Neil Young Kickstarts PonoMusic Service

mteinum · 10.03.2014

Tomorrow at SXSW Neil Young will be (finally) officially unveiling the long-awaited the high resolution audio 192kHz/24-bit Pono portable media player and the accompanying music service MyPono. The press release says that Pono Music "is a revolutionary movement conceived and founded by Neil Young with a mission to restore the soul of music -- bringing the highest-quality digital music to discerning, passionate consumers, who hunger to hear music the way its creators intended, with the emotion, detail, and power intact." Neil Young, the longstanding promoter of Pono, said "It's about the music, real music. We want to move digital music into the 21st century and PonoMusic does that. We couldn't be more excited -- not for ourselves, but for those that are moved by what music means in their lives." PonoMusic's is the device's online music store and will offer high quality, high resolution digital music from both major labels and prominent independent labels. The Pono desktop media management application allows customers to download, manage and sync their music to their PonoPlayer and other high-resolution digital music devices. PonoMusic and high-end audio hardware designer Ayre Acoustics have collaborated to complete the device. "We are absolutely thrilled to be a part of this project. We will always be grateful to Neil Young for changing the landscape of recorded music," said Charlie Hansen, CEO of Ayre Acoustics. Ayre is ensuring high quality sound from the new Pono unit as it features many high-quality design choices including zero-feedback circuitry, a digital filter that stops "unnatural pre-ringing", and uses the new ESS ES9018 DAC chip. The PonoPlayer has 128GB of internal memory and memory cards can be used to increase storage memory. The PonoPlayer will be sold at PonoMusic.com for $399 and will be available for pre-order at a discount on Kickstarter.com March 12th.

High-End Audio, High Fidelity Audiophile Industry News, the authority in high-end audiophile music and audio equipment news and show events.

Ref.

https://www.facebook.com/NeilYoungPono
http://time.com/18027/neil-youngs-high-fidelity-pono-music-player-is-still-coming-and-itll-cost-399/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pono_(audio_format)
http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f8-general-forum/neil-young-announces-launch-ponomusic-19703/

Tror nok denne kommer til å slite mot iPhone/iPod/iTunes

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E.I.A. · 11.03.2014

Blir spennende og teste ut .
Viste seg jeg allerede hadde registrert meg, må være lenge siden, for det hadde jeg glemt

Bulter · 11.03.2014

Med Ayre på laget bør dette bli bra!

Eviledorf · 11.03.2014

mteinum skrev:
Tror nok denne kommer til å slite mot iPhone/iPod/iTunes

Dette er vel mer et nisjeprodukt for folk som ønsker HIFI lyd.

For noen år siden byttet Apple fra Wolfson DAC i sine iPod/iPhoner til en billigere Cirrus DAC. Dette skapte en del støy på f.eks. Head-fi.org der flere var misfornøyd med den nye lyden, men folk flest bryr seg ikke om det så lenge facebook og Angry Birds fungerer. Derfor blir dette et nisjeprodukt som jeg krysser fingrene for at lykkes. For om dette produktet får produsenter som Apple til å satse på bedre DAC og bedre lyd også, i stedet for å nedgradere for å kutte kostnadene er jo det en fordel. De er mange andre telefoner på markedet som har bedre lyd enn Iphone og Ponoen gjør forhåpentligvis at også disse forbedrer sine produkter ytterliger.

nma · 11.03.2014

Utrolig så sneversynte de fleste er. Apple er ikke hovedkonkurrenten her, men snarere tror jeg dette har mulighet til å definere sitt eget marked slik ipod gjorde når den kom på markedet. Hvis Ponomusic har klare retningslinjer mht til komprimering og dokumentar hi-rez-oppløsning, så kan dette bli en fantastisk greie. Muligheten til å laste opp sine egne sanger på enheten er selfølgelig en selfølge. Jeg skal innrømme at jeg ikke har ofret konseptet mange tankene så lenge det var på planleggingsstadiet, men nå når det faktisk blir en realitet, tror jeg det kan bli bra.

Mye vil avhenge av kvalitet og funksjonaliteten, og da spesielt lydkvaliteten. At det er Ayre som står bak lydkretsløpene, med bl.a. no-feedback-kretser, "custom" minimum fase-filtre, og es9018(k2m?) DAC, og en garantert bra hodetelefonforsterker innebygd, tror jeg dette kan sette standarden for mobil lydkvalitet. Muligens så nærme en QB-9DSD som man kommer. (prisen er selfølgelig en faktor). Hallo, en rimelig "mp3-spiller" fra Ayre! Sign me the f*** up!

Den koster 399usd/128GB med mulighet for å utvide plassen med SD-kort. iPod touch middelmådig lyd koster 399usd med 64GB. Astell&Kern AK120 med 64GB koster 1299usd.

Jeg vet hva jeg ville kjøpt.

E.I.A. · 11.03.2014

Congratulations!
You are now an official backer of PonoMusic - Where Your Soul Rediscovers Music. Time to tell the world about it!

mteinum · 11.03.2014

Jeg spiser min hatt, dette var imponerende. Her har de lagt mye jobb i bunn. De har nå fått inn $180.000 på nada tid.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1003614822/ponomusic-where-your-soul-rediscovers-music

E.I.A. · 11.03.2014

Her går det unna ja.
Sikret meg en slik før de var tomme

Distinctive · 11.03.2014

Er ikke Kickstarter crowdfunding?
https://www.kickstarter.com/project...ere-your-soul-rediscovers-music?ref=discovery
Denne spilleren skulle jo vært ute i 2013 og nå går man jo bakover i tid!(?)
Jeeez.....

rolfb*123 · 11.03.2014

E.I.A. skrev:
Her går det unna ja.
Sikret meg en slik før de var tomme

Ditto: 149 igjen;-)

E.I.A. · 12.03.2014

Runder snart 1mill$

Håper musikkindustrien nå ser at det er penger i GOD lyd!

E.I.A. · 12.03.2014

rolfb*123 skrev:
E.I.A. skrev:

Her går det unna ja.
Sikret meg en slik før de var tomme

Klikk for å utvide...

Ditto: 149 igjen;-)

All gone

Eviledorf · 12.03.2014

Og nå er kickstarter målet på $800.000 passert og runder snart millionen. Det er tydeligvis stor interesse for dette.

mteinum · 12.03.2014

$1,041,993

Det må sies å være kickstart-lansering.

1TB kapasitet og DSD støtte så ville dette vært drømmespilleren

E.I.A. · 12.03.2014

mteinum skrev:
$1,041,993

Klikk for å utvide...

Det må sies å være kickstart-lansering.

1TB kapasitet og DSD støtte så ville dette vært drømmespilleren

Håper dette er det første skrittet.....uansett et skritt i riktig retning.
Men det er en lang vei å gå for å fjerne "reklamelyden" fra musikken

mteinum · 13.03.2014

$2,227,343

Stereophile
Neil Young's PonoMusic Launches AT SXSW 2014 | Stereophile.com

Tyll
Hope for Pono | InnerFidelity

mteinum · 14.03.2014

Da har endelig Pono besvart noen spørsmål rundt spiller og butikk.

Nedslående for min del:

7. Will Pono support DSD playback? No plans on this first release. We are focused specifically on PCM at this time because it has broad acceptance, and when done properly, still offers the best sonic solution. While DSD is also a great format, it simply doesn’t have broad enough acceptance by consumers, studios, or labels.

Egentlig en utrolig dårlig begrunnelse. Hele prosjektet er jo å snu bransjen for å satse på bedre kvalitet, så kommer dette BS svaret.

12. Where will the PonoMusic Store be available? The PonoMusic.com Store will launch in the US, UK, and Canada. We plan to grow and expand from there

Hva dette betyr for oss som ikke bor i US, UK og Canada er uvisst. Vil disse være låst ala HD Tracks? Dersom det er tilfelle så blir vel svaret på følgende spørsmål egentlig feil:

10. Any DRM limits on PonoMusic? None.

Det har vært mange spørsmål om Pono kan brukes som en tradisjonell USB dac, men dette blir ikke besvart.

ref. https://www.kickstarter.com/project...-soul-rediscovers-music/posts/776372#comments

FlacMan · 14.03.2014

Syntes jeg hadde sett noe lignende før:

iRiver offers ‘Toblerone’ 512MB MP3 player • The Register

E.I.A. · 14.03.2014

Håper Paypal fungerer slik som på HD Tracks, da spiller det ingen rolle hvor webshoppen ligger .

VB · 14.03.2014

En kan jo velge å se det som et godt tilbud på en god DAP. Har meldt meg på med den gule utgaven. Ingen fiksfakserier og med Ayre med på laget så kommer lyden til å bli god. For de spesielt interesserte så kan jeg jo nevne at det ganske så nylig har kommet en Metallica signaturutgave. Ikke min "kopp te", men sikkert noen som liker den slags.

ymir · 14.03.2014

AN INTERVIEW WITH NEIL YOUNG AND PONO CEO JOHN HAMM

An Interview with Neil Young and Pono CEO John Hamm | The Absolute Sound

TAS: What kind of stereo do you have at home?
NY: I have a lot of McIntosh equipment that I use for listening. My studio is full of different stuff, Tannoy and an old pair of Altec [Lansing] speakers with Mac 275s running them. It’s the old Voice of the Theater speakers. They’re ridiculous [laughs]. Also some reel-to-reel gear.

With all of these music lovers shelling out thousands of dollars to spend a week listening to thousands of bands, one would think that high-end audio would have its place amid the chaos of South by Southwest—but that’s not the case. There are the rare exceptions, but for the most part hi-fi manufacturers stick to the more predictable high-end shows.
All of that changed this year, though, with the launch of Pono, Neil Young’s new music service and portable audio player. Neil gave us a sneak peak of the Pono portable music player back in late September, 2012 when he appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman, and since then we audiophiles have waited with bated breath to learn more about not only this yellow, triangular high-res music player, but also the PonoMusic service, which seeks to “save an artistic medium.”
But how is PonoMusic, and the Pono Portable Music Player, different from the other high-res music services? Is there room in the market for another high-res music Website and portable player? Absolutely. Even though “high-res music” is nothing new to the readers of hi-fi magazines like TAS, the vast majority of people have never heard of high-res music, simply because no alternative has been presented. All of the streaming services are stuck in the low-quality spectrum, and giants like iTunes haven’t seen a need to upgrade to at least CD-quality downloads; for most of them, the old adage stays true: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

But the system is broken, and Neil Young recognized this. As he puts it, “Everything in the digital world has progressed—improved the user experience—except for music. Digital photography has improved, and has pulled the consumer along with it. Computers have improved, but music has been chopped and sliced and served to the consumer in a stripped down package, and it’s stuck there. It’s a disservice not only to the consumer, but to the artists who obsess over every note of music in each and every song.”
Of course, we at The Absolute Sound couldn’t pass up an opportunity to speak with Neil Young and John Hamm, CEO of Pono. No, John isn’t the Hamm from Mad Men, but he’s every bit the determined businessman—and he’s a hardcore audiophile, to boot. The setting for the interviews was at a beautiful boutique hotel in South Austin in a converted 1920s house nestled among towering live oaks and pecan trees. The atmosphere was jovial with an air of excitement as several journalists chatted and tried out the new Pono music player. There was also a demonstration room with the Pono music player as a front end, which was connected to the Ayre AX-5 125W integrated and a pair of TAD Reference Monitors. For a room with hardwood floors and no acoustic treatment, the sound was superb. It was here, before my interview with Neil Young, that I had a chance to pull John Hamm away from everyone and talk candidly about Pono, hi-fi, and the future of digital music.
The Absolute Sound: What kind of hi-fi system do you have at home?
John Hamm: I’m a huge audiophile, and actually made many of my purchases based on recommendations in TAS, specifically Robert Harley and Jonathan Valin’s. I have a full dCS Vivaldi front end, the Magico Q5s, Soulution and ARC [Audio Research Corporation] components, and a Brinkmann turntable.
TAS: Originally there were reports that Pono and Meridian had partnered for the design of the Pono Portable Music Player. Why the switch to Ayre?
JH: “Partnered” might be too strong of a word in this situation. There was no official partnership between Pono and Meridian, but there were some initial talks. Bob [Stuart, of Meridian] is, in my opinion, one of the geniuses of digital audio, and I hold him in high regards. In the end, things just kind of fizzled—simple as that. When I met Charlie [Hansen, of Ayre], we didn’t know if things would even work, if it was actually worth the resources for Ayre to design a [small form-factor] music player. But things worked out, and the results have been great. Ultimately, Ayre identified with Neil’s mission.
TAS: How has the music industry received the Pono music player and PonoMusic?
JH: The support has been overwhelming and 100% positive. Everyone that we have talked with is on board, especially the artists. They work hard to create the music that we love, and by compressing it their artistic creation is diminished. We want consumers to be able to hear the music as it was intended. Music fans pay good money for theses creations, so why not give them exactly what they paid for, the music as it was originally recorded?
TAS: What file types and resolutions will PonoMusic sell?
JH: All of the music on PonoMusic.com will be in FLAC, because FLAC is a universal audio codec that can be used by anyone. But users won’t even need to know that it’s FLAC, they will just download it and load it on their portable music device [presumably the Pono]. Resolutions will stay true to what the label recorded. Whether the label records in 44/16, 96/24, or 192/24, we will sell that file in its original form.
TAS: What are the price points for music sold on PonoMusic.com?
JH: Labels will set their own pricing. Most music will sell for $14.99–$24.99, depending on resolution and other factors.
TAS: So why would consumers purchase music via PonoMusic.com versus the other high-res sites?
JH: Simplicity and availability. With the other sites, the user has to choose between AIFF, ALAC, WAV, or FLAC files, and needs to know why they are choosing it. Most people don’t know the difference, or simply don’t care. They just want high-quality music, and that’s it. PonoMusic will be easy to use. Plus, it will encourage labels to no longer allow their music to be compressed, diminished. Pono will help the entire music industry by saving music from compression.
After our conversation, there were cheers and handshakes at the news that Pono’s Kickstarter campaign had just reached two million dollars. To help raise the necessary capital and build excitement for the Pono Portable Music Player, Pono has taken the burgeoning crowdfunding route for its launch. As Neil Young gave the SXSW 2014 keynote speech on Tuesday, March 11, the Kickstarter campaign launched, and before his hour-long talk was through they were already half way to their $800k goal. At the time of writing this article, they are already at $2.5 million. And the money flowing in isn’t from ultra-wealthy donors, either. Most of the funds are from $400 “donations,” which gets the donor a special, limited-edition Pono player engraved with the signature of select artists, including Neil Young. This broad support for not only the portable music player, but for the high-quality music on PonoMusic is indicative of things to come. With a music legend like Neil Young taking the lead, Pono is poised to bring high-res music to all music lovers, not just audiophiles.

Finally, Neil Young was ready to talk with me, and I stepped into the room where he sat relaxed on a sofa: His iconic hat was tilted slightly forward, and his trademark boots, black pants, and leather jacket rounded out the ensemble. He smiled, we shook hands, and then we jumped right into things.
The Absolute Sound: When you’re at home, vinyl or digital?
Neil Young: Both. Depends on my mood and the quality of the digital. Old vinyl is great, but Pono is great. Pono through a good system is really great. In my car I use Pono.
TAS: How do you convince the younger generations to adopt Pono when compressed music services like Spotify, Pandora, and iTunes have such a stronghold?
NY: First of all, young people are interested in doing new things, and very few aren’t interested in trying something new. Young people aren’t just looking back, they are also looking forward. I have a lot faith in the younger generation of music lovers. Youth isn’t living in the past; if somebody tells them that there’s something better than what they currently have, they’re going to check it out. And if they like it, they’re going to get it. I’m not worried about the youth.
TAS: What about the diehard vinyl fans? Will they use Pono?
NY: If you can take your vinyl into your car and put it in your pocket, then you should do it, because it would be a miracle and you should be on TV [laughs all around]. Vinyl is great, I made a lot of vinyl, but I don’t want new vinyl that’s from digital sources, because that’s a rip off. 44/16 is ok, but I’m not happy with it, and I don’t want vinyl sourced from it, either.
TAS: How did Pono initially start? Did you lead the charge, or did someone come to you?
NY: No, no one came to me and asked to partner. People actually ran away from me. No one said that they wanted to rescue an art form. An old buddy and I just kept working at this, and we never stopped. The people working with me here have been working with me for over a year without getting paid. They just love music. I explained what I wanted to do, and they saw the vision. We built this thing called “The Revealer” that would play various resolutions in real time, no A/B comparison, and it allowed people to hear the difference between MP3 all the way up to 192/24. It was really jury rigged, but it was real.
TAS: Did people notice the difference?
NY: Instantly. One artist heard 192/24 and didn’t want to go back. And that’s the key. We didn’t have to do anything, the quality did all the work.
TAS: What about the people who say they can’t hear a difference in file resolution?
NY: They Probably haven’t heard high-quality music. They need to be alone with the music, they need to try it out without anybody looking at them and pressuring them. If they take it home and listen, they will hear the difference. People will check it out, and if they like it, they like it.
TAS: Have you had any record labels that don’t want to be a part of Pono?
NY: No, we’ve had success across the board. That’s because they know I’m a record company guy. Most of the presidents and CEOs of record companies haven’t been around as long as I have, so they listen. I’m not a tech company, I’m a musician, and I’m here for the record companies. I want to give them back the power to make all the marketing decisions. I want the labels to decide, not the tech giants. When we give the power back to those who make music, everyone wins.

TAS: What kind of stereo do you have at home?
NY: I have a lot of McIntosh equipment that I use for listening. My studio is full of different stuff, Tannoy and an old pair of Altec [Lansing] speakers with Mac 275s running them. It’s the old Voice of the Theater speakers. They’re ridiculous [laughs]. Also some reel-to-reel gear.
TAS: Speaking of reel-to-reel, how does Pono source its material?
NY: We make sure to go to the Master Tape, right to the original. That’s what our goal is. When we doThriller, we’re going to get the master.
TAS: So when can we start buying music from PonoMusic?
NY: October. We’re trying to have it available before that, but October for sure.
TAS: Why use Kickstarter to fund this project?
NY: Now that we have some funding, we can actually do this. Before, we couldn’t find anyone that wanted to support this and save an art form. The money is coming from people who actually care about music. It’s the absence of format availability that’s driving this movement, because people didn’t have a choice, they were stuck with compressed, low-res music that was sucking the life out of the art of music.
TAS: You mentioned that everyone understands the importance of high-res photography and other digital media. Why do you think there is a disconnect between high-res music and the general public?
NY: It’s because they’ve never had a choice. When digital music downloads became available, there was only low-res. It’s simply not there. In America, of all places, there’s no freedom of choice when it comes to digital music like there is in France and Germany and elsewhere. There are the niche sites, but most people are handed MP3s, and that’s it. The giants who sell that music have actually created the largest opportunity yet for a renaissance in music.
TAS: The readers of hi-fi magazines like The Absolute Sound are already very familiar with the benefits of high-res music. How do you plan to attract them to Pono?
NY: We build a great, easily accessible platform. We’ve built a player, we’ve built a site, and we guarantee that the music is the highest quality available—no upsampling, no gimmicks, just the original master as it was meant to be heard from the best source we can get. And if it ever gets better, and you’ve already bought it, you will get the best version for free. We will pay the record companies to upgrade the music.
TAS: Are there plans to push record labels to upgrade?
NY: They’re already doing it. Whatever the artist wanted to do, that’s what we’ll do. If they recorded in 192/24, then we’ll sell it at that rate. But we don’t judge it. Resolution is a tool that the artist uses to get a sound, and we support that. We present it how they want, whether hip-hop or classical. We just give people the platform to distribute it.
TAS: How many albums will be available on PonoMusic?
NY: As many as we can possibly get. Record labels don’t want to hold back. If an album comes out, there’s no reason why people shouldn’t have access to it immediately. We want people to buy the music the same day, in the original quality.
TAS: Any final thoughts?
NY: Yeah, thank you music lovers for supporting this. It’s a pleasure and an amazing opportunity to change the music world. We’re signing on as many artists as possible, like Tom Petty, Patti Smith, and James Taylor just signed on. We all want the same thing: For music to be heard as it was originally intended.
We wrapped things up with a few more laughs and some handshakes, and I headed into the beautiful spring weather in Austin, TX. Music wafted through the air from the hundreds of venues I passed, and I felt a sense of excitement for the things to come. Though high-res downloads have gained increasing popularity since their debut in early 2009, the mainstream music lover is still relegated to the low-res music services. But with a music legend like Neil Young spearheading the push for high-quality studio master recordings, the days of MP3s are numbered. And that’s a good thing for music lovers and Audiophiles alike.

E.I.A. · 14.03.2014

Mcintosh Mc275 , hva kan jeg si, han har iallefall peiling på god lyd

eddie1 · 14.03.2014

E.I.A. skrev:
Mcintosh Mc275 , hva kan jeg si, han har iallefall peiling på god lyd

Smaksak!

Bulter · 15.03.2014

E.I.A. skrev:
Mcintosh Mc275 , hva kan jeg si, han har iallefall peiling på god lyd

Pluss at de benyttet Ayre under demoen

mteinum · 16.03.2014

De drar nå enda inn en god del $$$, men kurven viser en kraftig nedgang når det kommer til nye kunder

PonoMusic - Where Your Soul Rediscovers Music by the PonoMusic Team :: Kicktraq

ymir · 17.03.2014

NEIL YOUNG’S SINGING TOBLERONE Why do some audiophiles hate Pono?

Neil Young’s Singing Toblerone | Hi-Fi+

You’ve got to love Neil Young. He has matured nicely into the music business’ finest curmudgeon, and he has become one of the most visible and outspoken champions of good sound quality at a time of poor sounding recordings. All of which makes him in hindsight an obvious proponent of high-resolution audio. So, when less than 18 months ago, Young announced he was going to make a high-resolution audio system called Pono, perhaps we shouldn’t have been surprised.
Details were, at first, sketchy. In late 2012, Young appeared on Letterman clutching a five-inch long, bright yellow triangular device with a screen and a few keys last year. More followed. Pono is a system, comprising the device itself (PonoPlayer) and a music store (PonoMusic). PonoPlayer is a portable audio player, designed to bring high-resolution audio to a new audience (it’s intended to be $399 at launch). Specs confirmed at this time are that PonoPlayer will support files up to 24bit, 192kHz in FLAC format, it has a line and headphone output, the analogue stages are zero-feedback designs, it comes with 64GB of on-board memory and a further 64GB of microSD storage, uses an ESS 9018 ‘Sabre’ DAC and minimium-phase apodizing filter. We guessed as much when Neil Young went to visit Meridian Audio last year, but it was fellow apodizing filter-supporting Ayre Acoustics that was involved in the design of the player proper.
More information springs up almost hourly. We learned at SXSW about the Ayre connection, and that PonoPlayer will not be locked into PonoMusic content, but can play high-res material from other sources. Whether a shrewd marketing scheme or a need to raise further capital remains unclear, but Young announced a Kickstarter campaign (complete with testimonials from a host of big name musos Young, young and old) to raise an additional $800,000 in order to bring the player to market in the third quarter of this year. At one point earning $700 per minute, Pono has currently raised more than $2.65m at the time of writing.

There have been some slip-ups along the way. In the audiophile world, the first was a swipe by Linn Products CEO Gilad Tiefenbrun, calling the device ‘misguided’ (Neil Young's Misguided Solo Project - Gilad Tiefenbrun), although in fairness, Gilad later retracted this comment and is now quite the Ponophile (now that's a word that needs to be put out there, even if typos might prove problematic). Then, Pono was slated to be a 2013 project, but suffered some slippage. There was also the question of who would design the hardware; despite a well-publicised visit to Meridian’s factory in Cambridge, UK, the actual design was kept under wraps. Also, when it comes to the promo Kickstarter video, it’s hard to take Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers seriously when he praises Pono’s sound quality, given the band’s Californication album could be considered a war crime in the Loudness Wars… but maybe it’s not his fault. Then Pono CEO John Hamm (no, not the ‘Mad Men’ star) was caught out by the words, “What’s your cut?” shouted from the audience during the SXSW presentation. But these are just minor bumps along the road (an interview with both Neil Young and John Hamm has been published on our sister site: https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/an-interview-with-neil-young-and-pono-ceo-john-hamm/
Naturally, this being the Internet, there are detractors too. Fairly predictably, there’s the cries of, “it all sounds the same” and, “it’s made for audiophools”. There’s also the “it’s too expensive” argument (neatly forgetting that Apple’s first generation iPod and its latest 64GB iPod Touch also cost $399). And then there’s the similarity of the name to websites and literature that encourages, “vigorous relaxation in a gentleman’s way” (Pono actually means ‘righteousness’ in Hawaiian). But, curiously some of the most vociferous ‘anti’ arguments come from those most likely to welcome such a device – audiophiles themselves.
Pono’s detractors expose some of the differences in the state of high-resolution across the planet. In the US, its lack of DSD support has been criticised and Pono has been dismissed because those who want a high-resolution portable player already have a more up-market model. Whereas, in the UK, many of those who dismiss the idea do so because they feel high-resolution offers no tangible improvement over CD quality (possibly due to the continued availability of CD in the troubled HMV store chain), and a smartphone is good enough for portable use. It appears to have been well received across the rest of Europe, where 24/192 is upheld as a digital goal worth aiming for. Time will tell whether the detractors are just the usual
There seems to be animosity aimed at Pono, as if Neil Young is muscling in on our safe little game. This is extremely myopic. This is an affordable player (one that doesn’t need the “… by audiophile standards” qualifier), with an as-yet-undisclosed quality-oriented music site that is fronted by someone with enough of a profile to take on the big players like iTunes. Moreover, if PonoMusic delivers content with some form of studio provenance, it will make those who pass off upsampled 16/44.1 PCM or even MP3 files as ‘high-res’ all the more exposed to the criticism they so richly deserve.
If I come across as a Pono apologist or swivel-eyed Pono supporter, that’s not the case at all. Personally, I have misgivings about the form factor, that Pono takes on the iPod as sales of iPods decline in favour of music apps on smartphones, and the simple fact that to date few formats based on sound quality alone have proved successful beyond a few passionate audiophile collectors. Also, the specifications ask as many questions as they answer at this time. But, I’m willing to suspend disbelief. I’m also prepared to give great credit where it is due: in the process of making Pono happen, Neil Young has put sound quality back on the map for music lovers, not just audiophiles. For the first time in years, people have been discussing sound quality without fear of being branded an audiophool or a music nerd. Even if Pono fails to thrive, if it signals a ceasefire in the Loudness Wars, that’s good enough for me.

mteinum · 18.03.2014

$4.000.000 passert.

Jeg er ikke videre imponert over informasjonsflyten fra prosjektet til potensielle kunder. Veldig lite teknisk informasjon gitt ut til nå. CA har et intervju med NY

Computer Audiophile - Pono or Oh No - An Interview With Neil Young

Må si jeg rynket litt på nesa av følgende:

CC: How will PonoMusic, the Pono online store, be different from sites like HDtracks, or will it be different?

NY: I don't know what the HDtracks store is like. The Pono Store will be the Pono Store. We sell stuff that is Pono. It's the best that's available. Period.

Har holdt på med dette prosjektet i 2-3-4 år og har ikke orientert seg i markedet.

KW · 18.03.2014

Hvorfor backer folk opp dette?
Hva får de tilbake ?
Jeg spør fordi jeg ikke vet eller skjønner

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1003614822/ponomusic-where-your-soul-rediscovers-music

Mvh.KW

mteinum · 19.03.2014

KW skrev:
Hvorfor backer folk opp dette?

Det er en kjendis involvert.

KW skrev:
Hva får de tilbake ?

$5 - navnet sitt på en eller annen nettside
$50 - t-shirt + klistermerke.
$100 - papirlapp du kan henge på veggen
$300 - sort eller gul toblerone som kan spille flac filer (da opp til 192/24) utviklet av Ayre.
$400 - spesialutgaver av den over, bare disse er i børstet aluminium og med gravering at et bands medlemmer.
$5000 - spesialutgave signert av NY, samt en matbit.

Peg?

iMystic · 19.03.2014

mteinum skrev:
KW skrev:

Hvorfor backer folk opp dette?

Klikk for å utvide...

Det er en kjendis involvert.

KW skrev:

Hva får de tilbake ?

Klikk for å utvide...

$5 - navnet sitt på en eller annen nettside
$50 - t-shirt + klistermerke.
$100 - papirlapp du kan henge på veggen
$300 - sort eller gul toblerone som kan spille flac filer (da opp til 192/24) utviklet av Ayre.
$400 - spesialutgaver av den over, bare disse er i børstet aluminium og med gravering at et bands medlemmer.
$5000 - spesialutgave signert av NY, samt en matbit.

Peg?

Vis vedlegget 250124

Du treffer spikeren på hodet...eller setter spikeren i kista evt. Men håper forsåvidt Pono blir et bra produkt, men ser ikke det tilfører allverden nytt egentlig...!

E.I.A. · 02.04.2014

Likte det som står på slutten, det betyr at de jobber med masteren for å forbedre "lyden" .

Here we are at the halfway point. My experience here on Kickstarter has been life changing. After banging my head against the wall for almost three years, dealing with business experts who didn’t really understand what we were trying to accomplish (to rescue the art of recorded sound and make great music available into the future), I found you people. You are the ones who understand what this is. You have proven it with your amazing support.

When we blew through our goal and actually doubled it on the first day, you changed my life. I will never forget that. This is just the beginning of a long road towards our goal of rescuing the music, all of it, from Cab Calloway to Sinatra, the Beatles and Rolling Stones, to Nirvana and Patti Smith, to Jay Z and Rihanna, and beyond. All of this music is the world’s history, the cultural creations of artists since the beginning of recorded sound. Now it can be preserved, if we do our job right, for future generations to hear and feel, not just recognize.

We are working now with Rap and R&B music sources as well as Country Music and Classical, in an effort to show you how great all music can and will sound with Pono.

Thanks for your help. We are very grateful for it. Obviously we can’t do this without you.

Neil Young
PonoMusic

mteinum · 07.04.2014

Jeg måtte lese den kickstarter-mailen to ganger

BurntIsland · 02.05.2014

Underlig skrue Neil Young; lager masse ståhei om lydkvalitet, lanserer sin egen musikkavspiller som skal bøte på dette, og det første albumet han utgir etter dette høres ut som en gammel shellac steinkake med nåleknitring, rillestøy og det hele..

Neil Young - A Letter Home (2014)

Fra en anmeldelse: A Letter Home, a covers collection recorded in Jack White's refurbished 1947 Voice-o-graph recording booth, fits squarely in the former tradition. It's an odd one, at best. It was recorded with one mic in what Neil Young has likened to a phone booth, "all acoustic with a harmonica inside a closed space." Occasionally, there is piano: Young has called it "one of the lowest-tech experiences I've ever had." Naturally as Ponoplayer hits the market, the result will be available in high resolution audio. Go figure. (fra consequence of sound).

Bulter · 02.05.2014

Den tanken har slått meg, også. NY er ikke akkurat eksponenten for lydkvalitet på egne utgivelser...

Syncrolux · 02.05.2014

Nåja, Harvest låter da rimelig bra, såvel som flere av hans plater fra 70-tallet. Men de siste åras utgivelser er begredelige greier, det er jeg helt enig i.

Townes · 02.05.2014

Tror They Might Be Giants var forut sin tid da de fant ut at å spille inn helt uten elektrisitet var veien å gå

Dette er framtiden! Vidunderlig lyd, vidunderlig låt.

KW · 02.05.2014

6.2 millioner $

What’s Next For PonoMusic, The Startup That Took Kickstarter By Storm And Raised $6.2M | TechCrunch

KW · 02.05.2014

mteinum skrev:
KW skrev:

Hvorfor backer folk opp dette?

Klikk for å utvide...

Det er en kjendis involvert.

KW skrev:

Hva får de tilbake ?

Klikk for å utvide...

$5 - navnet sitt på en eller annen nettside
$50 - t-shirt + klistermerke.
$100 - papirlapp du kan henge på veggen
$300 - sort eller gul toblerone som kan spille flac filer (da opp til 192/24) utviklet av Ayre.
$400 - spesialutgaver av den over, bare disse er i børstet aluminium og med gravering at et bands medlemmer.
$5000 - spesialutgave signert av NY, samt en matbit.

Peg?

Vis vedlegget 250124

Litt nysgjerrig på hva den enkelte her kunne tenkt å bidra med opp mot hva de "får" tilbake.
300$ og en maskin tilbake er vel "kanskje" det mest fornufitge her i den grad en ønsker denne, men hva vil den koste når den først er på markedet..?
300$ er tross alt nærmere 2K før moms/frakt..........jeg har ikke bruk for den, for meg er iPoden min mer enn godt nok for transportabel musikk.
Mvh.KW

Neil Young Kickstarts PonoMusic Service

Æresmedlem

Hi-Fi freak

Hi-Fi freak

Hi-Fi freak

Hi-Fi freak

Hi-Fi freak

Æresmedlem

Hi-Fi freak

Vedlegg

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Overivrig entusiast

Hi-Fi freak

Hi-Fi freak

Hi-Fi freak

Æresmedlem

Hi-Fi freak

Æresmedlem

Æresmedlem

Hi-Fi entusiast

Hi-Fi freak

Hi-Fi freak

Hi-Fi freak

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Banned

Hi-Fi freak

Æresmedlem

Hi-Fi freak

Æresmedlem

Hi-Fi freak

Æresmedlem

Overivrig entusiast

Hi-Fi freak

Æresmedlem

Hi-Fi freak

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Syncrolux

Gjest

Æresmedlem

Hi-Fi freak

Hi-Fi freak