Any good alternatives to the Pono?

24

Comments

  • BHealy
    BHealy Flagstaff, Arizona Posts: 466
    Thanks! I'll check it out.
  • Mike D88
    Mike D88 Tampa Posts: 768
    If you're a DIYer, you can grab an iRiver H100 series. Optical out! It's an old player, but one of the most frequently modified and I think still commonly seen in bootleg recording. Years back people were swapping the hard drive for CompactFlash cards, now they're putting huge solid state drives in there. With Rockbox and an SSD, it basically becomes a lossless portable jukebox with massive storage.
    i-Brzk3Rdjpg
    2008 Tampa - 2013 Buffalo - 2016 Tampa - 2016 Fenway II
    Audioslave 2005 MSG
  • 2-feign-reluctance
    2-feign-reluctance TigerTown, USA Posts: 23,462
    I use an optical audio cable on our BR player - and other devices for years. So good.
    www.cluthelee.com
  • PJ_Soul
    PJ_Soul Vancouver, BC Posts: 50,899
    Okay, so now the Pono sounds worse than the iPhone? What is it, some kind of scam then? Or is that taste test some rigged bullshit? Like they didn't use high def audio files for the Pono when they did it?
    With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
  • Zod
    Zod Posts: 10,950
    PJ_Soul wrote: »
    Okay, so now the Pono sounds worse than the iPhone? What is it, some kind of scam then? Or is that taste test some rigged bullshit? Like they didn't use high def audio files for the Pono when they did it?

    I'd be more interested in lossless vs. lossless. Which is basically a comparison of the DAC's which to me is way more important than HD Flac. HD Flac is kind of pointless if you're playing it through an inferior DAC. A player with a great DAC should easily be able to outshine an iphone, no HD required.
  • BHealy
    BHealy Flagstaff, Arizona Posts: 466
    PJ_Soul wrote: »
    Okay, so now the Pono sounds worse than the iPhone? What is it, some kind of scam then? Or is that taste test some rigged bullshit? Like they didn't use high def audio files for the Pono when they did it?

    That's what they're saying now? I find that hard to believe with HD files.
  • PJ_Soul
    PJ_Soul Vancouver, BC Posts: 50,899
    They did a blind test with people, and almost all of them supposedly thought the iPhone sounded better.
    With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
  • BHealy
    BHealy Flagstaff, Arizona Posts: 466
    edited February 2015
    PJ_Soul wrote: »
    They did a blind test with people, and almost all of them supposedly thought the iPhone sounded better.

    Maybe I should read that....

    Sorry for asking all these dumb questions, but would it make sense to spend a couple hundred dollars on better headphones, and get a cheaper player, like the Fiio X1? I probably have a fixed budget on the player and phones. Right now I'm using a bluetooth headset that sounds way better than the iphone ear-buds, but many of these players don't support bluetooth, and I would rather have some over-the-ear phones anyway.

    I listened to a set of Marshall Studio Monitor headphones today at Best Buy that sounded amazing.

    Thanks again!
  • rtwilli4
    rtwilli4 Posts: 261
    I have an iPhone 4s and keep all of my music on a WD MyCloud. I convert all my FLAC files to ALAC and then I can stream them through the MyCloud App. Doesn't take up any memory on my phone at all.

    The files are huge so you need a really good connection and it runs the battery pretty fast, so I download stuff to the cache in the app when I'm at home with wireless and the phone plugged in. I have to delete the files often when I want to hear new stuff.

    I also have iTunes Match and those files aren't that big so I have access to all of my music any time, even though the quality is only OK if playing in iTunes.
  • cp3iverson
    cp3iverson Posts: 8,702
    edited February 2015
    The tests Neil did with artists and alike was a little sketchy. He compared like 128kb mp3s with HD audio. The problem is that itunes and amazon sell 256 and 320kb. So of course the sound was incredible when comparing Pono to something more than twice as bad as regular mp3 quality.

    Pono will sound great but not noticeably better than CDs or regular purchased mp3s. Thats why its losing blind tests to iphones and ipods.
    Post edited by cp3iverson on
  • BHealy
    BHealy Flagstaff, Arizona Posts: 466
    BTW I ended up buying a pair of these Marshall headphones at Amazon for $129 (they were $200 at Best Buy). They sounded amazing in the store and they get really good reviews! http://www.amazon.com/Marshall-04090800-Monitor-Over-The-Ear-Headphones/dp/B00D3ITOHG
  • TheseGoToEleven
    TheseGoToEleven Charlotte, NC Posts: 106
    Assuming you're working with the best digital files you can go with (lossless/FLAC or at least 320kbps mp3s), good headphones are the first and best step IMO followed by a decent portable DAC, if you're not wanting to buy a new player.

    If you primarily use a laptop or computer for playback, you have a lot to choose from. If you have an iPhone setup like I do, grab a Lightning-to-USB adapter (~$30) and specifically look for a DAC with a power draw of 100mA or less (MicroSteamer is the one I have at about $170). Only drawback is a couple less hours of battery life, but well worth it.
    [i]Well, it's one louder, isn't it? It's not ten. You see, most blokes, you know, will be playing at ten. You're on ten here, all the way up, all the way up, all the way up, you're on ten on your guitar. Where can you go from there? Where?[/i]
  • BHealy
    BHealy Flagstaff, Arizona Posts: 466
    TheseGoToEleven wrote: »
    Assuming you're working with the best digital files you can go with (lossless/FLAC or at least 320kbps mp3s), good headphones are the first and best step IMO followed by a decent portable DAC, if you're not wanting to buy a new player.

    If you primarily use a laptop or computer for playback, you have a lot to choose from. If you have an iPhone setup like I do, grab a Lightning-to-USB adapter (~$30) and specifically look for a DAC with a power draw of 100mA or less (MicroSteamer is the one I have at about $170). Only drawback is a couple less hours of battery life, but well worth it.

    Thanks! I didn't know what I was missing. I mean, I knew the iphone ear buds sounded like crap, but these headphones made my jaw drop. I've started buying the FLAC bootlegs, and they sound great. I've also ripped a bunch of vinyl records at 192/24, but I can't play them right now, except through my computer.
  • TheseGoToEleven
    TheseGoToEleven Charlotte, NC Posts: 106
    BHealy wrote: »
    TheseGoToEleven wrote: »
    Assuming you're working with the best digital files you can go with (lossless/FLAC or at least 320kbps mp3s), good headphones are the first and best step IMO followed by a decent portable DAC, if you're not wanting to buy a new player.

    If you primarily use a laptop or computer for playback, you have a lot to choose from. If you have an iPhone setup like I do, grab a Lightning-to-USB adapter (~$30) and specifically look for a DAC with a power draw of 100mA or less (MicroSteamer is the one I have at about $170). Only drawback is a couple less hours of battery life, but well worth it.

    Thanks! I didn't know what I was missing. I mean, I knew the iphone ear buds sounded like crap, but these headphones made my jaw drop. I've started buying the FLAC bootlegs, and they sound great. I've also ripped a bunch of vinyl records at 192/24, but I can't play them right now, except through my computer.
    Indeed, decent phones make all the difference in the world! I didn't spend a ton as I'm value-conscious, but saving up $100-200 can make a huge difference to the ears. I use Klipsch image s4 buds and Audio Technica ATH-M50 cans, both very very solid for the money.
    [i]Well, it's one louder, isn't it? It's not ten. You see, most blokes, you know, will be playing at ten. You're on ten here, all the way up, all the way up, all the way up, you're on ten on your guitar. Where can you go from there? Where?[/i]
  • RVM1978
    RVM1978 Leesburg, FL Posts: 320
    I feel like I need to speak up since no one here has an actual Pono Player. I pledged for Kickstarter back in March for the My Morning Jacket LE. I received my player with 2 albums. "Circuital" in 96k/24bit and "Okonokos" in 48k/24bit. I use Audio Technica ATH-M50x (usually go for between $129.00 and $169.00 on Amazon) headphones with no external amp. I never owned a high res capable player before so I can't do an apples to apples comparison, but the Pono Player has been a blessing and a curse of sorts. The blessing is that my music collection has never sounded better. I've been buying music on vinyl and CD since I was 13 years old in 1991. I've amassed quite a collection since it is my lifelong hobby. Over 99% of what I have on the Pono Player is in 44.1k/16bit WAV resolution (1411kbps). This little player puts out some serious power.
    The part where this is a curse sucks. I'm spoiled now. I never really liked streaming Mp3's. I only used it as a means to discover new artists. But for years before streaming, I was content in just buying an album by researching it through reviews or word of mouth. In that respect it made me go back to my old ways of purchasing music. Which is fine because it feels more organic and personal as opposed to something disposable. So basically I can't listen to Mp3's anymore, because all I hear is what I'm missing from the "full" or "high res" version.
    Since this is Pearl Jam's forum, I have purchased "Ten", "Vs.", "Vitalogy", and "Lightning Bolt" in high res. Over the course of my life, I've listened to "Ten" more times than I can count. With the Pono Player in 44.1k/24bit resolution, I could hear subtleties I've never heard before. Mostly in the drums, Eddie's vocal, and Jeff's bass. It's a new album for a new time in my life. Same goes for Vs. and Vitalogy. Although, those are in 96k/24bit. Lightning Bolt is 44.1/24. The bass on "My Father's Son" sounds amazing from that record.
    The only mode I haven't tried on the player unfortunately is the balanced mode. Which by what people say in the Pono forum is what makes this thing really deliver on that promise. But in order to hear it, you need a high quality amp/receiver with the proper cables, or a set of very high cost balanced headphones. All of those are things I will be saving up for in the near future, because this player just sounds better and better as it gets burned in. I highly recommend it if you are looking to purchase a high res player.
    08/12/2000 - Tampa, FL; 04/09/2003 - Birmingham, AL; 04/11/2003 - West Palm Beach, FL
    04/13/2003 - Tampa, FL; 10/08/2004 - Kissimmee, FL; 05/16 & 17/2006 - Chicago, IL;
    05/19/2006 - Grand Rapids, MI; 05/22/2006 - Auburn Hills, MI; 08/05/2007 - Chicago, IL;
    05/03/2010 - Kansas City, MO; 07/19/2013 - Chicago, IL; 04/13/16 - Jacksonville, FL;
  • RVM1978
    RVM1978 Leesburg, FL Posts: 320
    Also, the Pono Player really shines on a home stereo. It will blast the iPhone or iPod out of the water on a conventional amp-2 speaker stereo setup.
    08/12/2000 - Tampa, FL; 04/09/2003 - Birmingham, AL; 04/11/2003 - West Palm Beach, FL
    04/13/2003 - Tampa, FL; 10/08/2004 - Kissimmee, FL; 05/16 & 17/2006 - Chicago, IL;
    05/19/2006 - Grand Rapids, MI; 05/22/2006 - Auburn Hills, MI; 08/05/2007 - Chicago, IL;
    05/03/2010 - Kansas City, MO; 07/19/2013 - Chicago, IL; 04/13/16 - Jacksonville, FL;
  • BHealy
    BHealy Flagstaff, Arizona Posts: 466
    Thanks! Great review and info!
  • mrussel1
    mrussel1 Posts: 30,966
    I did my own Pepsi challenge just last week on whether I could hear resolution difference. I tried it with my wife too, but that was totally pointless. Anyway, I used U2 the Joshua Tree of which I took a 24/192 vinyl rip (my own) and then downsampled it to two more sizes: 24/96 and 16/44.
    I streamed it to my PIoneer Elite SC-81 and listened through my Def Tech 8060 super towers. My DLNA streaming is done either through Squeezebox touch or JRiver Media. I hate Itunes.

    I 'think' I heard some difference at each resolution, but I can't be 100% sure. One thing that was absolutely certain was the enormous amount of space 24/192 would eat up on small handheld player. The size difference is really astounding even from 96 to 192.

    I have a ton of music that is 24 bit and I can assure you I'm not in the process of downsampling it now since hard drive space is pretty cheap. But my conclusion is that for my 64 gb itouch, I'm keeping it at 16/44 lossless and not putting 24 bit music on there. I'd rather have 8x the music rather than the small gain in quality. However, there are no Mp3's polluting the device.
  • mrussel1
    mrussel1 Posts: 30,966
    edited February 2015
    RVM - you're absolutely right on the speakers and receiver, but don't fall into the BS about cables and wire. If you get 14 gauge oxygen free copper wire and some solid cables from monoprice, you will save yourself hundreds of dollars and there won't be a bit of difference. Cables are the biggest scam in the world. my opinion...

    Post edited by mrussel1 on
  • mrussel1
    mrussel1 Posts: 30,966
    edited February 2015
    Error...

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