Mark Fleischmann

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Ears On
Pay the Buck, Lose the Ads
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jul 11, 2006
On-demand movie viewers are happy to pay an extra dollar to avoid ads. And they prefer conventional to convergent delivery media. Those are the conclusions of a DIGDIA survey. It grappled with two questions at once. Given a tradeoff between advertising and price, how would viewers prefer their movies: with ads for a buck less, or without ads for a buck more? Also, what on-demand (or on-demand-ish) delivery medium would they prefer: TV, PC, or DVD? Here are the results:
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Audio Video News
Pay the Musicians, Already
Mark Fleischmann  |  Nov 02, 2017
Republicans and Democrats may not agree on much, but at least one member of each party would like to see musicians get paid royalties on musical works produced before 1972.
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Integrated Amp Reviews
Peachtree Audio iDecco Stereo Integrated Amplifier
Mark Fleischmann  |  Oct 04, 2010
Price: $999 At A Glance: Desktop stereo integrated amp, including tube preamp and DAC • Apple-approved digital iPod connection • Jitter reduction

We’re Not in Kansas Anymore

Like many surround-sound audiophiles, I listen to a lot of twochannel material as well. It’s part retro sacrament, part necessary evil. Although I haven’t turned on my ancient stereo amp and preamp in months—their presence in the rack is mainly symbolic—I regularly run my 5.1-channel system in stereo mode when the nature of the content demands it. I also get a lot of use out of the cheap speakers and chip-amp in my kitchen, not to mention the powered iPod speakers in my bedroom. I use my 2.1-channel desktop rig throughout the day—not only when I’m at my desk, with the inevitable YouTube distractions, but also during the evening, when I curl up with a book. My armchair happens to sit across the room from my desktop system. Because the distance from the speakers is greater than the distance between the speakers—about a 3:1 ratio—this isn’t an ideal setup for stereo imaging. But it’s great for casual listening. I’ve spent some of the happiest hours of my life sitting in that chair, listening to that system.

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CES 2010
Peachtree MusicBox Plots iPod Takeover
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jan 08, 2010
The iPod's plot to dominate the audio industry is now complete with Peachtree Audio's musicBox, a stereo tube amp decked out with three-inch full-range speakers. The DAC is hardwired to the iPod dock, so this baby can take a true digital signal off an iPod and process it with virtually no jitter. Price, maybe, oh, a grand or so.
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CES 2011
Peachtree Pleads for Sanity
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jan 08, 2011
With the cute musicBox desktop amp and iDAC on display, both featuring pure digital iPod docks and selling for about a grand, Peachtree Audio's David Solomon has a lot to talk about. But the theme he is most passionate about is Apple TV. Videophiles see it as a 720p-limited video streamer. But to Solomon, it's a $99 audio streamer that "could save our industry." He says that if the audio industry doesn't get on board with the way music lovers choose to listen today, it will slowly evaporate, as those listeners gravitate to audio products sold at computer hardware stores.
CEDIA 2009
Peter Tribeman of Atlantic Explains H-PAS
Mark Fleischmann  |  Sep 09, 2009
As we previously reported, the H-PAS speaker technology making its debut at Atlantic Technology's off-site exhibit has been one of the most eagerly awaited events of the show. Simply put, this bass-building speaker technology works -- with tympani, bass clarinet, and of course pipe organ. While the midrange was not perfectly balanced, and we were informed that voicing will be tweaked, it was clear that Atlantic is correct in claiming that deep bass episodes don't starve the mids and highs or collapse the soundstage. What makes it work is what Tribeman calls a cascading of well-known speaker design elements such as bass reflex, inverted horn, acoustic suspension, and transmission line. In other words, "it's all in the plumbing" -- the drivers and crossover are nothing special. Credit is due to the inventor, Phil Clements of Solus/Clements. The prototype shown uses a pair of 4.5-inch woofers and is said to be flat down to 30Hz.
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Audio Video News
Petitioners Beg for HD DVD's Life
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jan 25, 2008
In a surprising show of support for HD DVD, 20,000 people have signed an online petition begging for the underdog high-def disc format's life.
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CEDIA 2014
Phase Tech Amp Feeds Passive Soundbars
Mark Fleischmann  |  Sep 11, 2014
Of the many cool things on display at the MSE booth, Phase Technology's little P3-35 amp ($330) was among the coolest. Feed its Toslink input with a two-channel Dolby Digital signal and it will convert it to three amp channels, just the thing for Phase Tech's Teatro passive three-channel soundbar, cropped out of the picture. Use the analog input and it converts to two channels of Dolby Pro Logic. Power output is 35 watts times three or 50 times two. It's also got Bluetooth and learns TV remote volume commands. Phase Tech also showed its refreshed CI in-wall and in-ceiling lines, which include the CI7.3 X, a three-way eight-inch in-ceiling speaker for $375/each. The PC60 is a 30th-anniversary celebration of a classic monitor with new crossover and drivers including the flat-diaphragm woofer. Then there's the Rockustics X1-PowerRock ($700), the first horn-loaded rock speaker.
CEDIA 2009
Phase Tech Subs Are Wireless but No Longer Ambulatory
Mark Fleischmann  |  Sep 11, 2009
The Power WL subwoofers from Phase Technology can run wired or wireless using an uncompressed signal in the 2.4GHz band. They're available in eight-, ten-, or twelve-inch versions at prices from $900-1300, backed with a 900-watt amp, allowing linear peak-to-peak excursion of 2.5 inches. Why are the active drivers on the bottom and the passive radiators on the front? The designers found the subs were "walking themselves across the floor," and therefore swapped the drivers to keep them in one place.
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CES 2009
Phase Technology dARTS Looks Better Than Ever
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jan 10, 2009
Phase Technology's dARTS has been around for awhile. That stands for Digital Audio Reference Theater System, and it involves custom programming, software tuning and amplification precisely matched to the room. But with the 650 Series speakers, it now has cosmetic sophistication to match its digital smarts. The whole package goes for $20,000, but if you have high-end tastes and a wallet to match, try it before you decide that's too much.
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