Pearl Jam limited edition chrome Pono Player

darthvedder · January 2015

MedozK wrote: »

Ouch!
https://www.yahoo.com/tech/it-was-one-of-kickstarters-most-successful-109496883039.html

15 people is hardly enough of a sample size to reach a firm conclusion, but I find it interesting that more people preferred the iTunes. Is it because that's all these people have known for the last decade? Is it because recordings are being compressed (and have less dynamic range) in the recording process to sound good on Apple devices?

I laughed at the Pono guy who said that the Pono brought more "emotion". Whatever that means...

It's hard to know what is marketing hype and what isn't these days.

RedMosquito02 · February 2015

Neil Young’s “HD Audio” PonoPlayer put up against iPhone, results fall flat http://pulse.me/s/3lm6Zu

Ouch again.

KV4053 · February 2015

RedMosquito02 wrote: »

Neil Young’s “HD Audio” PonoPlayer put up against iPhone, results fall flat http://pulse.me/s/3lm6Zu

Ouch again.

LOL. Unbiased site?

mwplum · February 2015

I opened mine a few months ago and have been using it as a higher storage unit for ALAC HD Pearl Jam boots I've bought and FLAC downloads that come with vinyl records In a way, I really like having another device other than my iPhone that has only PJ and a select few other bands. I do think it sounds way better, and it's encouraged me to get good quality headphones, so for that alone, it's been awesome.

cp3iverson · February 2015

So in blind tests people are preferring iphones to pono when using high quality headphones?
Ouch again.

Also interesting that the artists made all of their statements by comparing pono to low rez mp3s only in Neil's pono-car. No one sells low rez anymore.

lolobugg · February 2015

RedMosquito02 wrote: »

Neil Young’s “HD Audio” PonoPlayer put up against iPhone, results fall flat http://pulse.me/s/3lm6Zu

Ouch again.

people raised on shitty resolution like MP3 and Dre Beats prefer shitty quality music.
no surprise there.
it's like being addicted to sugar.
I agree though that everyone doesn't have the ears for HD but with a good setup you should definitely be able to tell the difference.

cp3iverson · February 2015

Well these articles raise a good point. Itunes and amazon do not sell low resolution mp3s.

What the advertisements and endorsements all put Pono up against was low resolution mp3s. Even Neil's statement to yahoo said ".....compared to low resolution mp3".

Most people with CDs or normal mp3s wont hear a difference. That's why iphones are beating Pono in blind tests.

lolobugg · February 2015

cp3iverson wrote: »

Well these articles raise a good point. Itunes and amazon do not sell low resolution mp3s.

What the advertisements and endorsements all put Pono up against was low resolution mp3s. Even Neil's statement to yahoo said ".....compared to low resolution mp3".

Most people with CDs or normal mp3s wont hear a difference. That's why iphones are beating Pono in blind tests.

Yeah. I don't think it will ever be as popular as Iphones/Ipods.
It is definitely a niche market for people who have the gear and can tell the difference between resolutions.

2-feign-reluctance · February 2015

Which means this thing is really marketed towards kiddos who came up in the low-rez era of digital music - not their parents who own fucking turntables and vintage hi-fi systems.

lolobugg · February 2015

2-feign-reluctance wrote: »

Which means this thing is really marketed towards kiddos who came up in the low-rez era of digital music - not their parents who own fucking turntables and vintage hi-fi systems.

I think that is probably their hope and maybe part of the business plan, but sadly it won't catch on with millennials. Maybe the subset that are into vinyl.

Kev - Coat and Keys · February 2015

I really like my Pono so my opinion is just as biased as these sponsored, fake 'science' articles mentioned here, but the thing is if/when the Pono player fails high resolution digital music is not going away.
HDtracks, Qobuz, Apple's version, the new ridiculously expensive Sony walkman etc.
And heck who here is gonna gamble on not getting Moline in FlacHD from the Ten store in case they are missing out on something.

Plus Tea for the Tillerman in 24/192 is the balls.

iVEDDER · February 2015

MayDay10 wrote: »

Im considering getting rid of my Pono. I like it and all, its just a bit redundant. I have spent considerable $ on my vinyl collection, and also have volumes of digital music, mostly in shitty formats but its mostly for use on the go, loaded right into my cellphone. FLAC files play on poweramp. I find myself not really using the Pono.

MayDay10 please PM me if you are willing to sell it for a fair price. Cheers.

demetrios · February 2015

RedMosquito02 wrote: »

Neil Young’s “HD Audio” PonoPlayer put up against iPhone, results fall flat http://pulse.me/s/3lm6Zu

Ouch again.

https://twitter.com/llsethj
9to5Mac

I wonder how much Apple stock & Apple money went to his & David Pogue pockets writing these biased articles.

iPhone's sound hardware is much better then Pono's sound hardware?

chauncey · February 2015

I have one of these that I loaded up with PJ. I'm thinking of trading or selling it. PM me if interested!

demetrios · February 2015

The Pono Store really needs to fix their data base.

If you don't log in, this is what you see when you search for Pearl Jam.

But if you log in from a Canadian IP, this is all that you get ..

8bitj · February 2015

I feel obligated to chime in here. I bought a clear Pono in the kickstarter and it's 100% worth it. I hate the phrase audiophile because I'm poor and not a snob, but I absolutely care about sound quality and seem to have sensitive ears.

I'm still a fan of minidisc and have a good vinyl collection, owned a Cowon D2 and an iPod and several other mp3 players in-between. There are records I own that offer nothing in relation to their digital counterparts, and there are others that open new doors I didn't know existed.

For the majority of albums I've listened to on my Pono, the latter is true. The separation and clarity is amazing. In my car it makes a noticeable difference, but on halfway decent headphones it's a revelation. For relevance, I bought the HDFLAC versions of the Moline, St. Paul and Milwaukee PJ shows and they are overwhelming.

Obviously everyone is different, and just like I need glasses because my eyes are shit I'm sure some people's hearing doesn't distinguish certain things. That's why I'm wary of scattered opinions, positive and negative, about (high-end) audio and visual equipment. I'm the kind of person that won't bullshit myself to rationalize things. I would be hard-pressed to rate color saturation and pixel clarity on a comparable set of HDTVs, but I would confidently rate headphones and DAPs all day.

Like my vinyls, there are some albums that sound the same on my Pono as on my phone or through my computer. But for the most part Pono makes music burst, opens hidden layers and gives songs I've heard hundreds of times a separation and clairty that I frankly didn't think were possible.

*Edit: And yes, the software isn't great but I can drag-and-drop files, and I wish their Hi-Res library was significantly bigger/I won't be paying them for CD-quality FLAC files I can rip myself.

my2hands · February 2015

Love Neil but this is mostly hyped bs...

"You can feel the difference" lol

Opinions are opinions and facts are facts... fact is essentially every expert and article I check says there is no difference to the human ear...

But to be fair, I have not listened, or "felt" it

lolobugg · February 2015

8bitj wrote: »

I feel obligated to chime in here. I bought a clear Pono in the kickstarter and it's 100% worth it. I hate the phrase audiophile because I'm poor and not a snob, but I absolutely care about sound quality and seem to have sensitive ears.

I'm still a fan of minidisc and have a good vinyl collection, owned a Cowon D2 and an iPod and several other mp3 players in-between. There are records I own that offer nothing in relation to their digital counterparts, and there are others that open new doors I didn't know existed.

For the majority of albums I've listened to on my Pono, the latter is true. The separation and clarity is amazing. In my car it makes a noticeable difference, but on halfway decent headphones it's a revelation. For relevance, I bought the HDFLAC versions of the Moline, St. Paul and Milwaukee PJ shows and they are overwhelming.

Obviously everyone is different, and just like I need glasses because my eyes are shit I'm sure some people's hearing doesn't distinguish certain things. That's why I'm wary of scattered opinions, positive and negative, about (high-end) audio and visual equipment. I'm the kind of person that won't bullshit myself to rationalize things. I would be hard-pressed to rate color saturation and pixel clarity on a comparable set of HDTVs, but I would confidently rate headphones and DAPs all day.

Like my vinyls, there are some albums that sound the same on my Pono as on my phone or through my computer. But for the most part Pono makes music burst, opens hidden layers and gives songs I've heard hundreds of times a separation and clairty that I frankly didn't think were possible.

*Edit: And yes, the software isn't great but I can drag-and-drop files, and I wish their Hi-Res library was significantly bigger/I won't be paying them for CD-quality FLAC files I can rip myself.

Very well said.... I agree with all of the above.

2-feign-reluctance · February 2015

8bitj wrote: »

I feel obligated to chime in here. I bought a clear Pono in the kickstarter and it's 100% worth it. I hate the phrase audiophile because I'm poor and not a snob, but I absolutely care about sound quality and seem to have sensitive ears.

I'm still a fan of minidisc and have a good vinyl collection, owned a Cowon D2 and an iPod and several other mp3 players in-between. There are records I own that offer nothing in relation to their digital counterparts, and there are others that open new doors I didn't know existed.

For the majority of albums I've listened to on my Pono, the latter is true. The separation and clarity is amazing. In my car it makes a noticeable difference, but on halfway decent headphones it's a revelation. For relevance, I bought the HDFLAC versions of the Moline, St. Paul and Milwaukee PJ shows and they are overwhelming.

Obviously everyone is different, and just like I need glasses because my eyes are shit I'm sure some people's hearing doesn't distinguish certain things. That's why I'm wary of scattered opinions, positive and negative, about (high-end) audio and visual equipment. I'm the kind of person that won't bullshit myself to rationalize things. I would be hard-pressed to rate color saturation and pixel clarity on a comparable set of HDTVs, but I would confidently rate headphones and DAPs all day.

Like my vinyls, there are some albums that sound the same on my Pono as on my phone or through my computer. But for the most part Pono makes music burst, opens hidden layers and gives songs I've heard hundreds of times a separation and clairty that I frankly didn't think were possible.

*Edit: And yes, the software isn't great but I can drag-and-drop files, and I wish their Hi-Res library was significantly bigger/I won't be paying them for CD-quality FLAC files I can rip myself.

Clearly your soul has been affected - just like Neil wants it to be with this player.

rafie · February 2015

FINALLY recieved my player today after countless fuck ups from pono customer service. Giving a listen to lb now. The drums are more present and full compared to what i have heard up until now. Will have to do more kistening before i can chime in more than that.

Pearl Jam limited edition chrome Pono Player

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