PONO Hands-on Review

Posted some measurements and thoughts on this device...
MEASUREMENTS: PonoPlayer - another man's observations & opinions...

 

Which version of INXS "Kick" is on your player? Is there a hi res version of that album?

 

The Ayre QB-9 (both the original and the DSD model) have a switch on the back to select a "listen" filter and a "measure" filter.
Stereophile did a review and measurements of the original QB-9: stereophile review measurements
Would be neat to have "listen" and "measure" filter choices on the Pono, or at least the Codex. You need to spend big bucks on the QB-9 DSD to get to play with filters.

You'll have more fun with the Pono when you get balanced adapter cables for it. The sound does improve in balanced mode for headphones. Would be interesting to see if that shows up in measurements.

 

Thanks a lot for the objective review of the Pono DAP. Fascinating insight!

 

Thanks for the review. Nice to read something that's neither lambasting it or singing its praises to the heavens. The limitations are interesting. Not read too much of those.

 

I am waiting for v2.0 of the Pono Player--if indeed it comes out--to address the screen limitations and (hopefully) remove the useless "bought from PonoMusic Store" light.

 

I love my "blue light special!"

 

So what happened with Pono? After the buzz/hype I haven't heard much about it....

 

I'm lovin' it!

 

I think that feature should have been deprecated after the Pono/Meridian split. It seems to have been developed to indicate the "authenticated" status of MQA files, and only later came to indicate "purchased from PonoMusic World Store," IMO.

 

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‪#‎PonoMusic‬ is exciting to be attending our first California Audio Show this weekend from Friday August 16th - Sunday August 18th at the Westin in Millbrae, just south of San Francisco. We'll be demoing the PonoPlayer amongst other manufactures of High Resolution audio gear. Be sure to check us out if you are able to attend.
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Good to see the PonoMusic Player getting some exposure that puts them in a position to be demoed. Seems like the only way to appreciate what it can do, which is produce a really special sound, in my experience.

I think Pono should institute a trial offer for the PonoMusic Player like some of the direct-to-consumer audio companies do. I don't think they would be getting many returns, based on sound quality anyway.

I'm basing my prediction on my experience of the player myself and the posts that I've read on this forum from members that have heard the Pono. I have only read two such posters that have not found something rather extraordinary about the sound quality. One used Sennheiser HD600 or HD650 phones in unbalanced mode (not a particularly good sound based on when I tried it while waiting on balanced cables to arrive). The other, Archimago, seems like he might a listener that could be effected by subliminal influences of the results of his measurements. Or perhaps not, and he simply was not that impressed with the sound. Either way, that is a small ratio of "this sounds okay" posts to "this sounds great" posts. (Those posts are what created my interest in trying one myself. And it only took a short while to realize that I would not be returning mine.)

 

You should read some of the Pono threads around here.

 

In short, I'm very, very happy with my Pono; it continues to astound me on a daily basis.

 

Hey, Zephead! I'm right there with you on that one!
Looking forward to ripping the Steven Wilson mix of Fragile off of the BR and putting it on my Pono!

 

I went to Fry's shopping on Friday and stopped to have a coffee. There tucked in a back corner where'd you be hard pressed to find it, was the Pono display. Finally I meet one head on. They had it set up with some decent cans. Beyers? Or a mid-range Senn. Anyway, I played a few tracks. Honestly, I didn't hear anything that impressed me. Maybe with some HD650 it might have been a different story. But it was a disappointment.

 

I concur completely. Love my Pono.

 

That happens for anything and is certainly understandable. I am not trying to defend it but I would hope the files were of good pedigree and also most of the real magic seems to happen for most in balance mode. If Fry's was smart they would have a demo of that if that is not what you were using.

 

I share your frustration but I'll give the firmer approach a try and maybe that'll cut some of that wigging out stuff. I haven't heard the Pono with balanced plugs yet but I'm really happy with the sound. Even the redbook material I put on
The machine sounds fabulous.

Question for the group re: balanced cables on the headphones.
Does one need an adapter or is it limited to headphones that aren't hardwired to the cable or new headphones with the balanced plug already installed?

 

I would point you here only because they lay out the options well and provide a link to a compatable headphone chart. I don't know of many offering Pono balanced cables preinstalled; Cardas offered it for a nominal fee. Note that many are using an adapter such as shown on this site to switch between balanced and single ended. http://www.surfcables.com/products/ponoplayer-cables

 

Balanced headphones are tricky. Gotta know what you're doing to do it.

Easiest way is to have a headphone with a removable cable, where someone has already made a balanced cable that is compatible with that headphone. The Sennheiser HD600 and HD650 are an example. Converting the Senns to balanced just requires buying a balanced cable for them. Headphones that have a removable dual entry cable (a cable that connects to the left cup and right cup) like the Senn HD650 can usually be converted to balanced.

It gets more tricky for headphones that have a single sided entry. Most single sided entry headphones are going to be challenging to make balanced. Most single sided entry headphones will have a shared ground cable that goes through the headband and connects to the other ear cup. You cannot have a shared ground in a balanced headphone. A few headphones that have a single sided entry have separate grounds for each ear cup. The Oppo PM-3 is an example. The PM-3 has a TRRS (tip ring ring sleeve) connection in the left ear cup and was designed to be able to be made balanced if you buy a custom cable for them.

Some single sided entry headphones can be modded to be made balanced. The mod usually entails making a new hole in the other ear cup and making them dual sided entry. If the mod is fancy you can do a removable cable. If the mod isn't so fancy the balanced cable will be soldered to the drivers.

Some hardwired headphones already have four separate wires in the cable. With two wires going to the left cup and two to the right cup. Separate grounds all the way in the cable. The grounds are joined at the TRS jack. Cut off the TRS jack. Figure out which of the four wires go to each driver. Solder on a balanced connector and you've got a balanced headphone.

The other complicating factor is that there are multiple balanced connector standards. Most home amps use a 4-pin XLR connector. The PonoPlayer uses two 3.5mm TRS plugs, some other portables use a 3.5mm TRRS connector, some use a 2.5mm TRRS connector, some use other connectors. There is no standard.

 

It depends on the headphones. The only ones that I really know about are the Sennheiser HD600 and HD650. I bought these:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/CARDAS-PONO...CABLE-SENNHEISER-AUDEZE-HIFIMAN-/171629420247

With this combo, I simply unplug the stock cables and plug in the balanced cables. Takes maybe 1 minute.

Venus Audio mentions:
Choice of Sennheiser HD650/HD600 or compatible, Sennheiser HD800 (add$40), Sennheiser HD700 (add $20) , Hifiman, Audeze, or Alpha Dog headphone plugs.

I ordered HiFiMan HE400i headphones on Black Friday. I plan on getting balanced cables from Venus Audio for those. They should just plug in, as well.

Some headphones require hard wiring and some (I would guess) are not really practical to do balanced.

Edit: Looks like I am kind of slow.

 

I bought one of those P-04 Adapter cables. It is really handy.

 

Surf Cables Chart of Balanced Headphone Models
http://www.surfcables.com/pages/surf-cables-chart-of-pono-player-balanced-mode-cables

 

Thanks guys. Yikes, there is more to it than I Lready thought. I have sennheiser HD598s. As Maxwell Smart would say,
"I Missed it by |<->| that much. Oh well. I'll wait until I'm ready to upgrade the headphones unless the adapters really work well. I am happy with the sound so maybe when I've had it longer (1year so far) I will use it as a way to upgrade.
Thanks again for the reponses and the link.