jjgr

I've had my Crazy Horse edition for a couple of days now - and am real impressed with the Pono player. Using AKG 701 headphones (which i have never quite loved for their somewhat lacking midrange and somewhat hashy treble) - some albums sound amazing! My favorites so far are The Stones Let it Bleed and Beggar's Banquet (24/88.2 files from HDTracks - somehow these seem even more dynamic and rich than through my big rig), Willie Nelson's Taetro (low res Pono-purchased files - much more detail and sounds more like real music being played in a real room than my old CD ripped version of this album, even via Amarra). Yes - there are some user interface issues with the JRiver-based player (I'm new to this software and am working through the learning curve) - and i could care less about gapless playback at this point (seriously that's what people focus on/complain about?) - but those things can be sorted out through the beta period or solved with firmware updates. Not an issue. The bottom line is that i get music/sound that rivals or equals my big rig even when i'm not sitting in my sweet spot. Worth it.

Maybe I shouldn't have used the "T" word - no one likes to be called names. Sorry folks. Regardless, there seems to be a lot of posts with adamant opinions on how this project can't sound good or succeed - when none of us have even experienced it. Given the great interest in the Beck article - I would have thought there would be more interest in aspects of the project like the "Pono Promise" where, if i understand correctly, Pono would appear to solve the "provenance" conundrum that so many folks here have rightfully struggled with. I for one would like to know that when i shell out $20+ for an album i love (or maybe haven't even heard) that the hi-res files are sourced from the original masters and not an up-converted marketing scam. I like the idea that through Pono we'd be purchasing the original digital master of the recording, or a high resolution conversion from the analog tape that the artist has approved - and if a "better" digital file is made available by the artist that we would get the upgrade without charge. Isn't that what we're all after here - to get as close as possible to our favorite recordings? I for one would definately buy more hi-res music under this system. How many more versions of Kind of Blue or Time Out do you want to purchase? Otherwise, I thought i'd share this article with some more details on Ayre's involvement: DENVER: Boulder firm develops chip for Neil Young venture | Celebrities | The Island Packet Best,

Can't wait to read about the interview. Tired of scrolling through all the negative troll comments looking for any new details about this intriguing project! Looking forward,