If you’re into music that has higher resolution than streaming and CDs, then the sudden “temporary” closure of PonoMusic’s digital store can be quite alarming. According to the Pono site, “Progress continues to move the PonoMusic store to a new content partner, 7Digital. We are in the midst of doing all of the needed engineering work to enable that. Once completed, you’ll have the ability to purchase our music in the US and Canada again and we will have the ability to begin expansion to other countries. This remains the top priority for the PonoMusic team, and we appreciate your continued support during this transition.” With Pono out of commission, what other sites are out there?
Here is a list of official hi-res music vendors we found that sell inside the United States:
- http://www.hdtracks.com/
- http://livedownloads.com/
- http://store.acousticsounds.com/
- http://www.munck-music.com/
- http://www.primephonic.com/
- http://acousticoasis.com/hi-def.html
- http://www.prostudiomasters.com/
- http://www.livemetallica.com/
We know that most people prefer convenience over quality, and can’t really tell the difference between hi-res audio and the streamed song they heard on Spotify, Pandora, Google, and/or Apple – but just because you haven’t been somewhere doesn’t mean that place doesn’t exist. Although Pono’s music store is closed you can still grab a player for $399. If that is a too much money, then there is a much more cost effective solution, the Fiio X-series.
The Fiio X1, for example, supports FLAC, ALAC, WAV, WMA, APE, AAC, MP3, etc., and sounds amazing. It only costs $99 on Amazon (without an MicroSD memory card, that is separate), and has over 700 reviews. There are also higher models of the Fiio player, but they can get just as expensive as Pono. Soon, Apple will pick up on the value of hi-res music, and incorporate it into their streaming service. Other streaming services will start to lean towards using Master Quality Audio (MQA) for their music. Tidal is already working with that form of compression.
If you love hi-res music, but feel it is going in the same direction as SACD, then think again. More outlets will pop up, and music will be heard the way artists intended it to be. Once you go hi-res you will hear the truth, and never want to be lied to again!