Neil young announces the launch of ponomusic

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Pono has huge potential to get civilians into better sounding music.

 

Maybe. I consider myself an enthusiast and so far this doesn't peak my interest, at least not to the tune of $399, so what does that say about the average consumer.

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I see nothing in the press release you posted that would confirm a DRM-free ecosystem.

 

If this "movement" is a walled garden, it's DOA. I'm sure they are aware of that.

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Hope it isn't the hirez audio version of the Segway.

 

So the only people who buy Ponos will be mall cops and Steve Wozniak?

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New article posted on Time confirms 24/192.

 

Neil Young’s Pono Music Player to Cost $399 via Kickstarter Campaign - TIME

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Kickstarter has sent out "surveys" this morning asking for shipping details for the Pono Players and associated swag.

 

Chris, I credited Computer Audiophile twice for "Where did you hear about Pono?" (Ordered a t-shirt and Pono Player using separate email accounts.)

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1. I don't like it

2. Because I don't like it no one else should or will like it

3. Neil is deaf plus he can't hear

4. Pono player looks like a Swiss chocolate bar with funny holes that I don't understand

5. Only audiophiles care about sound quality and we're too close-minded to accept anything we can't understand

6. Sony makes crap stuff that I don't like so no one else will like it

7. ElCassette failed ergo HRA will fail

8. My USB cable cost 4x what Pono costs so it can't be any good

9. Ayre stole the Pono design from Bob Stuart

10. Music playback technology peaked with the vacuum tube and LP, everything else sounds cold, harsh and well, "digital".

 

Is that enough for ya?

I think I've resolved the whole Pono thing for everyone.

(Please see winky from my previous post)

 

Six MILLION dollars.

 

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

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I think it's actually much better that they are using software that has gone through several cycles of development and customer feedback. Trying to build a media player from scratch by October would have been quite an undertaking. Remember that even iTunes was based on SoundJam when it launched.

 

I assume everything except the storefront is more or less ready to go.

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New update says John Hamm has stepped down as CEO.

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Well I did get my t-shirt yesterday, but I'm sure that was just outsourced to Zazzle or something similar.

 

It does sound like the hardware and software teams are still in place and are lead by experienced people, so I am still hopeful they will deliver by the end of the year if not on time.

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Sorry I can't help myself...

 

This Rick Cohen? -- Richard Cohen: Straight-A computer geek who's America's unlikely king of porn | Mail Online (this was the first link when I did a Google search for "Rick Cohen Pono")

 

Well, I'm not clicking that link at work.

 

Pono's Rick Cohen is an attorney and former CEO of the California Teacher’s Retirement System, so that seems unlikely.

 

They are also bringing in Bruce Botnick, for sure a music industry insider, to negotiate with the labels.

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Well, for a bit of positive news (I think?), Pono appears to be partnering with Omniphone MusicStation, which apparently already has quite a high resolution music catalog and contracts with the major labels.

 

Omnifone powers Neil Young's PonoMusic | Omnifone

Omnifone - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Am I the only one saying "Who?" ??

 

No, you're definitely not. I assume that they are more well known to Europeans?

 

Anyway, it seems Pono has managed to outsource all of the major pieces.

 

Hardware - Ayre

Media Player/Library Manager - JRiver

Content Delivery/Catalog/Major Label Contracts - Omnifone

 

It doesn't seem unreasonable to get all these pieces tied together by the end of the year.

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I don't really understand how Omnifone fits into the Pono system? Are they just providing already acquired music rights or is Pono adding a streaming service?

 

I would have guessed what music rights they held would only be for streaming not sale. Just speculation of course.

 

“Omnifone is providing the scalable music acquisition and delivery infrastructure but we are also working on some funky stuff such a technique to verify the provenance of the audio and its end-to-end signal path from the studio to the listener via the cloud.”

Maybe Omnifone will run the retail site? Please help me with my obviously inadequate reading comprehension skills.

 

The way I read it, Omniphone already has a large catalog of high-res music from the labels. Pono will be the first time they offer them for download at full resolution.

 

Sort of like iTunes has a big catalog of high-res, but so far only offer 256 AAC.

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I got my t-shirt about July 10, so really not that late.

 

Latest update is that there is a Pono listening party in SF on August 1 for backers. I assume that they will have the new Ayer prototypes ready for the event.

 

I did order a Pono and it will mostly be for listening in my car, on airplanes, and in my office. I don't walk around listening to music that often anyway, and if I should ever feel the need I have my iPhone. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

My local QFC supermarket sells two Toblerones for $3 and they are delicious, though I prefer the white chocolate.

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The Pono website is now open and taking pre-orders for the players. There is a link to the music store, but it basically just says "coming in October." The message board there is confusing to say the least.

 

https://ponomusic.force.com/?store=ponomusic

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From the Pono pre-order page - This is pretty cool...

 

The PonoPlayer transports you to a sublime musical experience, from the most delicate passages of a string quartet to the thunderous power of a heavy metal band. This portable audio player uses circuitry taken straight from Ayre's own top-of-the-line products, costing tens of thousands of dollars, for unparalleled sound quality and unrivaled listening pleasure. Pono supports playback of high-fidelity audio of up to 192kHz/24 bit resolution. The PonoPlayer includes two 1/8 inch (3.5 mm) audio output jacks which offer you four modes of operation:

 

1) personal listening mode via headphones or earbuds,

2) home stereo or in-car listening mode with fixed volume output,

3) pair listening mode with two pairs of headphones/earbuds,

4) balanced mode provides ultra-performance for advanced users, separating left and right channel outputs across the two jacks. Great for use with high-impedance headphones, high-end home stereo systems, or professional equipment using balanced XLR input connectors.

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A look at the UI...

 

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I am probably one of the few that love the toblerone format!

.-)

 

I will mostly be using mine in the car, on my desk at work, and on airplanes. I really don't mind the format because I won't really be walking around with it in my pocket much if at all.