[doctorjazz]

I can't say I completely disagree that the hype on the hi-rez simplifies things to almost meaninglessness, but I don't blame Pono for doing it. People tend to like numbers to let them know something is better. More megapixels=better camera. More watts=better amp. If they tried to sell it to the public by stressing the gear is designed by Ayre, a well regarded high end audio equipment manufacturer, most folks would just go, "huh?". But, to their credit, they didn't just use meaningless numbers (not to say that bit rate is meaningless, but the ability to play hi rez files on a crappy DAP WOULD be meaningless), but made sure the manufacturing end was well taken care of in all the other ways that are important for good sound. I mean, hey, BALANCED OUTPUT in a mid fi priced dap? Pretty cool, definitely something they didn't have to do.

 

[Ham Sandwich]

If you buy an iPhone or iPod are you then required to re-buy all of your music from iTunes?  Of course not.
If you buy a PonoPlayer are you then required to re-buy all of your music from PonoMusic?  Of course not.
 
David Pogue's question to the participants asking if they would buy a PonoPlayer AND re-buy all of their music is a logical fallacy.  He should be mocked for being ignorant enough to tie those two requirements together.  Unless he really is that stupid and did re-buy all of his music from iTunes when he bought an iPod or iPhone.
 
I have a PonoPlayer.  I haven't bought any music from PonoMusic and I have no plans to.  My music library is primarily CD rips.  A lot of them. And that is what I'm staying with as my primary source for music.  The PonoPlayer makes the CD rips sound awesome.  I happen to like the sound it does.  You don't need high-res to enjoy the player.

 

[doctorjazz]

My recollection of David Pogue from the NY Times was, he was very entertaining reading, was an interesting and informative read on most tech, BUT, was truly uninformed/useless at best, harmful at worst, when it came to audio.

 

[olddude]

My 250 or so albums are a combination of CD rips, DSDs down sampled to 24/192 to work on the Pono, and hi-res files from various sources.  I only bought those albums from PonoMusic that interested me - notably Neal Young, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere and Comes A Time, which were remastered for the first time and then released in 24/192, as well as Crosby, Stills and Nash similarly presented.  The Pono site is a bit expensive.  I've purchased material offered there from other sites at cheaper prices.  But I certainly am not going to re-buy all of my music library in hi-res.  Much of it is not even offered that way.  Pick and choose, get the stuff you really want, that you care about, and that truly comes from the original master.  CD quality from a good master is already very good.  If the music matters to you, then get an upgrade.  

 

[Koukol]

  This video is definitly making me nervous getting this player
 

What crap!
 
I haven't read the following posts yet (so forgive me if this has already been mentioned) but this is just like the bogus Pepsi challenge commercials where they COULD have only shown the responses they want.
 
Even then... most of us here WANT that 10 to 25% improvement...we're not the average consumer.

 

[Sam Edwards]

After watching this video I did my own informal 'Pepsi Challenge at home. I took some HD audio and made 128KB MP3's from them. Then I switched back and fourth between the originals and the down sampled versions on MacPro>Vox>Hugo>TH900. Even with a terrible cold I could tell the difference, but it was more subtle than I thought it would be.
But the differences in mastering can easily account for the difference between people's preference on the video. At least I took that out of the equation. 
The designer of the Hugo says that HD audio makes 'less difference' on his device because of the very long tap length design. I'm going to try on other devices, like the Pono!

 

[doctorjazz]

I think I mentioned it before, and I agree, 10-25% improvement??!!!! Letting aside the fact that I don't actually know how one puts a percentage on subjective improvement or increased enjoyment, that seems like a WHOPPING improvement! People spend lots of money for less, at least as you go higher in price on High End Gear!

 

[Sam Edwards]

I think I mentioned it before, and I agree, 10-25% improvement??!!!! Letting aside the fact that I don't actually know how one puts a percentage on subjective improvement or increased enjoyment, that seems like a WHOPPING improvement! People spend lots of money for less, at least as you go higher in price on High End Gear!

On Hitchhikers Guide to Meridian people talk about improvements in 'Meridian Dollars', as in what Meridian would charge you for such an improvement. It's pretty funny. 
So $400 Pono would be the improvement over your phone. 

 

[amham]

Is there a pin-out diagram for the Pono balanced cables...need to make up a pair for my Audeze;s...thanks

 

[lamode]

  Is there a pin-out diagram for the Pono balanced cables...need to make up a pair for my Audeze;s...thanks

If you join the Pono community on their website you will find the pinout diagram

 

[Sam Edwards]

Here is the Pono Balanced Cable doc from the Pono site. Thought it might be more convenient...

 

 

[RandomHajile]

I did my own informal 'Pepsi Challenge at home. I took some HD audio and made 128KB MP3's from them.

Even with a terrible cold I could tell the difference,

That's a bit of a loaded test don't you think?

If you made 16bit-44/48khz FLAC's or even 320kbps MP3/aac would of been a more realistic "test" besides haven't Apple iTunes been selling 256kbps AAC for a good few years now?

 

[Dinerenblanc]

Nope, we're dealing with a high resolution nay-sayer.  therefore, any DAP that plays hi-res is a fraud, as clearly, according to scientific tests, people can't hear a difference.  Or so the nay-sayers say.

Too bad so many of us can hear the difference.  Oh well.

Hi there, Neil Young.

 

[Sam Edwards]

That's a bit of a loaded test don't you think?

If you made 16bit-44/48khz FLAC's or even 320kbps MP3/aac would of been a more realistic "test" besides haven't Apple iTunes been selling 256kbps AAC for a good few years now?

I was more interested in educating myself in the difference. I'm sure the difference would have been even more subtle with higher bit rate MP3's or AAC's. I'll continue my research. 
iTunes doesn't even play flac, so I'm not sure how that enters into the equation. 

 

[RandomHajile]

iTunes doesn't even play flac, so I'm not sure how that enters into the equation. 

Sorry for not putting "FLAC/ALAC"

But as I was, trying to, point out; a test of 24bit (88/96/176/192khz) at say 2000-5500kbps vs a 16bit MP3 128kbps is going to be a waste of time really.