Don't worry too much....if you're going for just sonics, you can get 99% of the sound with some dacs in the ~3k price range. 

There are a couple of genuine gems in the high end for that 1%, but...plenty of garbage out there propped up by the paid press as well.

Unless you have construction from scratch and pertinent treatment to address the room resolution bottleneck, ya heard nothing from 'ultra' high end..especially the guy with the finished garage and non-funtional panels thrown around (haphazardly).