Well most people who use cheap headphones and earbuds wouldn't buy this anyway, I don't think that's who this device is selling to. A portable dap that can play flac files would be a dream come true for me and anyone who wants to bring the nice sound they have at home with them throughout the day. There are a few options for this already, but they're either crazy expensive, or, like this one, designed so poorly that it ceases to become truly portable. My iPod Classic is a GREAT player with an awesome ui and tons of memory, but it can't play flac files (it plays ALAC but I don't use iTunes). I think 300 is a totally reasonable price for anything that can meet these needs, but the Pono is too oddly shaped and can't store enough of the flac files I keep at home for it to be useful for anything. It sucks, because I was excited when this thing was first announced.