Have Any Pono Backers Received The Email Their Player Has Shipped?

Can a user put together multiple playlists on a PC based app and upload it to the Pono in similar fashion to iPods and iTunes?

 

Or that SONYNW-ZX1 that's significantly more money than the Pono as well. But then you've got the FiiO X5 that falls into the Pono price range, even when adding your own 64GB microSD card. Although the FiiO is not perfect either, going on a few reviews I've read.

 

It is just a US version of Qobuz, and their own branded music player. With a load of hype behind it, because people apparently need a celebrity name behind something to have any interest.

What I find incredible is that they claimed the music store would launch in October. Instead all that was launched was a bogus counter which you are supposed to believe shows how many tracks have been "ingested" despite the numbers constantly going up and down, and a preview of the store with most of the content not there yet, with Pono seemingly pretending to have launched a Beta version. They claim it will launch in Canada and the UK in the first quarter of next year, but it now looks like that will also be when it launched in the US!

 

I haven't really been following this Pono stuff very closely, but having a portable audio player with that triangular shape is really, really dumb.

 

May I weigh in on this?

One of Pono's claims was that "even your CDs will sound better on the PonoPlayer". My wife, who is not the "needs-an-intervention" audio nut I am, was very curious about this claim.

By Sunday evening, I was able to tear myself away from listening to hi-res files to load a ripped CD onto the thing. To load something that she could recognize, and be able to appreciate, (we have differing tastes in music), I loaded Bad Company's "Desolation Angels". Currently, the PonoPlayer is hooked up to my home office listening system. Not an embarrassing rig, but not one to write home about either. My experience, contrary to some posters has been, that you don't need a high-end system to reveal the beauty of hi-res, hi-res itself, on a good system, will blow your mind, if you but have the ears to hear.

Anyway, back to the CD experiment, with an independent, "no skin in the game" listener; i.e., my wife. I walked over to the PonoPlayer, sitting on top of the cabinet, switched it to "Rock and Roll Fantasy" Both of us were standing in front of the bookshelf speakers, no where near the "sweet spot" of the room. Her eyes bugged out: "Unless my ears are deceiving me, that thing is really good." I can't get the impression out of mind of what I heard either. It was as if I was in the room with the group. The guitars were crisper and cleaner than I'd ever heard them on that tune.

 

Can't see me replacing my Hifiman HM-901 any day soon.

 

The store is scheduled to be live in December in the USA. It is in beta mode now, and kickstarter backers are enabled to purchase once their player has shipped (player began shipping Oct. 31.)

Do you not understand this is a start-up company with new hardware and software? Not to mention it does not have the resources of Apple or Sony. I'm sure there will be some delays and hiccups. Have you ever tried starting a company?
Very easy to criticize from a distance.

I also don't understand what is bad about using Neil Young's celebrity pull to advance the cause of higher-resolution, better sounding music and audio equipment (over what the average listener currently uses.) That should be in the best interests of everyone on this board.

But complain, complain, complain, attack, attack, attack.....it's getting old.

 

The CD's sounding better claim I can buy. I noticed the same thing with my Squeezebox Touch. I had some fairly high end CD players in my day and my ripped CD's on the Touch sounded better than all of them.

 

Wow! I don't think I could listen to that many tracks in my (what's left) lifetime.

 

If a company lies, they deserve to be called out on it. I don't need to have "tried starting a company" to know it's probably best to be honest and not completely bend the truth to fit a timetable that's no longer relevant, so they can lie at some conference about a store launching. Their own website claimed it was going down for 2 days weeks ago and then the store was launching. It didn't, instead they pretended it had launched in beta mode when it hadn't. It has only been usable to kickstarter backers the past week (so there was a preview for over a month before there was a beta mode open only to backers). I haven't seen any mention of a proper launch date anywhere.

 

I suspect they've run into some issues with the web site and are trying to buy some time, hence the 'beta' site. I imagine they want get certain things resolved and more content ingested before going live. As far as the timelines go, I agree they seem to be stretching them a bit, but that is not surprising. Admitting to delays will (rightly or wrongly) cause perception issues in the media, perhaps unjustly and perhaps to an audience with a (negative) agenda. This is preferable to releasing something which is not ready. So it seem to be a bit of a no-win situation.

Personally, as a kickstarter backer who has not yet received my player yet, I am fine with all this and not surprised. I have friends who have launched a company (and have used kickstarter in funding) and know it is not easy.

Actually I am encouraged by the reports of the Pono player's sound. As for the store, it seems some nice hi-res will be available on the store by its launch. I guess we'll see, but I got time.

 

Okay! That's more like it! Somebody who has one and said more than a few sentences. Thank you!

So, how about through cans? Have you tried it through headphones, and if so, what kind?

 

I'd like to see side-by-side comparisons with existing players, especially the FiiO X3 which costs about half what a PONO does.

Is there a compelling reason to buy a PONO instead of other players? Sound, build quality, ease-of-use, battery life etc.?

If not, it is, indeed, a fail.

 

Yeah, I have a feeling that I'll be able to test drive one of these Sonys way before I can get my mitts on a Pono.

Having said that, I'm beginning to think that dual DACs are the only way to go. But what do I know? I can't even try out the AK240, either. I live in a big US city and nobody sells them.

 

It's got to be the components making up the player-- likely higher end than those found in an iPod. That's the one factor that intrigues me about the player. I recall the Pono website stating that its odd shape was necessitated by the DAC and other components selected.

 

Actually the exact count is 81,825.

 

Wondering: Are you people here (massively) upgrading your audio systems to get the benefit of Pono?

 

Well, so far the reviews seems to be conflicting. I was looking to see some other "NOT-Apple" player to upgrade from my 7th gen iPod classic for 80 gigs. Turns out that those crazy Cowons with 192-24 support are still waaay to expensive. iPod touch seems to be the best solution still - price/quality wise.

 

"There's A World" is preloaded onto Pono? That alone would cause me to avoid it.

 

Can someone tell me if every Pono Music backer will receive a Pono Player, even if they only donated $5.00? That sounds a bit too good to be true.

 

No, only those who specifically paid for the player. The $5 folks got a thank you or a sticker or something.

 

I'm curious if the RockBox guys will try getting their firmware working on a Pono.

 

What? No gapless playback in 2014? How can I listen to DSOTM without gapless playback

 

So this has become the new marbles in a box set line?

 

Maybe we don't have to buy and listen yet again to the same old albums.