[doctorjazz]

I definitely do hear a difference between CD and LP, MP3 and CD, Hi Rez and regular CD quality...not always the same, not in every instance (as many have mentioned, other factors, like the original master, quality of the source, etc, relate to sound). I have MP3's that I don't mind listening to (generally get them when they are included as a download with the LP version, so I can put it easily on the Pono), but some hi rez versions are just great, better than the others to my ears. Certainly not worth the extra money if you don't hear the difference. But, Hey, to continue the vinyl analogy, LP's cost 2-3 times what it would cost to buy a download MP3, (some $30+), yet, now that they have become accepted as cool and better sounding, you find them in boutique clothing stores and other hip places as well as on line and places that carry records (Barnes and Noble has some again). This tells me people are willing to spend the money, they just have to be convinced there is SOME benefit, sonically, hipster-cred wise, something. But, you can get Dark Side of the Moon for $9.99 or so as a download, even a cd, but people, many NOT AUDIOPHILES (this is the key) are spending 3 times that for the vinyl (and talk about storage-vinyl storage issues DWARF extra hard drive space issues, though they do have the advantage that OTHERS can see them and KNOW you are cool!). That, again, is what Neil and the crew could potentially bring to better sounding downloads (even just the idea that sound CAN be better, leading to better sounding masters and CDs, would be major. I don't think record companies worry that their customers would even think about sound as an issue any more; having it in the air, as something important, is major, even if nobody ever buys a hi rez file).

Remember SACD? How far did that attempt at better sounding digital go?

Isn't this the whole point? The industry has already tried selling over-specced music. SACD isn't dead, but it's confined to a small carriage-trade niche. The same will remain true for hires downloads, especially since they're being marked-up to maintain their carriage-trade status. Complaining about it is really just beating a dead horse at this point. If you're worried about people hearing their music properly, trying to proselytise hires music pales in comparison to getting them to ditch their Apple earbuds, or buy a proper set of headphones instead of overpriced Beats abominations.
[Of course the whole question of whether there's any actual benefit to hires beyond better mastering is a horse that been reduced to a skeleton at this point. I know I can't hear the difference.]

Of course, this is not either or...in fact, I think the whole reason there may be some improvement in sound on recordings IS the realization by many who bought replacements for the apple buds that there IS such a thing as better and worse sound, hasn't been a general sense of this in the public for maybe 40 years now, so I find this an encouraging development.

 

[FFBookman]

  Isn't this the whole point? The industry has already tried selling over-specced music. SACD isn't dead, but it's confined to a small carriage-trade niche. The same will remain true for hires downloads, especially since they're being marked-up to maintain their carriage-trade status. Complaining about it is really just beating a dead horse at this point. If you're worried about people hearing their music properly, trying to proselytise hires music pales in comparison to getting them to ditch their Apple earbuds, or buy a proper set of headphones instead of overpriced Beats abominations.
 
[Of course the whole question of whether there's any actual benefit to hires beyond better mastering is a horse that been reduced to a skeleton at this point. I know I can't hear the difference.]

FLAC will succeed where SACD and other attempts failed because it's a 2-track digital file with ID tags, just like MP3. See the ball, be the ball. If you want to be next, you have to fit into people's lives.  If they falsely marketed FLAC as MP5 it would be adopted immediately and without question [and leave me explaining even more!]. 
 
When SACD came out people were already moving away from CD. DVD-Audio and BluRay are both Living Room -centric, something that music is not. Music is personal & auto-centric, with shared common area experiences far less common than headphones/personal/auto listening.
 
DAT could do 16/48 and was portable but a) was tape, and b) had licensing issues, and c) required all new hardware.
 
Everything going forward is going to be a digital file, I can't imagine selling a hard copy alone will ever come back en masse. So something that looks like an mp3, acts like an mp3, and gives them all the conveniences of an mp3 will be the new format, but FLAC can sound oh-so-much better than an mp3 so in due time most people will upgrade to it.

 

[charleski]

  Everything going forward is going to be a digital file
 

 

If we're talking about the future of music, it won't even be a file, everything going forward will be streamed down to your phone. Wireless bandwidth has improved a lot, but for the foreseeable future it's going to have a lot of problems with people streaming 1+GB of hires flacs every time they want to play an album.
 
Just face it, hires audio is a carriage trade, it'll never be mainstream.

 

[olddude]

To bring this thread back down to earth and all things Pono Player:
 
I got the Silver Dragon cables from Moon Audio, balanced for Pono, and they have a big effect on the Fidue A83 sound.  I can't tell exactly how much because they are a pricey upgrade from the stock Fidue A83 cables.  But it would seem that the sound has more bass, more timbre, and is generally fuller.  Balanced or silver?  Can't tell, probably both.  Good?  Yes. 

 

[audioguru1]

Managed to get ahold of a balanced cable for my HD580s and thought I would report back. Enabling balanced mode is annoying (you must have the headphones plugged in, and it turns back off if you unplug). Battery drain is also a bit more. The sound however is fantastically good, significantly better than in unbalanced mode. The player drives the HD580s perfectly, as good as the desktop amps I have; there is no strain, great bass depth and smooth treble. 
 
If you have headphones that you can easily swap to a balanced cable I highly recommend trying it!

 

[cstory]

Glad to see I'm not the only one with "antique" HD-580's. Which balanced cable are you using?
 
Love the Pono BTW.
 
Chuck

 

[audioguru1]

They are just so good, bought them 10 years ago from a guy dirt cheap with a broken headband that I glued and have been enjoying them ever since. This is just about the best they have ever sounded. Cable wise I just took the stock cable chopped it and soldered two plugs (its a fully balanced cable). The pono player 1/8" plugs output signal on both the left and right pins in balanced mode so its a pretty easy wiring job. 
 
If you want to experiment and make your own Sennheiser sells the hd650 cable dirt cheap ($17.94), and it is supposedly an upgrade from the stock cable. Part number for the cable is 092885, best bet is calling rather than using their webpage to order. 

 

[Ableza]

I love my 580's and use them as my travel headphone when I'm at remote office locations.

 

[paratrooper123]

Hi folks, fairly new to the forums here, just wanted to share my thoughts and surprise.  I don't claim to have the best ears, but I was trained as a classical pianist with perfect pitch and have at least enjoyed jazz and piano recordings of various quality throughout my life.
 
I just bought a pono from a dealer and have to say, at first I was a little disappointed.  Straight out of the box, the included tracks were impressively detailed, but as I started to listen to other tracks, particularly Rebecca Pidgeon's Spanish Harlem, I found that the pono's sound felt cramped to me, almost a bit claustrophobic.  The bass was impressively warm, but almost overwhelmed the midrange in my opinion.  For classical music, I tested Idil Biret's recording of Chopin's Nocturnes and I was surprised to hear what seemed to be a loss in musicality.  The lyricism of the treble melody seemed compressed and diminished.  Granted my headphones are not the best (B&O h6), but I was surprised to hear more lyricality out of my iphone (albeit with admittedly less detail).
 
However, once I added an amp to the Pono, the music seemed to open up tremendously!  Using a Fiio E11k through the line out, the sound improved dramatically in spacing and lyricality while still retaining the detail.  There is now a great soundstage, and I feel as though I am sitting in a concert hall rather than listening to a recording.  Pono + amp now sounds significantly better than iphone + amp, which finally makes me a reassured and happy customer!

 

[turbo87]

You probably need to burn in the unit. I have heard people say that it really opens up after burn-in. When I had the dx90, they included a burn-in cable

 

[paratrooper123]

Will definitely try burning in, does volume level matter at all for burn in?

 

[turbo87]

I kept it little under normal listening level for my dx90.

 

[olddude]

Funny, I find the Pono a bit light in the bass.  Mine was quite open when I first got it, not cramped at all.  Much more detailed and wider than my Fiio X5.  After a month it sounds great (whether you believe in burn-in or not).  I got a balanced hi-end silver cable for it and that improved it even more (especially in bass and timber, albeit with a slight lessening of top end detail- there but I need to listen a bit harder to hear it).  It was better than I expected to start with and now is even better.  

 

[pchemist]

FYI, in case you've not seen it:
December 2014

Head-To-Head Shootout
Sony NWZ-ZX1 And NWZ-A17 Versus The Pono Music Player
Review By Steven R. Rochlin
http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/1214/Sony_NWZ_ZX1_NWZ_A17_Pono_Music_Player.htm

 

[Headmusic]

Try listening to Georgia Moroder/Donna Summer 'I feel love' 192/24 flax on the PONO. Its great, 3d soundstage, non fatiguing, kick sounds natural, vocals and arpeggios sound amazing