The end of pono?

We are all part of the 99, the key to relocating to being a 1 is identifying the topic which is difficult when we all choose to believe that we are always a 1.

Is it possible that for 9,999 out of 10,000 there isn't an audible difference with high resolution files? Maybe the article is good advice for the vast majority. My biggest reservation would be the value in a portable player as it would also require upgraded headphones beyond what most anyone has to have a chance of hearing a difference. I have even dropped back to MP3 for my iPod because it is extremely difficult to hear the difference with my work system. The files are not the primary limiting factor.

Is it possible that the difference that some find to be audible is a result of differences in the hardware or software used to play the high resolution files? Claims of superiority among CD players are common so comparing different circuitry and signal paths used to play different resolution files will always be apples and oranges at some level. Is it impossible for a high resolution capable source to sound inferior to a standard resolution source? Why then can we assume that the high resolution is superior without question?

Zd542 - my point about the article is that maybe for the 99 it is correct when it says that there isn't any value in high resolution files. As an example, consider an expensive high performance tire designed to go on a Ferrari. There is no question that this tire is better than the cheapest Walmart has to offer, but if my car (i.e. physical ability to hear, will never own quality audio equipment) isn't capable of translating any improvements to the drivers experience then the tires would be effectively the same. That driver doesn't care about the specs or reasons why the high performance tire is in fact better so trying to sell them to him is the equivalent of selling a freezer to an Eskimo. Products like Pono and the new Sony player are doing just this when it comes to people that will never really experience the potential difference because there is more to equation than just better files.

The_Wizard - I am not sure of the connection between vinyl and high resolution files when it comes to hearing differences.