Page 1 of Neil Young's snake oil music player

Worth a read!
http://gizmodo.com/dont-buy-what-neil-young-is-selling-1678446860

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For the last few years, Neil Young has been been the most visible proponent of what's called both "high resolution" and "high definition" audio. These huge audio files theoretically sound much better than any other digital files that have ever existed before. To put that sound in the hands—and ears—of the people, he created the PonoPlayer, a triangular portable music player that promises only the highest of fidelities.
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The rationale behind high-resolution audio is that by maximizing the sampling rate and bit depth, you also maximize audible detail and dynamic range in the music you're listening to. This sounds great on paper, but in practice it's an absolute fantasy.

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I used to have a huge amount of respect for Neil Young - until I read his biography. I also thought that his being a guest at the Salesforce event in SF this year was pretty tasteless but then he is next door neighbour to Mark Beniof. This whole thing smacks of him being caught up in that dreadful start-up fever that blights that neck of the woods. And he used to sing 'I aint singing for Pepsi, I aint singing for Bud - this notes for you etc'. Using the wise words of Thin Lizzy, 'Don't believe a Word'.  I'm all for great quality audio - but I won't be buying a Pono or indeed any over priced Pono tracks either.

Very much a fan of his music, not of his music player.

It was on BBC's Click, and they're talking about how it adds to the range of the audio, presenting subsonic and ultrasonic frequencies. The stuff that humans can't hear. Yeah, I'll spend $1200 and download a 400 MB song so that I can have stuff that I can't even hear, because it apparently sounds better!

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Jitendar Canth

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"I thought what I`d do was, I`d pretend I was one of those deaf-mutes."

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Oh yeah, in double double blind/ABX tests there are very few people (inc. 'audiophiles') who can hear any difference between 256kbps(!), never mind 320kbps, and a lossless playback...
In fact, a bit like the test whereby anybody who can demonstrate 'psychic' abilities can get $1,000,000 - and yet no 'psychic' has ever come close to passing it - there is an similar thing for so called audiophiles...
Nevermind how mags often say ridiculous things like how even cables can make music sound warmer, harder etc., unbelievably, in a proper sound balanced system (within 0.1db I think), nobody has ever, in a double blind test, been able to distinguish between a 10K+ amp and a 'normal' amp that can properly reproduce a typical human's hearing range.  The mastering, speaker and the actual room are the main variables.  Same room and same speakers and sound properly 'levelled' (because louder is often perceived as better) - and you can't tell the difference.....

Some of the excuses given by 'audiophiles' that these test 'aren't fair' are ridiculous.  And they're not lining up to win the prize.  Even though they 'know' their system is better - because they can't even pick it out without knowing what the source hardware is they go quiet.

Ste

This item was edited on Sunday, 18th January 2015, 19:58

And after all that bluster about sound quality he had the tenacity to release an album last year called 'A Letter Home' recorded in one of those booths from the 50's where you could cut a barely audible slice of vinyl for a dime. It was utter unlistenable tosh and almost the antithesis of the product he's selling. 

He's made some great music but he really has lost the plot. If in doubt pick up his autobiography. :(