PONO Hands-on Review

Yes, the Fiio X5 does DSD for the listeners on the move, but if your like me and only listen to music on the go while at a fixed reference point, then your options become much greater. Like a DAC/AMP with digital input that uses a multi functional UI device with digital output. Iffi nano or micro come to mind. Myself I would use a small fully operating system notebook with JRiver and external hard drive for the UI. Also most audiophiles are more concerned about quality and versatility over price.

 

I looked at the specs on the Fiio X5. Seems about the same price. Checked out the TI (Burr Brown) PCM1792 specs. About the same general performance and architecture as the ESS chip used in the Pono as far as you can tell from public datasheets. Seems like you should buy the Fiio X5. It has a nice feature you can use it also an Async USB DAC that Pono doesn't seem to have.

Seems to me it will come down to the additional analog stages and board design beyond the DAC whether Pono just sounds better than X5 or not. On the other hand converting a DSD file to 192/24 on a powerful host machine in Float 32 bit should give you excellent results. It's not the same as converting it to an MP3 it really just isn't. So people will decide if this DSD conversion inconvenience is a big deal or not and whether they prefer the sound of Pono better. Choice is a good thing! And you can always use the Pono HD library with the X5 starting in two months time.

 

Fiio X3. Sony NWZ-A15 (I think in the latter case). ;

The Fiio X3 does too.

 

I'd rather have a desktop device with a beefed up, plug in power supply.

 

Unless I've been misinformed, I'm pretty sure the FiiOs "play" DSD by converting to PCM. Just in case anyone makes the wrong assumption. Nevertheless, it's a nice feature (I have an X3.)

 

Actually, most do within the DAC. There are only a few DAC's that playback native DSD without converting to PCM somewhere in the chain.

 

Got most of my library loaded up last night eventually, very long time to download!!

 

I directly copied the files from my pc to Ponoplayer & SD Card. Ponoplayer was slow, the sd card I directly inserted in the PC with adapter, which is a little faster (normal speed for such cards).

 

Both the TI DAC in the X5 and the ESS DAC in the Pono can play DSD natively in the DAC. There is nothing requiring them to convert to PCM and their datasheets don't say. Their "native" bitstreams are variants of a 2-bit steam. DSD is 1-bit.

 

I am in the market for a new DAP and have been closely following this thread. While early reviews of its sound quality are encouraging, the 8 hour battery life is a deal breaker for me. I spend a lot of time on the road and so battery life is an important consideration. When the much smaller Sony Walkman A17 can offer 30 to 50 hours of playback (24/192 to mp3), I was hoping the Pono would be at least come close to that.

So for now, I will have pass on the Pono and probably get the Walkman. I am curious to hear the sonic upgrade both these DAPs will offer over the stock iPhone 6.

 

Not sure if many cars have the same feature but I'd think it would be popular if they did:
http://www.cnet.com/how-to/ten-hidden-controls-of-the-iphone-headphones/
-Bill

 

Isn't that controlled by the iOS software? I'm missing how this applies to Pono. If there are cars that can control Pono playback over the 1/8" stereo analog cable, that would be great, but I'm not familiar with that.

 

Here's a review of the Pono player vs. a couple of recent Sony units:

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/1214/Sony_NWZ_ZX1_NWZ_A17_Pono_Music_Player.htm

 

It's the sound that matters. If I was into digital I would consider it based on it's simplicity if of course it delivers soundwise. And I'm an audiophile.

 

That guy seriously needs an editor.

 

I guess it's iOS for Apple products but then Apple would have to conform to some standard or the headphone makers would have to conform to the iOS platform for different headphones and car controllers to work. I know there are devices that can control an iPhone like this but I am not a portable geek and really don't know about the software or all of the hardware available for them. PONO is using something very much like JRiver Media Center . JRiver has remote apps for their products over several platforms. I guess Pono can utilize something like these if it doesn't come preloaded as standard: http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=67831.0
-Bill

 

What a rambling read. How the hell did a discussion of every Sony product that guy has bought in his lifetime get in there? And he lists them. Aibo? Somebody must be getting paid by the word. I think there was a Pono review in there....

 

Of course the sound matters, but all the best sound in the world don't matter if you can't get the device to diversely function so that you can hear the sound in the setups you need. And that is where Pono falls short, badly, in my opinion, lack of versatility.

 

There are lots of in-line microphones that don't work on iOS products though; I think it might be an Apple licensing thing, likely part of their Made for iPod/iPhone initiative.

 

I'm pretty sure the X5 is a Burr-Brown PCM1792A. The X1 runs a Texas Instruments, and the X3 runs a Wolfson WM8740.

 

If that's the case, then the X3 will be a very nice listen. The WM8740 is a lovely and very analogue sounding DAC. There are two in my AVI Lab Series player and I'd be hard pressed to swap it out.

 

To this guy that Sony is styled unattractively, but the Pono looks "European?" What? I love the sleek Sony players. They look professional and classy. That godawful yellow Pono, it's big buttons and the shape make it looks like something by Fisher Price. I wouldn't be surprised if the yellow they keep pushing turns out to be their least popular color. Neil must like it.

 

That's what I hear. I also hear the Burr-Brown PCM1792A is very high quality used in some good receivers. Both of these have got to sound better than the ESS in the Pono, though I haven't seen an actual blind test done yet.

 

Yes the PCM1792A is what I looked at. It has dedicated DSD functionality. They don't say exactly the path they use to convet it to the multi-level (2-bit) SD stream internally, but I doubt it goes through PCM. They have special Analog filters inside the DAC for the DSD path why go through all that if you're going to digitally convert it to PCM. But I can't tell for sure.

 

I have the opportunity to get an Arcam DV135 universal player. Also the Fiio X3. Both of these has the same DAC. That said, I don't think there's a huge amount of difference between DACs but if there wasn't another one out there, I'd be happy with the 8740 in the three players of my choice just now.