[olddude]

For anyone who's curious, I just checked and DSFs play just fine (they are a version of DSDs).  I tried a Blind Faith track and it was REALLY strong with the Pono.  Now I'm transferring about 35gb of files off my Pono card to the desktop, then gonna put them with the DSDs on the 128.  Even using a card reader this is taking some time.  

 

[doctorjazz]

Any recommendations on DSD's and where to get them? I don't find them as easy to come by as the "regular" hi rez stuff, so I still haven't gotten any. (just upgraded my over ear Koss ESP-950 by adding a Stax 323 amp to drive it, played my usual go to for evaluating, GD American Beauty. Man.......)
Thanks for any tips.

 

[olddude]

These guys sell them   http://store.acousticsounds.com
 
However, Google can be your friend if you are a bit adventurous.  

 

[miceblue]

Any recommendations on DSD's and where to get them? I don't find them as easy to come by as the "regular" hi rez stuff, so I still haven't gotten any. (just upgraded my over ear Koss ESP-950 by adding a Stax 323 amp to drive it, played my usual go to for evaluating, GD American Beauty. Man.......)
Thanks for any tips.

NativeDSD and Blue Coast Records are my DSD sources because they make their DSD albums directly from DSD recordings or analogue tape transfers.

AcousticSounds doesn't guarantee that their albums are native DSD files on the other hand.

 

[doctorjazz]

Thanks, I think I've looked at the NativeDSD site, didn't see much of interest. Blue Coast Records I must have looked at a long time ago, worth checking out what's doing there now.

 

[TheTrace]

So I take it you guys perceive 192/24, 96/24 and DSD to be (even if slightly) audibly superior to a 48/16 or 44.1/16 file on players like Pono, Fiio, good headphones ect because of the technology within? Or is it really the myth I hear about?

 

[olddude]

So I take it you guys perceive 192/24, 96/24 and DSD to be (even if slightly) audibly superior to a 48/16 or 44.1/16 file on players like Pono, Fiio, good headphones ect because of the technology within? Or is it really the myth I hear about?

Well, you can use the word "perceive" and I can't "prove" you wrong.  But I certainly can hear a big difference with a DSD file- mastering or mixing or just more oomph I can't say.  With good equipment many of us can hear things going on in the music, and certainly in the details of said music, that we didn't hear in lower-res versions.  I have some 16/44 that sounds great.  But I have some hi-res that sounds superb.  

 

[Abstraction]

I don't have any theoretical interest in the Pono or other audio gear.  Here is my question. I have four Ipod classics, and I listen entirely to 44.1/16 files with Weston 4r. I recently replaced a Samuels P-51 with a Cayin C5.  It was perhaps a small improvement. It is at least as good, and the RS was not holding a charge very well.  It seems to me than aiff files may sound better on my big stereo rig, and, as storeage is cheap, I do not compress them. and do no worry about whether the aiff is really better than apple lossless. There is some theoretical reason to think the uncompressed might sound better (decompressing takes someprocessing resources). A 120gb Ipod will hold a lot of songs even in aiff, and with four Ipods I can load up a lot of music.  I am not much interested in hi-rez because I listen mostly to music that is not available in high rez, and I have no interest in sound quality apart from the music.  I have almost 3 tb of files ripped from CDs and LPs (I have been collecting music for more than 50 years).  If they were all available in hi-rez, it would--i'd guess-- cost me  $100,000 or more to replace them, and I am not going to do that now.   I might buy hi rez files if there is music on them that interest me.  The most interesting jazz being played in NYC now,howver,--and I regulary hear many of these people live--are still available only on old-fashioned CDs. 
So how will the Pono do with my aiff files and my 4r (which got be outfitted with balanced cables)?  I would like to hear from people who play 44.1 files on a Pono. If you have also played them on an Ipod classic than would interest me a great deal. 

 

[olddude]

I have plenty of 16/44 CD rips and they sound just fine on the Pono.  The Pono is better-sounding (to me) than the Fiio X5, and others here seem to prefer it to the iBasso DX90.  Someone posted that he preferred it to the AK 100.  So, it sounds good.  It certainly sounds better than my iPhone 4, 5S or 6.  My wife has a Classic 120 but I haven't tried it so can give no opinion.  
 
Where I think you might be unhappy is in usability.  If you are so wed to the iPod system (iTunes), you might not enjoy the Pono playing methods.  Basically, they want you to play albums.  You can only shuffle in Song mode.  You can set up playlists, but it's not as easy as with iTunes.  You pick an album in Album mode and you play it.  You pick another album and you play it.  You go to Artist mode and pick an album and play it.  You can put 64gb on the internal and up to a 128 on a microcard.  It comes with a 64gb card, so you'd be at 128gb to start.  
 
The better the files the better the sound.  I used Apple Lossless in my iPhones.  Before that I used AIFF.  Now I use FLAC or DSD.
 
So, if you are looking for great sound, I think a Pono is a great choice for you.  Usability?  There will be some real differences for you to deal with.  

 

[L8MDL]

Note that Pono player purchases from the Pono site NO LONGER include the extra memory card. Purchases from Fry's still include it, according to their site.

Also - Pono player Special Edition models pledged for but not paid for will be on sale at the Pono site next week according to their community blog. Your chance to pick up that CSNY model you missed! Priced at $499 from what I've read.

 

[doctorjazz]

I also listen mostly to regular Red Book quality files. I do have some albums in various high resolution formats, but I also buy much current music, jazz and indie rock, that you don't find hi rez.. In the past I've used iPod Touch (have 2), Samsung YPP, Fiio X3, and iBasso DX90, and red book cd rips sound best on the Pono to me. I get a few classic albums on the Pono store or HDTracks, but most of what I listen to is CD quality, and the Pono still sounds better than the others I have. To me, of course...

 

[dprimary]

   
 
Where I think you might be unhappy is in usability.  If you are so wed to the iPod system (iTunes), you might not enjoy the Pono playing methods.  Basically, they want you to play albums.  You can only shuffle in Song mode.  You can set up playlists, but it's not as easy as with iTunes.  You pick an album in Album mode and you play it.  You pick another album and you play it.  You go to Artist mode and pick an album and play it.  You can put 64gb on the internal and up to a 128 on a microcard.  It comes with a 64gb card, so you'd be at 128gb to start.  
 
 

Is there any non apple player that just simply plays complete albums by artist in in alphabetical order till it has played everything on the player? without having to create playlists? The user interface seems to the downfall of all the other players.  Touch screens should be banned from all audio players, I never want to have look at a screen to hit next, back or change volume.

 

[olddude]

Fiio X5 plays folder to folder, you can put all the albums of a single artist in an artist folder in alpha or numerical order and it will play all of them in order.  Then it will go to the next main artist folder in alpha or numeric.  And no touch screen.  Great sound, too.  Not quite as much detail as the Pono, but get some good iems and you'll be fine.  

 

[goodvibes]

   
2 things -- I think if Pono is selling a 16/44, it is the same as the CD, unless the artist has done multiple 16/44 masters (like Zep). Why wouldn't it be? They are not trying to get remastering done at 16/44. 
 
As far as my Let It Bleed, I agree that provenance is not known, and I would appreciate more from the labels and the stores.
 
If I downsample to 16/44 I would have to dither, and then the test would be skewed with my dither algorithm. I probably have 4-5 I could use, each sounding slightly different. 
 
I can do that test, but I'm more curious about SQ based on what's for sale to consumers. If I can buy the Stones at 16/44 or at 24/88, I'd prefer to test those 2 against each other and not introduce my dither. Chances are they have a better one than I do.
 
Remember, there's 2 types of 'remasters' -- there's just the digital transfer type, and there's a whole re-mix session resulting in a new master. You would hope that they disclose the latter, but the digital transfer should shoot for accuracy and matching the previous format sonically.

Don't use Stones to compare res. All their recordings are meh at best. Great band, not great recordings.

 

[dprimary]

  Fiio X5 plays folder to folder, you can put all the albums of a single artist in an artist folder in alpha or numerical order and it will play all of them in order.  Then it will go to the next main artist folder in alpha or numeric.  And no touch screen.  Great sound, too.  Not quite as much detail as the Pono, but get some good iems and you'll be fine.  

You seem to have to add a number or something to the track name to get the songs to play in the correct order of the album or create play lists. Unless I have completely overlooked something. It is completely maddening on classical albums.