Pono launches Kickstarter campaign

[badsoden]

Pono Kickstarter project launched last night and has already reached its target in less than 24 hours.

Pono Miusic on Kickstarter (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1003614822/ponomusic-where-your-soul-rediscovers-music)

Pono Music site (http://www.ponomusic.com/)

Anyone interested for $300 as a backer or $399 retail for the odd looking device?

[mr sneff]

I'd rather have $300 worth of Toblerone :lol:

[ZebuTheOxen]

Looks interesting! More high quality music can't hurt. :)

[badsoden]

The whole project is a great thing for the people wanting high quality music and hopefully increasing the availability.

I just don't get the device design, Toblerone is an apt description! Also why no DSD?

[Gmanuk101]

has anyone listened to one yet?

[badsoden]

Estimated delivery on Kickstarter is October. There's a video on Kickstarter of a load of musicians trying one out in a car and giving their opinion.

[agk]

Sounds like a load of old pony to me.
CD, widely available, good quality, cheap and portable

[The Grand Wazoo]

Well, anything that sets out it's stall by saying.....

....to revive the magic that has been squeezed out of digital music. In the process of making music more convenient – easier to download, and more portable – we have sacrificed the emotional impact that only higher quality music can deliver.
.....ought to be worthy of at least a little of our attention.

The fact that Neil Young is involved gets my attention (and I've been reading snippets about the project for quite a while now).

And finally, a 'proper' hi-fi company, Ayre Acoustics are intimately involved in the electronics technology should also make us prick up our ears a little too, I'd think.

[PaulStewart]

The fact that Neil Young is involved gets my attention (and I've been reading snippets about the project for quite a while now).

And finally, a 'proper' hi-fi company, Ayre Acoustics are intimately involved in the electronics technology should also make us prick up our ears a little too, I'd think.

Totally agree Chris, I too have been watching development on this for some time and will invest $300 in the project and get a player, I have spoen to people in the pro audio field who have heard demos of the electronics and say it is right up there in terms of SQ. Anything that brings and end to the mutilating quality of MP3s has to be good.

Cheers

[Gordon Steadman]

Whilst I agree with the idea of improved quality, I can't help feeling that this is going to die from lack of interest. I reckon its too late. The generation that grew up on iPods and MP3s is unlikely to change now, plus its hardly a cheap solution. Old farts like us/me wouldn't want a portable player anyway as the hi-fi is our main music provider and we already enjoy the sort of quality or better than on offer here.

So, I wish him luck but I ain't holding my breath. Lets hope I'm wrong.

[Reffc]

I like what they've done and think it should be applauded but given that they're a commericial entity who have already funded manufacture, struggle to see justification for providing them with funding when they are in the market place already, and from that perspective have a product little different than Astell & Kern or Colourfly etc. It seems like a good product (but so was the A&K that I tried and it was more or less the same thing but with a seemingly better user interface than the pono). Perhaps all of AoS manufacturer traders should sign up on kickstart! :lol:

[The Black Adder]

In a way it reminds me of the failed Gizmondo... I can only see it sliding down the shute to be honest... But ya never know :)

[Tim]

Funnily enough my mate was going to pledge for one and asked my thoughts, I emailed him on Monday and to save me commenting again here's my take on it reproduced from that email.


"Nothing that exciting about PONO on a personal level fella, its just appears to be an (expensive) music player that can play FLAC files with a music store attached to purchase HD FLAC files, which on a portable player is a bit of a waste of time in my opinion, 320 kbps .mp3 is perfectly adequate for portable use. Going beyond the CD redbook standard (16/44.1) needs a young healthy ear, so redbook I have found is all my ears need or can discern regarding quality – I have always believed the mastering is more important than the file definition. I’ve played around with HD music files and can't detect much if any of a difference from a standard CD quality FLAC file on my full system at home, which as you know is very revealing, transfer that to earbuds and most people are unlikely to detect much difference. It will certainly sound better than an iTunes 128 or 256kbps file, so ditching your iPod and buying a PONO will show a benefit, but there are plenty of cheaper alternatives. I already have a player that handles FLAC files and the PONO data storage size is quite small for the price they are asking and 8 hours battery life is just not going to cut it for a lot of people.

If I was going to do nothing but download CD quality (16/44.1) files from the internet I would consider using the PONO store if I couldn’t buy direct from the artist, but I would buy a Cowon player to play them if I had that sort of money to spend. It seems a bit of a lifestyle product like Apple and I don't buy into that BS as you know. I really like the idea however and would love it if they managed to take a chunk out of Apple's revenue, but the reality is the general public now think .mp3/aac lossy files sound like good music. The average Joe doesn’t have a Hi-Fi anymore or even care and the industry as you know has been in decline for years and becoming a niche market – nerds like me are a small minority! I certainly commend Neil for what he's attempting to achieve, but I have my doubts it will take off, having said that I really hope it does. If it manages to educate kids that there is an alternative to crap lossy iTunes music and that lossless music files really do sound better, then that’s got to be a good thing.

However, as I still like to buy/own physical CD's and rip them myself, PONO in its current form has nothing that interests me, unless it was music you could only buy as a download? It's fuggly too and who wants a fecking Toblerone in their pocket!

A great idea, but I think he's missed the boat, I don’t think anybody is likely to topple iTunes now I'm afraid. Would be good to see it as an alternative though, but I would only ever buy lossless files and Bandcamp, CDBaby and various others do this already. What I think it could do is fuel the momentum making lossless downloads more widely available and for sure if Apple want to keep up, will offer lossless files and charge more fecking money for them no doubt too. The CD market is in decline and the future will probably be downloads way out in front, with vinyl and CD’s becoming the niche format and vinyl sales are looking quite healthy at the moment, which is also a good thing and long may that trend remain"

[synsei]

I reckon it may succeed simply due to the vast number of well respected musicians who are backing it, who all seem to be saying that the quality of the sound is the defining factor. The player doesn't interest me in the slightest but a high profile store where I can purchase music in HD format certainly does.

[Macca]

Wouldn't matter if they had Jesus behind it, it won't go anywhere. Maybe if it was 10 years ago and if they were first on the block. The average punter doesn't care about the resolution of his files and most educated audiophiles know there is no sq difference between hi rez and red book - only better mastering can improve the sound so lets have all the musicians back a campaign for that except they won't 'cause there is no money in it.

[synsei]

Wouldn't matter if they had Jesus behind it, it won't go anywhere. Maybe if it was 10 years ago and if they were first on the block. The average punter doesn't care about the resolution of his files and most educated audiophiles know there is no sq difference between hi rez and red book - only better mastering can improve the sound so lets have all the musicians back a campaign for that except they won't 'cause there is no money in it.

Ah, thanks for clarifying that, I must be one of those 'fick' audiophiles then... :lol:

[Tim]

Wouldn't matter if they had Jesus behind it, it won't go anywhere. Maybe if it was 10 years ago and if they were first on the block.
I wouldn't bet my no claims discount on it Martin, but I reckon you are bang on - that boat has sailed. But I would be very pleased to be proven wrong.