Pearl Jam limited edition chrome Pono Player

Zod

elvistheking44 said:

Neil young is not a factory worker. Kick starter is not for him.

No but a few million dollars is still a lot of money to a rich guy. Would a rational person risk millions of dollars on trying to sell a high end portable music player to a population that is pretty content with listening to music on their smartphones? I doubt it.

If it was such a money making idea you would think he would of gotten backing from one of the big electronics companies. Mp3/Flac players have died right out thanks to smartphones. There's not many of us left that use them.

Even if I were rich I'd have a hard time dumping millions on a project that might not return the money. So if my only choice was to fund it myself, I'd probably decide it wasn't worth the risk, and not bother.

JB128716

Why did they use kickerstarter?

Lower the risk of investment.
Free marketing.
Establish a price point.
Follows more of the DIY motto

demetrios

Project Update #2: Some answers to your questions!
Posted by the PonoMusic Team Black heart (cards) Like

Hello backers!

We have gone through tons of your questions/comments/messages and have worked to respond to many of them. We came across a handful that address similar issues, so we wanted to share our answers here.

Also, keep in mind that a lot of your PonoMusic-related questions can be answered in our FAQ at the bottom of our campaign page. Kickstarter-related questions are addressed in their FAQ.

We hope this helps, and of course, thanks so so much for the support!

1. What headphones do you recommend? The audio experience is excellent with any decent headphones or earbuds from many of the well-respected brands. We've used products ranging from $80 up with top results. At our press demo yesterday, Ayre used Sennheiser Momentum headphones that retail for $300. We've also gotten amazing results using Audeze headphones, Etymotic in-ears, and many others. To those asking why we didn't bundle headphones, it's because many already own a pair and we wanted to offer the PonoPlayer at the best price possible. That said, we will be providing more recommendations and offering several models for sale when we launch our online store after the Kickstarter campaign.

2. Can I use the PonoPlayer with Linux? There will be desktop software for Mac and PC computers for managing and adding your content to the player like iTunes, but there are no plans for an app for Linux. You will likely be able to add songs to the MicroSD card, which will appear on your Linux computer as an external drive.

3. Can I change/increase my order? Yes, you can. Visit the project page and click “Manage Your Pledge.” Enter a new amount in the pledge amount box. Note that you are not adding to your existing pledge; the amount you enter will be the total amount collected. Also, increasing the amount of a pledge doesn't automatically change the reward you receive. If you would like a higher tier reward, you would need to select that reward when increasing the pledge. If you want to double-check that your pledge and reward selections are accurate, you can always refer to the Backer History: https://www.kickstarter.com/profile/backings

4. Can you make special shipping arrangements (make as gift to avoid duty, avoid VAT taxes, etc.)? Unfortunately, no.

5. How do I cancel my order? If you must cancel, visit the project page and click “Manage Your Pledge.” At the bottom of the next page you’ll see the “Cancel Pledge” button.

6. Can you offer more players with Neil's autograph? Because the Artist Signature Series is limited edition, we cannot offer more of this specific category since it is sold out. But do check out all the other excellent artists in the series! More to come...

7. Will Pono support DSD playback? No plans on this first release. We are focused specifically on PCM at this time because it has broad acceptance, and when done properly, still offers the best sonic solution. While DSD is also a great format, it simply doesn’t have broad enough acceptance by consumers, studios, or labels.

8. Will there be a Pono Mac app to play the FLAC files I purchase on PonoMusic? Yes. I would suggest using a simple file converter application such as this … http://sbooth.org/Max/

9. Does the PonoPlayer use Bluetooth? No Bluetooth. Audio over Bluetooth is not suitable for high resolution.

10. Any DRM limits on PonoMusic? None.

11. Can I use the player with my car's USB port and see the songs on my car's display? No. You can use the player as an auxiliary source and plug it into the car's input connector.

12. Where will the PonoMusic Store be available? The PonoMusic.com Store will launch in the US, UK, and Canada. We plan to grow and expand from there.

13. I would love to be an artist featured in the PonoMusic.com Store! How can I? Awesome! Please send an email to artists@ponomusic.com.

14. Do you have any plans to make any more $200 Early Bird players available? Unfortunately, no. That is the nature of the Early Bird option! We encourage you to consider the yellow and black players, which are still discounted. Plus stay tuned for more Artist Signature Series players.

15. I just bought a PonoPlayer but would love to also get a T-shirt! How can I? Kickstarter only allows for one reward per donor. I'd recommend using another credit card. Thanks for your support!

100 Pacer

aurynsdad said:

100 Pacer said:

aurynsdad said:

boyo79 said:

You guys be crazy. $400+ on something that you don't know what it's gonna look like it but it's ok cos it says Pearl Jam on it?!!?

A serious case of people with more money than common sense!

No, it's a good investment. Much better than a Benaroya. That's the only reason I'm bummed I missed it. Because these will go for $1000 easily.

^^^

That actually made me laugh out loud.

Hard.

I don't think you understand the mindset of a good portion of this fanbase. These will be worth a lot more than what people just paid for them.

If you believe a good portion of this fan base will pay $1,000 for this device then I would argue your imagination has gotten the best of you.

And for the record, the Benaroya Hall LP has shown a significant ROI whereas this device has shown none to date so your argument is moot.

RD101189

I wonder how many of the 500 were bought with the intention of flipping them. :-?

Spoken

I agree-
I don't normally like Kickstarter-
But I did get the Neil Young signed poster-
(I'm getting something I always wanted for my money)
I feel like this particular Kickstarter was to generate interest in the product-
And I really hope this product succeeds.

elvistheking44

RD101189 said:

I wonder how many of the 500 were bought with the intention of flipping them. :-?

400+

Empty Glass

elvistheking44 said:

RD101189 said:

I wonder how many of the 500 were bought with the intention of flipping them. :-?

400+

Ha, my first thought was 490

JWPearl

Nope

mcatake

Oh Neil.....so right now on the home page of neilyoung.com is an article regarding how bad the pollution in china is...and then there is this from the kickstarter page "The PonoPlayer will be built by PCH International (Cork, Ireland and San Francisco), with its production facilities in Shenzhen, China. "

Really Neil?

courtmcc

I AM 21 YEARS OLD. HOW AM I GOING TO AFFORD SOMETHING LIKE THAT?

morello

^^^ Sorry courtmcc, I don't know you, not trying to diss you, but I'd say you & others will afford it if you/they want to the same way so many afford extremely expensive(IMHO) iphones.

Release EV

Empty Glass said:

elvistheking44 said:

RD101189 said:

I wonder how many of the 500 were bought with the intention of flipping them. :-?

400+

Ha, my first thought was 490

There is a difference between collecting and flipping. I would revisit that number

mj61

I'd rather throw down on some vinyl...but hey, that's just me.

Empty Glass

Release EV said:

Empty Glass said:

elvistheking44 said:

RD101189 said:

I wonder how many of the 500 were bought with the intention of flipping them. :-?

400+

Ha, my first thought was 490

There is a difference between collecting and flipping. I would revisit that number

There is a huge difference. A very high number of these will go for big $, however.

pdalowsky

I see a good solid resale market for these, and one I am very glad to avoid. Remember the prices the first ipods reached, which was crazy. albeit they were limited to only 200

pdalowsky

now theres a metallica one

jamburger

1000 more posters too and the VIP dinner is open again. You folks should petition for more Pearl Jam models to be added.

Nami

mcatake said:

Oh Neil.....so right now on the home page of neilyoung.com is an article regarding how bad the pollution in china is...and then there is this from the kickstarter page "The PonoPlayer will be built by PCH International (Cork, Ireland and San Francisco), with its production facilities in Shenzhen, China. "

Really Neil?

)

Travelar

jamburger said:

1000 more posters too and the VIP dinner is open again. You folks should petition for more Pearl Jam models to be added.

While that would be nice, the FAQ in newsletter #2 stated they would not add any more signature editions for any artist. I just imagine it will be more artists...