Any Pono player owners out there?

I'm in for one through the kick starter campaign but I don't have it yet. I believe the only people who have one so far got theirs handed to them by Neil at a high roller dinner.

I'm glad this has been posted. For a long time I've had mixed feelings on this venture. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of Neil's music and have always bought and appreciated Neil's desire for high rez either through vinyl or DVD-A he continued to put out on his back catalog and new material. Oh, and I love his music.

But when all this pono stuff got going I questioned why such a wealthy man, with access to funding and investors needed to use a grassroots tool such as kickstarter. Well, free marketing might be the answer to that. Anyway, this post got me searching for what others thought and I came across this article, which, IMO, covers a lot of ground and hits on some of the same themes I've struggled with. http://noisey.vice.com/en_ca/blog/what-pono-is-doing-to-the-music-industry-nothing

BTW, I don't agree with the articles contention that high rez is insignificant.......as a recording engineer I believe that it is important and extremely significant. What I do struggle with is that FLAC has been around for at least 13 years. It is hardly new technology. Many acts already provide down loads of their work in high rez FLAC....or if you desire compressed versions for less money.

There are several portable devices that will play FLAC files back, as well as stand alone home units, which have much better electronics than pono.

This may have been a great idea 3-5 years ago, although, not for me, but today the "train has left the station". This is a day late and a dollar over budget.

I appreciate Neil's advocacy for high rez. Go Neil!!!!! But I am dismayed on his use of kickstarter.

I've been (mostly) enjoying Neil's career since Buffalo Springfield, and sympathize with his physical issues and family drama...but...DSD and other nice sounding formats came first, and you have to wonder about Neil's ranting about analog vs. digital and then having a strange triangular un pocket friendly little player made for whatever the hell Pono is supposed to be...it's a strange movie...making a scratchy recording in (self described "bluesman") Jack White's restored "phone booth" crappy antique recording system...dumping his long suffering wife for Daryl Hannah...refusing to make nice with Crosby et al, Neil...Neil...sometimes edgy becomes creepy, and irrelevant. Perhaps it's time to fill the Lincoln with french fry oil and drive away...

I will not be buying one simply because I do not care for the man behind it. My Astell & Kern does everything I want it to do.