Just a short time after Neil Young’s Pono high-resolution music player has gone on sale, naysayers – and not just me – are questioning whether or not these files live up to the hype. And this time, it seems that some of the naysayers are engineers working for the company.
According to the New York Post:
“Product engineers for the shaggy rock icon’s newly released Pono digital music player have privately admitted they aren’t convinced that the high-resolution audio files it plays have any significant technical advantage over CD-quality files.”
The source goes on to say:
“”Their take is that the serious audiophile has convinced himself he has to have it,” the source added. “They’re saying, ‘We don’t necessarily believe it, but nobody’s going to buy it if we don’t do it.'””
And the Post also contacted “Lukasz Fikus, a digital-audio designer whose high-priced Lampizator components have earned a following among hard-core enthusiasts.” Mr Fikus said:
“I think Neil is barking up the wrong tree…” He said that The benefits of hi-res files may be detectable on high-dollar stereo systems, but “the difference is so miniscule that it’s not even worth talking about.”
Fikus also said:
“There are many, many factors that contribute to the final pleasure (of digital music),” Fikus adds. “The density of the media file is only one of those factors — and probably not the first priority, but almost the last.”
This is exactly what I’ve been saying for a long time, and something that even many audiophiles agree with.
By the way, if any Pono employees want to get in touch and share their thoughts, use my contact form and I promise I will respect your anonymity.