PONO Feedback? Anyone have one yet?

I'm not aware of a way to see the comments tag field on the player itself. Which is a bummer. I put label and catalog info in the comments tag. Would be nice to be able to access that info on the PonoPlayer when I'm curious about which release or remastering I'm listening to.

 

I know that, I wonder if Pono do sometimes...

 

Can any UK pono player owners who imported their players tell me how they did it?

Did they buy direct from the Pono Store - in which case how much was hsipping and import duty?

Or did they buy from Amazon.com, again how much was shipping and import duty?

Does anybody know of any UK/EU supplier who imports pono players?

I keep seeing second hand pono players on eBay and thinking about going for one, but I'd rather buy new if I can and the difference in cost isn;t too silly.

 

I was wondering about this as well as I would think you need the "store" to add any firmware. Perhaps that can be obtained as a file and side loaded. I recognize there have not been too many upgrades so perhaps this is not a huge issue, but one to answer anyway.

 

I was a bit disappointed by the Pono music store, cause I don't really care about the resolution to be honest. I was under the impression before the launch that Pono would turn into the new Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs, sourcing back to the master analog tapes and mastering their own versions. Unfortunately they decided not to do this, and they are allowing lower resolution albums into their store since they ran out of offerings. They could have brought an online MFSL type store into the 21st century, they missed out.

 

I tried the Pono Store, it wouldn't allow me to buy as I was in the UK. Same with Amazon.com, Amazon.ca and Pono's 'authorised' sellers in the US. The only option as far as I can see is ebay, or flying over there to pick one up yourself.

 

CustomCans in the UK sells Pono balanced headphone cables. I assume they've managed to buy a PonoPlayer or two. email them and see if they know how/where to buy a PonoPlayer in the UK.

 

I'm in the US and strongly considering purchasing a pono and the new balanced headphones Neil mentioned. For some reason I feel like they might announce a pono 2.0 or another update when we get an announcement of those pono headsets. I'm holding out for now but have one in my amazon cart ready to go.

 

(I think) it was clear from the start that Pono never was in the remastering business.

 

Just posted....

And so it goes on.....

 

In other words, the business model isn't sound enough to expand as rapidly as they want; they don't have the working capital to pay for UK rights. They're essentially still in startup mode, and even the US business might not be long for this world. Pair this with Neil Young's statements that he hopes to license the Pono brand to other manufacturers. I wouldn't be surprised if the company is struggling to hire and retain talent.

 

Quite.

And ironically, if I could import a player their "financial resources" would be better off.

 

I believe that Pono should team up with MQA because they have VERY similar goals. Pono, MQA, Roon, and Tidal all have the makings of different parts of a hi-res streaming ecosystem. If they would work together (I know that MQA and Tidal, and Roon and Tidal are already), something transformative could happen.

 

Pono is probably not breaking even on music licensing fees in the US and Canada. I can't imagine their download sales are justifying the decision to license just about everything under the sun through that third party content provider, the name of which escapes me at the moment. Omnifone or something.

 

MQA is Meridian, right? Pono was teamed up with them for their prototype, but at some point, for whatever reason, they switched to Ayre. I wouldn't be surprised if they were looking at MQA during the ill-fated Meridian partnership. Who knows why it didn't work out.

 

MQA has split off from Meridian. Roon, too, split off from Meridian. I am aware of the Pono/Meridian divorce but that doesn't preclude Pono working with MQA in the future. It certainly would make sense--I have a feeling that Pono and MQA started off as the same project, or at least share some common lineage. There are just too many similarities between them.

 

How do you foresee a hi-res streaming platform working on a mobile device? I guess Pono would have to add cel-site capability, and you'd need a data plan big enough to cover MQA files. I suppose MQA is designed for exactly this sort of application, but obviously Pono is not, and may never be. It starts to look a lot more like a phone at that point, but with an Ayre-designed DAC and analog stage.

 

Tidal offers offline storage for playback on DAPs just like Apple Music does.

 

For non-connected devices? Do you sync DRM files via cable?

 

Not likely, given this quote from Neil Young (dated 04/10/16) and posted on the PonoMusic website:

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Neil Young (PonoMusic)
PONO is not MQA. It could have been. We elected to go with the original sound, the sound the record makers chose to create. MQA and all music formats that are owned by a new entity now that they have been 'improved' are not PONO. I prefer to think of those as GMO music. I want the apple that was picked from the tree, just as it was created, without help from anyone else. Especially those who now claim ownership of the new apple.
PONO's mission is to provide you with the choice of authentic quality, allowing you to choose it over all other versions. In my view, all of the solutions to large files have harmed the musical experience and deprived the listener from hearing what the artist created. I want to feel the music. Pono does that for me and along with vinyl that is derived from the highest quality sources, (not derived from CD files).
Thanks for listening
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Of course he has seemed to change his mind regarding music streaming, so who knows what may happen down the line?

 

Good call by Neil Young and the PONO team. I think many of their customers would have no interest in proprietary formats.

 

Thanks for the info--as I said in another thread, it at least confirms my theory about the common lineage of Pono and MQA.

 

My ongoing saga is hopefully coming to an end, I've snagged a black Pono from a UK ebay seller for £200 - with no wooden box or power unit. I think I can survive without the power unit as I can charge it from a pc/laptop, but should I want to get one are there any sellers that do them or a similar compatible one?

 

Any Android device compatible USB charger will work. I often use the charger that came with my Nexus tablet.

 

Well I've had my Pono a few days now. Sound quality is superb, and eveything I hoped it would be. I'm noticing greater clarity, tone and seperation on nearly everything - and that's comparing it to my Fiio X3 1st Gen.

However the user interface is appalling....

-A very fussy touchscreen

-Closing a menu screen to find the Pono has returned you to the top/beginning of the menu

-Where I have more than 1 artist seperated by a ';', it doesn't list from the 1st one so shows up under the wrong "main" artist

-Taking up to a minute or more sometimes on power up before I can start listening

-My laptop seemingly at random choosing if it recognises the player when attached via USB

I'm sure I have the latest firmware but notice this is more than a year old (IIRC), is a new one due/planned?