Pono really isn't about the differences between 44.1 and 192. A lot of the new Pono music will be 24 bit 48 kHz. I think Pono is about the difference between the "studio master quality (digital) recordings" vs the released tracks. It isn't just a sample rate difference, but a content difference. Linn Records addresses What is a Studio Master? on their website. I listened to SACD, DVD-Audio, HDTracks downloads, high resolution needle drops, and Pono music this past weekend. The artists and songs weren't the same, but to me the Pono music sounded the best.
Unfortunately, a "Studio Master" (with capital letters) is not a studio master. It's marketing speak.
In a professional recording studio, audio goes through various different processes. No particular tape or file represents any sort of ultimate anything.
MFSL succeeded in making a lot of people believe that there exists some sort of "Original Master" and if your LP or CD is not made from that, it is lacking in some way.
In actuality, mastering is much more complicated than that - otherwise anyone could do it.
For example, to this day, the best sounding version of "Close to the Edge" is the original CD mastered by Barry Diament made from an LP mastering copy tape made from the stereo mixdown tape. All the recent attempts do not sound as good, partially because now the old tapes have lost magnetism (amongst other reasons).
So, there is no easy answer, no three times a day "Best Sound" pill you can take.