Any actual use of Pono Player through balanced connection into home stereo?


Hey all.
I've been searching here on Audiogon and can't seem to find the answers I'm looking for regarding the "Pono Player."
Has anyone actually used this item with their home audio system? My desire would be to connect via a balanced cable into my pre-amp. I'm not sure how you get a true balanced connection via a 3.5 jack into an XLR, but I'll take their word for it if they say it's so.
Anyway, can anyone out there who has actual experience with this give me first hand advice? Is the output really any better than a Hi-Res FLAC or DSD file played through a typical player for such files say via a thumb drive or SACD? Obviously the Pono Player does not have a huge storage capacity even with a SD card and no remote is a big draw back. But these could be over looked if the sound the Pono produces is dramatically improved over a typical consumer level Hi-Res player.
I appreciate all responses in advance!
wcc10
wcc10

Showing 4 responses by wcc10

If anyone cares to comment, I'm interested in how this Pono Player produces various aspects of sound such as tone, bass, sound stage, etc. through a home audio system. I do not use head phones or would I intend to use it as a portable unit.
Thanks.
Yes, I think my idea is an affordable music server that sounds better than your average consumer grade FLAC/DSD player via thumb drive or SACD. As I stated, I do not intend to use as a portable or with head phones. I curious if the Pono produces a better sound than the aforementioned player(s). I'm interested in the Ayer DAC as an alternative. At $399.00 I would be greatly surprised if the Pono would compare to the $13,000.00 Esoteric. Just a guess.
Thanks Eric. I'm still mulling it over. For the $399.00 price of admission what's really to loose? Guess I could always send it back if it didn't work out. I don't own a SACD player and even though that medium is quite limited I've been contemplating such a player. Of course I'd be looking at over $1,000.00 to spend on a SACD player. I do have other digital transports in my system. But always looking to improve what I hear!
Thanks Eric. No doubt Pono will be producing more "players" in the future that offer different music opportunities. I hope it is soon!