For information about how to use this forum please check out forum help and policies.
Quote
barbabang
I am all in for lossless audio. BUT the mastering is even more important. What's the point of having Hampton 1981 (Rolling Stones.com download)in FLAC when it is brickwalled to death with no life?
The life WAS there only to be mastered with no dynamics.
Quote
barbabang
I am all in for lossless audio. BUT the mastering is even more important. What's the point of having Hampton 1981 (Rolling Stones.com download)in FLAC when it is brickwalled to death with no life?
The life WAS there only to be mastered with no dynamics.
Quote
Stones Blah
Ouch!!!!!!
Quote
Irix
On [www.jpc.de] are btw 18 re-issues of the japanese SHM-SACDs available again (EUR 33.99, 26-Nov-2014, at the moment wrong sorted under Audio-CDs).
Quote
A little bit OT: on [www.jpc.de] are btw 17 re-issues of the japanese SHM-SACDs available again (EUR 33.99, 26-Nov-2014, at the moment wrong sorted under usual Audio-CDs).
Quote
Naturalust
Seems like the problem with Pono might be that everybody else (Apple, Sony, et al) will probably be offering high resolution digital music before Pono really gets off the ground. And they already have the distribution channels in place to really take advantage of it.
At least Neil gave 'em all a kick in the ass.
Maybe someone will come out with a simple miniaturized analog playback system with digital features like track search and track info which will blow all the high res digital stuff away. Until then DSD (Direct Stream Digital) seems to beat everything else, hands down. peace
Quote
Got my NY LE Pono yesterday. Here are some preliminary impressions:
1. The Player: I've loaded and listed to a number of different file resolutions: 44.1/16, 96/24 and 192/24. (headphones used: OPPO HA-1; Harmon/Kardon CL; Bowers & Wilkins P5.) On sound, it easily outdoes my iPods and my iPhone (both using Apple Lossless versions of the same 44.1/16 files on the Pono for direct comparisons), with tight, well-supported bass and a nicely balanced and nuanced soundstage. Without wading into the usual HD controversy in this thread and elsewhere, I suspect the difference here can be in part attributed to the built-in headphone amp and the DAC used. It also sounds at least as good as my FiiO X5, though I haven't spend a lot of time yet doing direct comparisons. Where it beats the FiiO handily is in the interface and navigation: it has a very user-friendly touch screen that is appropriately sized, with good one-hand ergonomics. I don't see the Toblerone shape as a problem; in fact, for me it's an asset: it fits in the palm of my hand just right for holding and thumb navigation, much better than, for example, my iPhone 6. And it fits fine in my coat or shirt pockets -- it's lighter than any smartphone I've ever had, so that it's not a flat brick is offset by its lower weight.
(On gapless playback, btw, according to posts from moderators in the Pono Community forums, it continues to be worked on, but is a big challenge with the operating software being used. Have to think it will be fixed in a firmware update at some point, given the hue and cry on the site over the issue.)
2. The Software: The Pono software (in my case, for MAC) is an adaptation of JRiver Media Center; in fact, it's called Pono 20, which is the edition JRiver is currently up to. Since I've long used JRiver to manage and play my HD Tracks files, I found it very intuitive to use; Pono has made some adaptations that should make it easier for new users of the program to use than JRiver was at first for me, without sacrificing any of the program's robustness. I was able to populate the library with about 2800 HD tracks in about 45 minutes, and it's very easy to drag and drop albums or songs onto the Pono hard drive for syncing. (It wasn't easy at first to figure out how to access the removable Micro SD card through the software, but navigating some dropdown menus solved that fairly readily.)
3. The Pono Store: This still needs a lot of work, though searches are easy to execute if a little quirky. There aren't very many 192/24 and 96/24 choices yet, though more continue to be added daily; HD Tracks and Acoustic Sounds still have a lot more extensive hirez catalogs. (And may have some exclusives for a time, which would explain part of the delay.) There doesn't seem to be any way to search and sort by resolution level; that will need to be fixed. Pricing on hirez files seems roughly comparable to HD Tracks and Acoustic Sounds. The library of 44.1/16 files is quite extensive, including some out of print or hard to find albums, and pricing here is pretty good: I've seen EPs for $2.99 to $4.29; catalog items for $9.49 (e.g., Richard & Linda Thompson's I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight) and new issues around $14.99.
Tentative Conclusion: given the ease of use of the player and software, it appears to be a success as an ecosystem for CD quality and higher resolution digital file portable playing. Yes, that's a niche market, but a real one -- I'm still committed to a dedicated lossless/hirez non-streaming portable player, and the $400 price point is roughly competitive with the FiiO X5 (which I will now probably only use for DSD files). And I don't know of an online store for CD quality downloads in the US with anywhere near as vast a catalog; even those who have no interest in the player itself may want to take a look when it graduates from beta next year.
Quote
AussieMark
Interesting shape. I'll need to buy a handbag if I bought a Pono.
Quote
kowalski
First impressions on Steve Hoffman forums
Quote
Irix
Slightly OT - the german/austrian/swiss site of Qobuz.com lists 3 new HD-Downloads (88.2kHz/24bit):
Let It Bleed
The Rolling Stones
Hot Rocks 1964-1971