mattsk8 Posted March 13, 2014 Report Share Posted March 13, 2014 Anyone here ever used, heard or does anyone here own one of these?? Curious how they work and if they do deliver better sound quality. http://www.ponomusic.com/#home Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fudge_Brownie Posted March 13, 2014 Report Share Posted March 13, 2014 I have no experience with them, so I went and looked at it right now. Their website and kickstarter is frustrating. It's a big sales pitch, with the details buried in the middle.If I understand it right, it's basically a music device capable of playing FLAC files. If you want to compare the difference between FLAC and MP3, you can rip any music CD to both FLAC and MP3 and do your own comparison. Granted, this is limited by the audio hardware of your computer. Personally, I think FLAC and CD both sound better than any MP3. But it's not to the point where I want to run out and buy a FLAC player as soon as possible.FLAC files are huge. So what you're used to fitting in to ~100GB of space with 128-192kbps MP3 will not fit roughly a tenth of the music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattsk8 Posted March 13, 2014 Report Share Posted March 13, 2014 (edited) So basically, that Pono thing should hold the equivalent of (roughly) a 13 gig iPod right? Since its 128 gig. And from what I've read, its compatible w/ anything I should already have in my iTunes library. I might try it out. Edit: It would actually hold more than that. The Pono is 128 gig, so if my music is already downloaded in AAC or MP3, it won't take up any more space on the Pono than it did on the iPod. Only the music I bought in FLAC format would take up all that space.... correct??? Edited March 13, 2014 by mattsk8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piston Slapper Posted March 13, 2014 Report Share Posted March 13, 2014 FLAC files are huge. So what you're used to fitting in to ~100GB of space with 128-192kbps MP3 will not fit roughly a tenth of the music. This part doesn't really bother me at all, with current capacities my mobile device holds too much music, my whole library. I don't need that. I remember having a 4gb iPod and having to be picky, think about what I wanted to take with me, it was kind of nice compared to trying to fiddle with it to find something out of thousands while on the move. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Dastardly Posted March 13, 2014 Report Share Posted March 13, 2014 If you're going to listen to compressed files just use whatever you have. It's for convenience not audio quality. Not worth transferring everything over, using a huge amount of storage for FLAC and still getting compressed mediocre sound. This part doesn't really bother me at all, with current capacities my mobile device holds too much music, my whole library. I don't need that. I remember having a 4gb iPod and having to be picky, think about what I wanted to take with me, it was kind of nice compared to trying to fiddle with it to find something out of thousands while on the move. Until you went to the 120gig mod on your S70. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattsk8 Posted March 13, 2014 Report Share Posted March 13, 2014 If you're going to listen to compressed files just use whatever you have. It's for convenience not audio quality. Not worth transferring everything over, using a huge amount of storage for FLAC and still getting compressed mediocre sound. Until you went to the 120gig mod on your S70. Have you ever listened to FLAC?? That's the main reason I want it. My iPod sounds like crap compared to CD, but FLAC files sound better than CD. Obviously I still use my iPod a lot for traveling and working in the garage, but how much better to have the same luxury as an iPod but get SACD quality sound from it!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piston Slapper Posted March 13, 2014 Report Share Posted March 13, 2014 Until you went to the 120gig mod on your S70. I didn't go straight from 4 to 120, I had a few other upgrades in between. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattsk8 Posted March 13, 2014 Report Share Posted March 13, 2014 Good explanation for anyone that cares, taken from this site... http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-33199_7-57530837-221/what-is-flac-the-high-def-mp3-explained/ MP3 is a lossy format, which means parts of the music are shaved off to get the file size down. It is supposed to use "psychoacoustics" to delete overlapping sounds, but it isn't always successful. Typically cymbals, reverb, and guitars are the sounds most affected by MP3 compression, and can sound really distorted or "crunchy" when poorly ripped or overly compressed. Like MP3 before it, FLAC is starting to be embraced by the music industry as a cost-effective way to distribute CD-quality-or-higher music, and it doesn't have the auditory problems of MP3s. FLAC is lossless and more like a ZIP file -- theoretically it comes out sounding the same when it is unzipped. In hi-fi terms, MP3 is to Sony's MiniDisc format as FLAC is to CD. And who uses MiniDisc anymore? The advantage of FLAC files versus the CD format CDA or WAV is that they use much less space, typically around half. Of course, FLAC still uses up to six times the space of MP3, but the advantage to this is that more information is retained, leading to an audible boost in quality. Furthermore, FLAC is not just restricted to CD quality, and you can buy files up to 24-bit/192kHz for another potential boost in performance. While Neil Young's mysterious Pono format has yet to materialize, some experts have said before that high-quality digital downloads are unlikely to get any better than what FLAC currently offers. A post on Bowers & Wilkins' Society of Sound blog cites Malcolm Hawksford, professor of psychoacoustics at Essex University: "FLAC has a place in the future for high-quality audio. It is good for transporting files on the Internet as it typically halves download time. It is unlikely that for lossless compression there will be significant improvements." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattsk8 Posted March 13, 2014 Report Share Posted March 13, 2014 (edited) That sucks. After more reading, it looks like it isn't available yet. They're only taking pre-orders, but I don't see a release date anywhere. I think I'll get one as soon as they're available. More info here... http://consequenceofsound.net/2014/03/neil-youngs-ponomusic-finally-set-for-launch-128gb-player-priced-at-399/ Edited March 13, 2014 by mattsk8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fudge_Brownie Posted March 13, 2014 Report Share Posted March 13, 2014 So basically, that Pono thing should hold the equivalent of (roughly) a 13 gig iPod right? Since its 128 gig. And from what I've read, its compatible w/ anything I should already have in my iTunes library. I might try it out. Edit: It would actually hold more than that. The Pono is 128 gig, so if my music is already downloaded in AAC or MP3, it won't take up any more space on the Pono than it did on the iPod. Only the music I bought in FLAC format would take up all that space.... correct???It will work with MP3 and AAC files from iTunes. I don't think it will work with music bought from the iTunes store, because they has DRM controls to prevent you from listening to the music without first talking to their server to prove you own it. I'm not sure about AAC, but an NPR article says it will support MP3. But ya, they'd all still take up the same space as they do now.That sucks. After more reading, it looks like it isn't available yet. They're only taking pre-orders, but I don't see a release date anywhere.Sorry, I didn't realize you weren't aware of that. Kickstarter by nature usually implies a pre-order.The source of the info in the article you linked is from their Kickstarter page. They started soliciting for investments on Tuesday, and will continue until April 15th. On the right column, you can see pledges and beneifts."Pledge $300 or more BLACK PONOPLAYER First Edition. Savings of $99 off $399 retail value. Plus: Website Thanks. Estimated delivery: Oct 2014 Add $15 USD to ship outside the US" This part doesn't really bother me at all, with current capacities my mobile device holds too much music, my whole library. I don't need that.GREAT! We're all really happy that this doesn't bother you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattsk8 Posted March 13, 2014 Report Share Posted March 13, 2014 It will work with MP3 and AAC files from iTunes. I don't think it will work with music bought from the iTunes store, because they has DRM controls to prevent you from listening to the music without first talking to their server to prove you own it. I'm not sure about AAC, but an NPR article says it will support MP3. But ya, they'd all still take up the same space as they do now. Somehow I can import my purchased songs onto my Droid phone using the iSyncr app. Not sure if this would work w/ the PONO thing too or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BtownVolvo Posted March 13, 2014 Report Share Posted March 13, 2014 I have no experience with them, so I went and looked at it right now. Their website and kickstarter is frustrating. It's a big sales pitch, with the details buried in the middle. If I understand it right, it's basically a music device capable of playing FLAC files. If you want to compare the difference between FLAC and MP3, you can rip any music CD to both FLAC and MP3 and do your own comparison. Granted, this is limited by the audio hardware of your computer. Personally, I think FLAC and CD both sound better than any MP3. But it's not to the point where I want to run out and buy a FLAC player as soon as possible. FLAC files are huge. So what you're used to fitting in to ~100GB of space with 128-192kbps MP3 will not fit roughly a tenth of the music. You can do a fairly accurate comparison by using a free DAW such as Audacity. Start with a raw .wav or FLAC. Duplicate it, then convert that to .mp3. Stack them on top of each other in the multitrack, then flip the phase. Line up the opposing waveforms and you'll essentially hear what is not being played with an .mp3. The worst part is if you can actually make out the song using only the missing artifacts. Oh the joys of audio engineering! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmsgltr Posted March 13, 2014 Report Share Posted March 13, 2014 Hmmm I haven't been able to find it How big a file? It was over a year ago but I believe I got my copy from those pirates by the bay... Free of charge! I use it with a $14 usb vagcom cable off ebay, works great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BtownVolvo Posted March 13, 2014 Report Share Posted March 13, 2014 Also, my .02, FLAC isn't really necessary for a portable player. You're not going to really hear any noticeable difference with your apple earbuds (Grado's yes, beats earbuds no). Now if you're playing back on a system that has an actual Low, Mid, High (or at least other halfway decent speakers) yes, you will totally hear it and would only consider lossless. Sorry...I have pent up anger from beats headphones HAHA /rant 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattsk8 Posted March 13, 2014 Report Share Posted March 13, 2014 Also, my .02, FLAC isn't really necessary for a portable player. You're not going to really hear any noticeable difference with your apple earbuds (Grado's yes, beats earbuds no). Now if you're playing back on a system that has an actual Low, Mid, High (or at least other halfway decent speakers) yes, you will totally hear it and would only consider lossless. Sorry...I have pent up anger from beats headphones HAHA /rant That's the main reason I would want it. I rarely ever listen to headphones and if I do, they aren't beats. The only reason I would want it are to listen to my music collection on my home systems, or in my car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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