PONO Feedback? Anyone have one yet?

Oh I missed Tyll's review! Well, there you have it. The ultimate portable geek thinks it's great. That's good enough for me. There's Pono in my future!

 

No returns would be typical for using go-betweens. I've generally never heard of any that would offer returns. Just make sure that the item is shipped insured, w/tracking, and check for references regarding the go-between company/individuals. Shipping it via USPS International Priority Mail might be the best for the money, as it can be fully insured and tracked all the way to most countries, and in my experience is the cheapest method. Sure stuff can happen, but in all the years I have shipped overseas, and received items from overseas, I Have never had anything damaged.

 

If you want to buy from Pono, they are having a sale for Mother's day. Use the coupon code MOMSDAYPLAYER10 for 10% off a PonoPlayer from 5/4 - 5/10.

 

That's just the kind of thing I needed to motivate me. Black Pono ordered!

(I just realized that it's still 5/3, but the coupon code worked anyway.)

 

Fair enough, and thanks for the advice. One of the sellers specifically changed his return policy just to list this Pono Player (I can see this from the 'revisions made'), which made me extra suspicious. Guess I just have to bite the bullet...

 

I only appreciate Pono for decultivating lossy codecs.
But I never would buy one; for me music has to be heard by a good 2.1/5.1 sound system.

 

Sarcastic or serious?

 

I just received my "Welcome to Pono, your player has shipped" e-mail.

Since it's now May 2015, this comment struck me:
Note: We anticipate launching the store in Canada and the UK in early 2015 and then to other countries.

Does anyone know the status on this? Just curious.

 

The site seems to be down for maintenance right now but this was the relevant news update. The issue you asked about was discussed near the end.

 

Serious. I've walked alongside Tyll since 1995 when he first started pushing his amps at Head-fi. Tyll, along with Apple, brought rebirth to the headphone and portable audio market.

 

There was a new interview with Neil on Triangulation, a show on TWiT. There wasn't much new info although he said he would talk to Paul about getting Beatles in high res. They do talk about audio compression (as apposed to data compression. Neil said he only uses it on specific instruments as a an affect.

 

Good enough for me. I remember Headroom being one of the initiators, if not the initiator, of the modern headphone resurgence. Well, Headroom and Beats, unfortunately.

 

Very cool interview. So the Pono "Revealer" is actually coming! I really look forward to seeing if I can tell any difference between 192 and 96 with it.

 

That's what the direct line-out plug on the Pono is used for! Ya gotta have a source...

 

I was on the verge of saying the same myself, but I think he really means 2.1/5.1 when he says 2.1/5.1 and I'm not sure the line-out plug will deliver that. Will it?

 

5.1 definitely not. 2.1... does anything?

 

Just found out in the community that this feature will downsample the track on its' own to allow the user to compare and contrast...That's what I call a differentiating feature; gotta be one of the most unique offerings from any DAP.

 

I know headphone listening is not everyone's cup of tea, but, I'd at least suggest to consider attending a local headphone meet to hear what's out there.
The value of performance/dollar can be outrageous.

 

I still plan on getting a Pono (when the right one pops up on ebay, or when it finally launches here in the UK), but for now I've ordered myself a second hand Fiio X3. Got a bit of cash to spare, and if anything, it'll be a good back up player if I want to take something less expensive out.

Sorry to go slightly O/T, but are there any good (catch all) threads around here for Hi-Res download discussion - as I'm about to jump in feet first? Or is it artist/provider (HD Tracks/Qobuz/Pono) specific? For example, I see you can get a few Nina Simone titles (Phillips catalogue). I wondered about opinions as to whether they're worth the upgrade over standard CD versions.

 

http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threa...iomasters-pono-etc-software-mastering.424674/

 

If you want to use a Pono in balanced mode connected to your home audio system you need a preamp with balanced XLR inputs, correct?

 

Has anyone actually tried running single channel 3.5mm line outs from both the line drive/headphone outputs in balanced mode to standard line-in inputs on their home stereo. It seems that at least some people are using this sort of connection to headphones that come with individual inputs on each earcup. They seemed to feel that the output was significantly stronger/clearer using this method. Or have I misunderstood what they have done.

 

I'm the person who puts the right headphone cord in the line out jack and uses the PP in balanced mode. From what was stated in response to my statement about that, I was told that I had more power and am not actually in balanced mode. I'm looking to get a DAC to run my headphones truly in balanced mode.

I know that doesn't answer your question, but it might help you understand what was written before. I'm sure someone else will answer your question better.

 

Two single channel 3.5mm line outs won't provide the proper signal separation and/or grounding for a proper balanced connection. You need TRRS cables customized for use with the Pono or you could severely damage the device. There aren't any officially released cables right now, but there are are a bunch of companies on ebay and elsewhere that will make them with whatever terminations you may need.

 

You will need a preamp that has balanced inputs to be able to use balanced line-out mode from the Pono. For home gear the balanced inputs on a preamp will usually be XLR. But there's also gear out there that uses other input jacks like 1/4" TRS for balanced input and portable gear that uses unique input jacks like mini TRRS and other small compact input jacks for balanced. But for the majority of home hi-fi gear the balanced inputs will be XLR.