Exogal Comet / Ion

I purchased my own combo of units (DAC and amp) to use on a desktop/office set-up. I was fortunate in that I also had the opportunity to audition them at home before making the decision to drop hard cash. Yes the screen is hard to see and the remote is very simple but for ME being at eye level on a desk the functionality is fine and I have no issues with it. I preloaded a small tablet and dedicated it to the software when it was available but honestly never used it because it was not convenient. 
My unit is 3 years old and works as good as the day I unpackaged it. It is a simple clean setup that sounds excellent. I understand some folks do not like the interface and I agree that some buttons and a knob would have been a good option to have. I also agree that no longer having access to the software remote is a real issue for folks and a lack of support is problematic. 
As is though, with the basic remote the unit works fine as long as you have direct view of the screen up to 4ft distance in my experience. Fine for a desktop, not my choice for a larger or more distant set-up. 

To answer your question, the Exogal sounds fantastic. When the units were at their prime they had a wonderful application for iPads and such devices by which you could operate the system. This was formerly considered a major asset integral to the system. The application is no longer available and you are presently stuck with a cheap plastic remote and a tiny window on the Comet that is difficult to read. So one spends nearly 7k for a system that has become an exercise in frustration.