Awesome Audiophile Snake Oil

The announcement of Pono (launching via Kickstarter!) definitely belongs in this thread. A 128GB device that will hold 1000/2000 albums? That's 64MB per album, which is roughly equivalent to 128kbps AAC files if we assume an album = an hour of music. Doesn't seem particular "high-resolution" to me...but maybe the "PonoMusic recommended earbud and headphone products" make all the difference.

Yeah I've never been able to make sense of what Neil is doing... just in general...but also w Pono...I mean hi-rez digital files (24/192) are pretty common now & there are already options for iPod type devices made by audiophile companies, so I've never understood Pono...unless he's claiming they've invented some new codec that can make hi-rez quality in a much smaller data footprint??

it's probably some terrible filters

I like all the "Unknown artist"s on the screen. They couldn't be bothered to tag the files properly for the photo!

Neil Young has been saying that PONO will be 24 bit 192kHz PCM. If that is the case a 30 minute 24/192 FLAC music album is over 1 GB, a 1 hour 24/192 FLAC music album is over 2 GB. So that would be 60 to 120 albums depending on length.

I'm guessing the target audience here - gadget-freak, divorced or empty-nest dads - probably will not really need more than 60 to 120 albums worth of space anyway.

Also, the shape of this thing. It looks designed to be as uncomfortable as possible in a pocket.

that is now saying

"PRESS RELEASE UPDATED AT 2:57AM Monday March 10th 2014."

and

"The PonoPlayer has 128GB of memory and can store from about 100 to 500 high-resolution digital-music albums..."

which is more like it.

I mean hi-rez digital files (24/192) are pretty common now & there are already options for iPod type devices made by audiophile companies, so I've never understood Pono...

I have a regular 50 Euro Sansa MP3 player that can also play FLACs, and with a 20 Euro added memory card it has the total space of 40GB, which is more than I'll ever need. So yeah, paying over 300 dollars more for the extra memory seems pretty stupid.

I'm sure this has audiophile grade DAC and headphone stage though... file format and nitrate isn't the whole story

http://cached.imagescaler.hbpl.co.uk/resize/scaleWidth/620/?sUrl=http://offlinehbpl.hbpl.co.uk/news/OKM/94FA9503-D259-4ED9-9EFB84892E4A2FC1.jpg

ok .. placing this here as opposed to the pono thread.

i have encoded most of my archive into digital form (256 mp3).
i run music from my laptop headphone output socket into my amp aux input.
up until tonight the vaio has been set to a 'clearaudio for music' setting that seemed to boost bottom and top.
question : would a dragonfly dac make that much of a difference ?
tonight i have switched the clearaudio setting off, and now have a 'clean' set up.
or, would the dragonfly dac do little to improve over the 'clearaudio for music' preset as that seems to add a lot of colour to the groove.

[ note : i am not a high end audiophile. i have a basic all in one mid level teac amp/cd system, with entry level cambridge audio floorstanders. ]

i'm pretty skeptical of those kind of preset things....it would definitely change things because the dragonfly would be decoding the digital, not your PC

yeah ..thats what i thought, but the clearaudio setting sounds rather bloody good ..

the question is : flat output + dragonfly vs clearaudio music setting

if a dragonfly was £50 i would run the risk, but £120+ i want to figure out my options.

Can you get hold of the dragonfly from a supplier that does a no quibble refund/returns policy? It's going to be a significantly better than the DAC built into your laptop, which are notoriously cheap and at the mercy of interference from the rest of the computer. But you won't know if you prefer the sound of it until you try. I do know that my little headphone amp/dac which I use to run my Alessandro MS1s sounds heaps better than just plugging them into the laptop.

mark e - i mean it's kinda hard to answer this stuff not being able to hear what you're hearing...

when i ask questions like this it usually means i want to buy something and feel kinda like i shouldn't spend the cash so i want someone else to tell me to buy it, so i'm gonna do it: buy the dragonfly, it will sound way better than this clearaudio setting stuff i've never heard :)

yeah, i have now switched off the clearaudio setting, and used the amp to add top/bottom and already i prefer this to the stressed out processed grooves.
i just know i will succumb and get the dragonfly ..
i mean i listen to everything via the laptop/amp set up, and so, think its worthy of the ££££
once i get the car MOT'd and such, this is top of my wishlist.
ta for the nudges folks ..

if you even care enough to ask these questions, why on earth would you rip CDs to 256 mp3 and not to FLAC? it's not like it costs any more.

$/bit

I care about these things but storage still being a precious commodity in this day and ago, I stick to mp3 rips

if you even care enough to ask these questions, why on earth would you rip CDs to 256 mp3 and not to FLAC? it's not like it costs any more.

1. i have to use zune to port music from laptop to phone .. no FLAC support.

2. i started ripping my cd archive to mp3 a few years ago prior to upgrading my kit, and i dont want to have to redo the whole thing again, so sticking with what i have ..

3. "[ note : i am not a high end audiophile... ]" i.e. 256 = perfectly fine for my needs/phone etc.

however, if i can improve the groove with a bolt on, then i may just be tempted.

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/New-Furutech-Duplex-Outlet-Cover-Plate-Brass-Carbon-Fiber-103-D-/181346731031?pt=US_Audio_Cables_Adapters&hash=item2a391b8417
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/ELP-Laser-Turntable-High-End-Model-Record-Player-Remote-Line-Phono-Out-78-LP-45-/181171384746?pt=US_Record_Players_Home_Turntables&hash=item2a2ea7f1aa
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/AUDIO-DESK-Deske-VINYL-CD-CLEANER-RECORD-Vacuum-CLEANING-MACHINE-New-/181387719602?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item2a3b8cf3b2
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Furutech-Nano-Liquid-Contact-Treatment-Cables-Connectors-XLR-RCA-/181406703983?pt=US_Vinyl_Record_Cleaning&hash=item2a3caea16f
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/FT-D20A-R-Furutech-Duplex-Receptacle-Rhodium-Plated-Consent-20A-/181346726756?pt=US_Audio_Cables_Adapters&hash=item2a391b7364
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Audiotop-Digital-Disc-Cleaner-for-CD-SACD-and-DVD-Blu-Ray-/171326280967?pt=US_Vinyl_Record_Cleaning&hash=item27e3d79507
Come the fuck on

really, you don't think a carbon-fiber electrical outlet cover plate will improve sound quality?

It makes the electricity faster!

Formula: Highly purified (99,999%) non specified substance.

Seller info: cheapgamestuff...

a laser record player is kind of a fun project that should not seriously be offered for sale

The outlet cover plate is upside down in the photo; don't they know that will make everything out of phase?

the phrase "laser sound quality" is also fun. it needs tracking lasers, though, just to deal with imprecise centering of the record. and it can still "groove skip" because apparently whatever feedback they're doing with the tracking lasers can be fooled.

electromagnetic stabilizer stone!!

http://✧✧✧.musicdir✧✧✧.com/p-7506-shakti-electromagnetic-stabilizer-st✧✧✧.aspx?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=10-10-14&utm_content=&utm_campaign=soundbytes&utm_email_address=m✧✧✧@gameinfor✧✧✧.c✧✧

The SHAKTI Electromagnetic Stabilizer (aka "the Stone") has three internal trap circuits (Microwave, RF and Electric Field) to absorb the broadest spectrum of EMI... In automotive applications, where space allows, the unit should be securely taped and/or cable tied to the top of the CPU.

damn. microwave, RF, and electic field!

pretty cool that they can absorb EM waves that aren't even incident on 'the Stone', though. I'm sure the NSA could use 'the Stone'.

Shakti are the ones who make all the craziest shit, right? Like those zig-zag wooden pitchfork things that harmonify and magnanimize your soundicles.

http://www.audio-magic.com/Prod-pulsedelectron.html

finally they made something for my cohesive path. i was like "ahhh all these spin-up and spin-down cycles are DRIVING ME CRAZY I HAVE LIKE ZERO TRANSPARENCY AND MY COMPONENTS DON'T HAVE ANY DETAIL MY MIDRANGE IS SO FUCKED"

soundstage more like a sound cage

so it's a magnet?

(there's probably a single resistor in that box)

fuse reviews you can use. solid shapes on your soundstage. cymbals decaying like fireworks as you see into the blacker blacks and the beautiful bells

http://www.audio-magic.com/RaveReviews.html

Interconnects & Digital:
-- Large conductive liquid polymer conductors
-- Eichman bullet plugs
-- Passive shielding
-- Cryo treated
-- MST treated

Speaker Cable:
-- Large conductive liquid polymer conductors
-- Gold banana and spade lugs
-- Cryo treated
-- MST treated

quality find los blue jeans, nice work

I used my golf ball finder / mine detector

the reference to "spin" makes me feel like the claim being advanced by the Pulsed Electron Alignment box (if it indeed is making a claim) is that it's exerting quantum-level effects on the electrons in your circuitry, all on two AAs.

It would not be hard to do! It sounds like it's a pulsed electromagnet. It just doesn't help anything.

"audio magic" is an appropriate name, since this stuff operates exclusively on wishful thinking

someone really ought to do some kind of ethnographic study of this subculture

im going to hazard a guess and say old white ppl

GIS for "men with high-end stereos" both confirms your suspicions with some stereotypical lookin bros and suggests that actually men of all ethnicities seek that elusive high-end sound

http://www.tonepublications.com/blog/the-future-of-audio-is-women/

Audiophile buddy of mine just crowed about his recent acquisition of these (for his speakers) on FB:

http://shop.mapleshadestore.com/departments.asp?dept=96

No idea if this is legit or snakeoil, completely out of my realm.

Spiky feet for speakers and turntables aren't snakeoil. These are a bit pricey though.