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In all seriousness, as someone who has no compunction about acquiring FLACs, this is intriguing.
But the capacity seems a bit on the small. FLAC files are not small.
This is my hold up as well. I'm gonna need a lot of 64gig micro SD cards for this to be worthwhile, and I'll need to improve my organization skills so I don't lose them all.
Not 100% on this, but I believe they stated they were very hopeful for 128 GB card support by launch.
I'd also imagine someone coming out with a small, portable "wallet" to hold a dozen or so memory cards.
The memory issue is my main concern with it too. But I believe that if they're able to add support for 128GB cards, it shouldn't be that big of a deal.
Not 100% on this, but I believe they stated they were very hopeful for 128 GB card support by launch.
I'd also imagine someone coming out with a small, portable "wallet" to hold a dozen or so memory cards.
The memory issue is my main concern with it too. But I believe that if they're able to add support for 128GB cards, it shouldn't be that big of a deal.
. At the moment, I don't have a ton of FLAC files, as I have become a slave to apple. I'm gonna figure out how many ALAC files I have and how much space it takes up. Should give me a good idea what I'll be able to fit on one card.
Not 100% on this, but I believe they stated they were very hopeful for 128 GB card support by launch.
I'd also imagine someone coming out with a small, portable "wallet" to hold a dozen or so memory cards.
The memory issue is my main concern with it too. But I believe that if they're able to add support for 128GB cards, it shouldn't be that big of a deal.
. At the moment, I don't have a ton of FLAC files, as I have become a slave to apple. I'm gonna figure out how many ALAC files I have and how much space it takes up. Should give me a good idea what I'll be able to fit on one card.
I'm assuming ALAC will be supported?
Yep. According to their FAQ:
"The player can play almost any kind of music track including FLAC, ALAC, mp3, WAV, AIFF, AAC (unprotected)."
If this means apple will use beats headphones for it's stock headphones, and start streaming exclusively, this would only be a step sideways, or even backwards, in terms of audio quality. Why they haven't yet started selling music in ALAC format is beyond me. I understand the average user could give 2 shits, and would likely be deterred by the larger file size, but there's plenty of demand out there for high quality audio.
If this means apple will use beats headphones for it's stock headphones, and start streaming exclusively, this would only be a step sideways, or even backwards, in terms of audio quality. Why they haven't yet started selling music in ALAC format is beyond me. I understand the average user could give 2 shits, and would likely be deterred by the larger file size, but there's plenty of demand out there for high quality audio.
I think this is largely a marketing move, rather than a tech move. Apple earbuds have a reputation for being shit, and Beats have a reputation (justified or not) for being high quality.
This move would open the door for them to add a hifi iPod to their line. Sales of ipods are way off, other than tiny ones people jog with. Everyone just listens though their phones now (a development Apple got in front of with the iPhone). A hifi ipod will offer something phones do not. They won't start selling music in ALAC until they have a product to pair with it.
Why they haven't yet started selling music in ALAC format is beyond me. I understand the average user could give 2 shits, and would likely be deterred by the larger file size, but there's plenty of demand out there for high quality audio.
I agree, always been a mystery to me.
Like you, I completely understand the average consumer doesn't care about the differences between MP3 and lossless, but how hard would it be for Apple to at least offer the lossless option for an additional $5 an album? Would the additional storage and bandwith expenses really make this cost prohibitive for Apple?
Having said that, I've found that 90% of the time its cheaper/same cost for me to buy the CD from amazon then it is for me to buy the FLAC download from wherever (bandcamp, direct from label, hdtracks, etc). Then I can just rip it myself and have the CD as a forever backup. And I actually still primarily listen to physical media when I'm at home anyway.
I'm interested in following Neil and Pono to see how it goes. Having said that, I've been an audiophile for several years now, and time and time again have been lied to by promises of superior sound quality from whatever kind of new format. SACD, DVD-A, hi-rez downloads, bluray pure audio, etc. Don't get me wrong, I have tons of albums in a variety of these formats that I enjoy, but the bottom line is if the recording/mix/mastering sucks, no amount of extra bits or resolution is going to make it sound better.
It just drives me crazy when they throw a terrible mastering of an album on say a blu ray pure audio disc and say "look at the resolution!! gunna sound so good." Well its not. If the sound quality of the 16/44 sucks, the sound quality of the 24/96 is gunna suck as well.
What I'm hearing from Pono is the exact same crap I've heard from the marketers of every previous hi-rez format. "So much more information! So many more bits! So much higher resolution! No compression!" But when they say compression they mean MP3 compression, not compression in mastering. I can pretty much guarantee that most of the albums you'll see on pono will be lossless or hirez versions of the same shitty masterings they've been pumping out for the last decade.
HAVING SAID THAT, the Pono hardware does look like its quality built. I know Ayre was involved, and they are one of the few hi-fi companies I have respect for. So it should sound great with great recordings. And not everything in the Pono store will sound crappy, but it will be impossible to know what is poorly recorded without reading reviews.
Too Long Did Not Read - higher resolution or lossless quality does not guarantee a good sounding recording. I'd rather listen to a well mastered 16/44 then a compressed/brickwalled 24/192 any day.
I know I'm preaching to the choir in this thread, just thought I'd rant a bit.