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REVIEW & COMPARISON : PONO – PORTABLE AUDIO MAGIC
PROS : SQ, power, UI, form factor, build (for the most part), ease of use, value.CONS : Lacking key features (eg EQ), battery performance.
RRP : $399 (Standard) - $499 (Ltd Edition)
[size=24.5699996948242px]INTRODUCTION[/size]
Anyone who’s followed my recent reviews will know that I’m a big audio fan of both desktop and portable rigs. As far as my portable rigs go, most of my listening has been with my iPhone 5S, or my Fiio DAPs – the X1, new X3ii, and the quite excellent X5.
I was intrigued (and also sceptical) when PONO first launched – seeing a lot of hyperbole and marketing speak. Once the first units started hitting purchasers, I began seeing both positive and negative reviews (and again both viewpoints often ridiculously polarised to one side or the other). Then my Head-Fi friend olddude was given a PONO as a gift from his son. He’s had similar gear and tastes to me (we both owned the X5, Altone200 and A83), and he’s part of the “mature” sector on Head-Fi (as am I), so we’ve hit it off with PMs over the last year – and it’s been an enjoyable pastime sharing thoughts and experiences. So when he started talking about selling his X5 due to his enjoyment of the PONO, I hoped that eventually I’d get the chance to hear one.
Out of the blue, I was browsing Head-Fi last week and noticed a very good video review from piksnz of his newly arrived PONO. Sayan and I have participated in the same tours recently – and he’ll be of the first to try my X3ii when it goes on tour next week – so I cheekily asked if I could demo the PONO for a few days. Sayan graciously agreed – so for the last few days I’ve been juggling my schedule to finish the X3ii review, spend as much time as I could with his PONO, and compare it to my own X5.
DISCLAIMER
I was provided the PONO for a limited time trial from another Head-Fier piksnz, and it will be returned once I finish this review/comparison. There is no financial incentive from anyone in writing this review. I am in no way affiliated with PONO or Neil Young - and this review is my honest opinion of the PONO player. I would really like to thank Sayan for making this opportunity available. I owe you one buddy.
PREAMBLE - 'ABOUT ME'.
(This is to give any readers a baseline for interpreting the review).
I'm a 48 year old music lover. I don't say audiophile – I just love my music. Over the last few years, I have slowly changed from cheaper listening set-ups to my current set-up. I vary my listening from portable (Fiio X5, X1, X3ii and iPhone 5S) to my desk-top's set-up (PC > coax > NFB-12 > LD MKIV > HP). I also use a portable set-up at work – either X5/X1 > HP, or PC > Beyer A200p > HP. My main full sized headphones at the time of writing are the Beyer T1 and Sennheiser HD600. Most of my portable listening is done with IEMs - and up till now it has mainly been with the Fidue A83, Dunu Titan and Altone200. A full list of the gear I have owned (past and present is listed in my Head-Fi profile).
I have very eclectic music tastes listening to a variety from classical/opera and jazz, to grunge and general rock. I listen to a lot of blues, jazz, folk music, classic rock, indie and alternative rock. I am particularly fond of female vocals. I generally tend toward cans that are relatively neutral/balanced, but I do have a fondness for clarity, and suspect I might have slight ‘treble-head’ preferences. I am not treble sensitive (at all), and in the past have really enjoyed headphones like the K701, SR325i, and of course the T1 and DT880.
I have extensively tested myself (abx) and I find aac256 or higher completely transparent. I do use exclusively redbook 16/44.1 if space is not an issue. All of my music is legally purchased (mostly CD – the rest FLAC purchased on-line). I tend to be sceptical about audiophile ‘claims’, don’t generally believe in burn-in, have never heard a difference with different cables, and would rather test myself blind on perceived differences. I am not a ‘golden eared listener’. I suffer from mild tinnitus, and at 48, my hearing is less than perfect.
My experience with DAPs in the past had been initially with some very cheap Sony offerings, then step-ups to the Cowon iAudio7, iPhone4, iPod Touch G4, iPhone 5S, HSA Studio V3, Fiio X5, X3ii and X1.
WHAT I LOOK FOR IN A DAP
I thought I’d list (before I start with the review) what I really look for in a new DAP.
- Clean, neutral signature – but with body (not thin)
- Good build quality
- Reasonable battery life
- Easy to use interface
- Able to drive both low impedance and (within reason) higher impedance cans without additional amping.
- Value for money
- Enough storage to hold either my favourite albums in redbook, or my whole library in a reasonably high resolution lossy format (for me – aac256)
Would I get all of this with the PONO? Actually yes to most of the above I’m pleased to say. There are a couple of things I’m not overly fussed on, but there are others which are excellent. I’ll give you my impressions of the PONO in the brief time I’ve had it, and also a short comparison to the X5 and X3ii.
This is a purely subjective review - my gear, my ears, and my experience. Please take it all with a grain of salt - especially if it does not match your own experience.
THE REVIEW
PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIESThe PONO arrived in a cardboard box (evidently you can’t ship the normal bamboo display cases to NZ – so not PONO’s fault). I didn’t have all the original packaging – so the photos show what I did receive. Included was a moulded cardboard insert, the Limited Edition (Neil Young) PONO player, a nicely shaped leather case, a charging USB plug and wall-wart. Missing – but normally included – was the quick start guide, and 64Gb micro SD card (which presumably holds the gratis high-res Neil Young albums).
PONO packaged | The cardboard preformed box |
It’s kind of hard to make a comment on the PONO packaging/accessories as I’ve seen videos of the bamboo case and it looks pretty nice. This cardboard case unfortunately just looks and feels cheap. I like the idea that they include a 64Gb card – so combined with the onboard memory, you have 128 Gb available out of the box – nice touch.
The leather case is really nicely constructed, there are pockets to store your micro SD cards, and it looks as though it will do an excellent job of protecting your PONO. It’s snug fitting too – so won’t bulk things up too much.
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PONOs Leather Pouch | Slots inside for spare micro SDXC cards | PONO nestled in it's pouch |
The cable and wall-wart are pretty standard fair.
Comparatively with the X5 – you don’t get the onboard memory or SD card, and the case is functional (but just silicone), but you do get screen protectors, a digital olut cable, and a micro SD card reader. At first glance – the PONO accessory package gives more practical bang for your buck.
Round one – PONO.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS / FEATURES
Unfortunately PONO is very light on what it has published – virtually nothing about power output or THD – which is kind of disappointing. So it’s really had to make direct comparisons – but I’ll list what I can compare and then try to subjectively compare what is missing later.
| | PONO | Fiio X5 |
| Dimensions | 13 x 5 x 2.5 cm | 11.4 x 6.46 x 1.56 cm |
| Weight | 130 grams | 122 grams |
| Storage Internal | 64Gb flash memory | None |
| Storage – Expansion | Micro SD up to 128Gb | 2 x Micro SD up to 256 Gb |
| Storage Total (current) | Up to 192 Gb | Up to 256 Gb |
| DAC | ESS ES9018M | PCM1792A |
| Battery | 2950mAH rechargeable | 3700mAH rechargeable |
| Battery Life | Up to 8 hours | Up to 12 hours |
| Screen | 2.5 inch colour touchscreen | 2.4 inch IPS |
| Headphone Out | Yes – can use 2 3.5mm | Single 3.5 mm |
| Line Out | Yes – 3.5mm | Yes – 3.5 mm |
| Balanced Out | Yes | No |
| Digital Out | No | Yes |
| Lossless Format Support | FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF, DSD | FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF, APE, DSD |
| Maximum Resolution | 24 bit / 192 kHz | 24 bit / 192 kHz |
| Lossy Format Support | AAC, MP3 | AAC, MP3, OGG |
| DSD Support | Yes (fw 1.0.5) native (I think) | Yes conv to PCM |
| Output Impedance | Approx 5 ohms | < 0.26 ohms |
| Gain Switching | No | Yes +6 dB |
| Controls | Touchscreen + buttons | Mechanical wheel + buttons |
| Price | $399-$499 | $349-$399 |
You can’t really compare anything because unfortunately PONO doesn’t include the really relevant technical specs – so I’ll let you draw your own conclusions.
BUILD / DESIGN
The limited Edition PONO I have here is really nicely built with rounded edges, nice fit and finish. The screen is very clear and easy to read. The buttons are spaced nicely, and are very simple to use. They give a nice tactile response. The top and the bottom of the PONO are both plastic (instead of the brushed aluminium alloy of the rest of the unit) which is a bit disappointing. The jacks fit cleanly and snugly with no erroneous play. In the bottom of the unit is a lift up flap (again plastic) to get to the microSD slot. Again – this just feels a little flimsy, and I’d be concerned regarding overall longevity. The bottom of the PONO also houses a standard mini USB slot for data transfer and charging.
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PONO front face | PONO Limited Ed signatures | Top - ports |
On one face on the limited edition is the actual LE # and signatures from Neil and Crazy Horse. The bushed aluminium looks really nice – but with the light grey / silver colouring, I would be genuinely worried about marking or scratching he unit if it was mine.
The PONO feels very light in hand, and the shape is quite comfortable to hold, and very practical for sitting on a desk. It acutally sits nicely in my cargo pants pocket (no toblerone jokes please), but is less comfortable with jeans.
Bottom - USB port and cover for SDXC slot | SDXC slot - cover is pretty flimsy | PONO next to Fiio X5 |
Comparatively the X5 looks much more utilitarian, but somehow feels more solid and dependable. It also actually feels heavier in the hand even though it is in fact lighter (weird huh!). My X5 still looks virtually brand new – even after over a year of use, and the mechanical wheel has remained both functional and smooth. The buttons are brilliantly placed, easy to use and still have a nice tactile response.
For my own personal preferences, I’d give the win to the X5 on build – it just feels comparatively sturdier. Design would be a draw. The triangular shape of the PONO is actually pretty good for most uses, but I see it as no better than the X5’s more traditional shape.
UI / USABILITY
I’ll start with the easy one – the PONO buttons. The + and – are easy. They control the volume. The central button turns the PONO on (press and hold for 5 seconds), accesses the power menu (when on press and hold for 3 seconds) – so you can shut down, or put the screen to sleep. It also pauses, plays, and either advances to the next track (2 taps) or goes to the previous track (3 taps).
The rest of the functionality centers around the touch screen. For a full video presentation of the various menus – you can access this video created by PONO - https://vimeo.com/117612341. I’ll also try and cover the main choices here.
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First boot screen | Scanning the library | Ready to go - note battery indicators |
When first switched on, the PONO displays an intro / boot screen, then after another couple of screen flickers (including 2-3 library scan screens), and then the main menu screen (with a quick battery status summary). The battery status can be seen at any stage by how long the green line is at the top of the screen. Pretty neat. Boot is relatively quick at 33 seconds. The X5 in comparison was 12 seconds.
The menu options consist of Settings, Artists, Albums, Song and Playlists. Navigation is by tapping or sliding. Most of the time, the PONO has been relatively responsive. On the odd occasion though it has lagged badly and it does get a little frustrating. Because of the small size of the screen, navigation can be a little touchy for the larger fingered user – but after a couple of days I found navigating pretty easy (although I often “mis-hit” the wrong album / artist / track – and then had to back-track.
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Settings options | Settings options | Settings options |
The Settings menu includes options for Playback (volume levelling, and switching to balanced mode and line-out volume setting), Brightness, Sleep & Lock settings, Library Info, Rotation, Theme, and the FW Info.
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Settings options | Settings options | Settings options |
Artists brings a list of artists, then albums, then tracks. Double tapping a selection brings up a contextual mini menu with different options depending on what you’re browsing. Albums and Songs menus are likewise pretty self-explanatory. There is a fast search option – once you start scrolling a little slider appears at the far right of screen. Dragging allows fast scrolling and also brings up a letter in the middle of the screen so you know exactly where you are. Everything is done by tags – there is no folder play / browse. There are hidden things as well – tapping the screen during playing brings up meta-data. I do recommend (if interested) that you take a look at the vimeo video link I left above – it’ll give you a feel for how easy the navigation is.
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Album screen | Album context menu | Tracks in the album - now playing bar at the bottom |
After the first half hour, I found myself navigating around pretty quickly – and besides occasionally selecting the wrong menu (big fingers) – with very little mishap. The PONO was designed with the general public in mind and the overall interface is well thought out, pretty slick, and very simple to use.
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Track playing - controls at bottom | Or just album art displayed | Double tap shows meta data |
Scanning the library is automatic, and was pretty snappy. When you plug the USB, you get asked if you want to a access the library (add songs) – which then accesses the internal drive and memory card on your PC. Saying no means the drives aren’t accessed, and the USB simply powers the device.
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Songs category | Songs context menu | Artists category |
The screen (as I said earlier) is clear and easy to read. Comparing to the X5 IPS screen though, I do find the X5 screen is slightly better texture and tone.
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Volume control | Scrolling (fast with the slider) | Slider use - letters show where you are |
As far as navigation goes – the PONO’s touch screen is easier to navigate quickly but also more “twitchy” / liable to wrong pushes/selections. I find the X5 more accurate in its GUI – but speed (especially with a large collection) definitely goes to PONO.
FEATURES
Here is where the X5 leaps ahead of the PONO – at least in my view. The PONO does have some killer feature advantages that the X5 doesn’t have:
- Balanced mode
- Ability to use two headphones at one (share with a friend)
- Quick navigation
- Internal memory
But the X5 has the following that the PONO doesn’t. Depending on your needs – some of these may be deal-breakers:
- Key lock setting options
- Ability to format cards inside the device
- Ability to use the device as a stand-alone DAC
- Ability to use the device as a digital transport
- Ability to set different resume modes, start-up volumes, volume caps
- A high gain mode
- Balance control
- A folder play mode
- Ability to select genre as a category
- A graphic equaliser !
Based on pure features available – the X5 leads the PONO by a considerable margin.
POWER
Both the X5 and PONO have really good amplification circuits, although the overall details regarding the PONO power outputs is pretty non-existent. What I will say is that the PONO had no problems driving my HD600s (single ended – at between 40-50% on the digital volume). The X5 needed a little more than half the pot on low gain, but this dropped to just under half on high gain. Both also drove the T1 with no real issues, and it sounded pretty good to me.
The only way I could compare was to use my trusty 1 kHz test tone, SPL meter, and set the X5 to 60/120 on high gain and measure the output on the T1 = 73.1 dB. Doing the same with the PONO on exactly half the volume on the volume meter netted 78.4 dB with the T1. So crudely, I’d say that the amp on the PONO is slightly more powerful. But in reality, it would be more useful saying that both the X5 and PONO are capable of powering most headphones without need for additional amplification. Great stuff.
BATTERY LIFE
The PONO documentations says that the battery life should be around 8 hours – but in reality (in the week I’ve had it, real world testing would indicate anywhere between 6-8 hours (depending on how much you use the touchscreen). The X5 on the other hand says up to 12 hours – and I’ve regularly had 11-12 hours of fairly solid play between charges. The good news is that both PONO and X5 can be used while charging. But in this test the X5 is definitely superior, and not by a small margin either.
SOUND
OK – this is where the rubber hits the road. I’ve read a lot of articles about the PONOs sound, and also read threads here on the forums – some saying it is superior, some saying not.
For my testing during the week I’ve tried the PONO with most of my IEMs (inlduing the A83, Altone200 , Titan and Havi B3 Pro1. For full sized headphones, I’ve used the Fidelia L2, Brainwavz HM5, Sennheiser HD600 and Beyerdynamic T1.
Test gear full sized | Test gear - more portable |
The PONO sounded spectacular on everything I tried it on. The sound is detailed, very clear, and crisp. It has an almost holographic quality to it at times, and this is quite captivating and I can see why those who have the PONO are regularly singing its praises.
But the real test for me was going to be in comparing it to the X5 – so I set about testing this as objectively as I could. I used both my A83 IEMs and also the L3 – and made sure I calibrated the volume to match exactly with my SPL meter. When testing tracks I used a combination of playing whole tracks, and also fast A/B switching.
Calibrating the X5 for volume matching | Calibrating the PONO for volume matching |
Here is my subjective bit. Tonally the X5 and PONO sound similar except that the PONO is very slightly brighter and thinner, and the X5 is a little warmer fuller and richer. The other noticeable difference is that the X5 sounds very much like the normal stereo presentation I’m used to. But the PONO sounds slightly wider and more holographic.
Now I can understand why people were saying that they heard a difference with PONO and that it was more of a “live” feeling/presentation – but it’s also the bit that ignites the cynic in me. PONO relied heavily on suggesting that you would hear all the detail in the music, and what the artist really wanted to portray. But what “I think” the really clever people at Ayre have introduced is a little DSP or crossfeed into the presentation. My reason for saying this is that I’ve heard my tracks on a lot of different sources including some decent full sized gear. In every case (before PONO) the tracks have sounded consistent in their overall presentation. With PONO there is a spatial widening. I know it’s not in the recording – I would have heard it before on other gear.
Now I’m not going to slag this off though – PONO sounds really good, amazing really – but so does the X5, and overall enjoyment is going to come down to where your preferences lie.
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
So I’ve concluded my 6 days with the PONO and tomorrow I need to send it back to Sayan with my thanks, and a real appreciation for having the chance to hear it. The PONO is a wonderful piece of kit – and deserves much of the accolades it receives – and a little less of the scorn from some quarters too I might add. It sounds clean, clear, with a detailed and spatial presentation which is a little leaner than what I’m used to – but ultimately sounds fantastic. The form factor is pretty good – and it is ideal for desktop use. It has a very good UI, and enough power to handle most full sized headphones, and harder to drive IEMs. It has great storage options and for the combo that it offers as a package is pretty goodBut it is also a little weak as far as battery life goes, and ultimately to me its SQ is not superior to my Fiio X5 (different, yes – but not superior).
Where the Fiio pulls ahead for me personally is mainly in its battery life and feature set. And for me personally the PONOs omission of a graphical equaliser is a deal-breaker.
Ultimately people will make their own choices based on their own preferences and needs / wants. All I can say is that we should all celebrate that there are so many fantastic DAPs available nowadays at very reasonable prices. Great quality audio has never been so affordable.
