I've noticed that one guy who doesn't like these speakers gave more than one review here. I think that we should take that into account looking at the star rating. For me, I don't hear the brightness he complained about. What I hear is incredible imaging. More than a few times, I thought my receiver was in Dolby Prologic mode with my Center speaker on. When in fact, I was in Stereo mode with my center speaker off. The instruments were layed out on the soundstage, in front of me, in an almost spooky kind of way. I never thought stereo could sound so real. I can often pinpoint the different instruments and their location. I like these speakers enough that I bought a second pair for my surrounds. I also went out and bought the center (classic gold). I Bi-Amp the towers. I run the LFE to a separate Amp, and then to the bottom woofers on all four of my towers. It's like having a sub in each corner of the room. With the low end around 25-27 Htz, I find that they work well even without a separate powered sub. Check out Onsale.com. They often have these and other Pinnacle products for less than half the list!

Power handlig, bass, imaging, bi-wireable, gold connectors

not the best for classical music

This is a very solid speaker that can go toe to toe with the big boys. Its a great speaker for a mid to entry level level home theater setup...be prepared to spend a few more thousand dollars to beat this work horse! Five stars without a doubt!

superb build quality, excellent bass response, simple yet elegant looks, reasonably priced. Great long term reliability. Work well even with low end amplifier.

should be marketed by more retailers, so more consumers can find out about these wonderful speakers.

First of all I would like to say to those audio purist out there that you can spend a whole lot more and not gain in quality. You end up spending money on tropical wood cabinets and fancy name tags. Pinnacles are definately one of the best speakers available. I have owned mine for a year. They have superb base response and the highs are well difined and clear,not brassy. Maybe the complainer should adjust the treble or get a new amp! The patented diaduct system is the best design concept in years. These speakers are simple in design and looks, the black finish with black speaker screens are perfect for the theatre setting. If you are looking for the biggest bang without all the gimmicks give these speakers a shot. It is nice to see a small company putting out higher quality merchandise than the giants. Come to think of it, that's usually the case. Go Pinnacle!!!!

Similar Products Used:

JBL, Infinity, etc.

Great for music, Good Live Sound, Strong Low End

None found yet

First impressions are very positive. I listen to a balance of 50/50 music/movies. I always felt the Ensemble II was OK for movies but very lacking in music. I picked these up from www.egghead.com for $400 and couldn't be more pleased. Music has fidelity again, a great sound stage where a guitar. snare drum and kick drum sound as they should. I don't hear the harshness that some people have descirbed, but room acoustics and equipment settings often have more to do with that. I set my receiver flat and went from there. Yes, I'm sure that there are those people that are very sophisticated and would be skeptical that a speaker of this price could sound good, but let your ears do the deciding. I went to a local store who carries these speakers and told the salesman to play 4 sets of speakers of equivalent $ and spec, but not tell me what was what. I picked the Pinnacle as sounding the best. At home, I can't ever remeber Dire Straights sounding so good, from the solid thud of the kick drum, the snap of Mark Knophler's Strat, or the clarity of the vocal. As far as movies go, I put "Blade" on the DVD and was accosted by a wall of sound that enveloped me with all the dynamic range of a strong thunderstorm.

You could probably spend thousands more on speakers, but I don't think the returns would be reciprocal. Give these a shot, you won't be disappointed.

Similar Products Used:

Upgraded from Ensemble II

high-quality bass , bi-wireable/bi-amp

none

Bought these recently at egghead for 400 bucks. Tested them head to head against my valdus 500's and they matched up with a similar sound but with a louder midrange section. Nice detailing in the high end and a good wide soundstage. Not as directional as the wharfedales or as sensitive to placement. When I bi-wired them the improvement was considerable! The low end is equal to a good subwoof and not "boomy". I think that many speaker makers these days have an excessive midrange response such as Infinity etc. The pinnacle I believe is superior sounding to the Infinity OV2 and 3 that seems to be flooding the market. Why pay for a powered speaker when you can get these?

Similar Products Used:

wharfedale, ar, infinity, homemade

I just picked up a pair of these beauties after much shopping around. At first, I was amazed with the bass, but I now am using the crossover in my sub to filter out information under 40 hz. I tried to have the sub (a Klipsch SW200) and the Pinnacles covering the same bass range, and it was way too much. I have read some of the spirited comments on this page about these speakers,and I must say that I have NOT had the same negative experience as some with the "brightness." Perhaps it's my room or floor or whatever, but I find them to be very easy to listen to. I would highly recommend these speakers to anyone looking for a reasonably priced tower, and I got them for a good price, too, in Oneonta, New York. Feel free to email me with any questions.

I would just like to update on the review that I posted months before...I would first like to say that I defend my review on these speakers and I stand by what I said..
Why I'm I saying this now you ask?
Because I went back and gave the speakers another listen...
In my opinon they accomplish what they were made to do..
They give you excellent low end punch (you may not need a sub-woofer) and they are detailed....
But they lack a good mid-range, as it was a little grainy to me and harsh...
Play some brass instruments on this thing and you will hear the overall brightness of the speaker...
Or play some lush strings and you will hear the harshness of the metal dome tweater..
In a sub 1,000 dollar speaker, you are going to find this fault...
So these speakers a geared for home theater, rap, rock etc.. Not classical or jazz.., I can hear the flames coming! They are basically a pair of Paradigm Monitor 9's with more bass...
SO I guess I stack them against sub-1000 dolar speakers and I find better brands..
PSB and MB Quart would probaly serve you better if you are more of a critical listener who listens to music for any period of times...
I just don't see them as the bargain everyone else does...
I have a theory on that one....
When you get older the high end on your hearing get's shaved off..
Maybe these guys who love these speakers so much are those who don't have the high-end...
These speakers give them it because they are so bright....
For the rest of us, a more balanced speaker that can be enjoyed for longer periods of time would be more sutable,

On my second listen after gaining more experiance with better and better audiophile systems, I find these speakers to be mid-fi at best and I don't think they are the audio bargain that everyone would like them to be...
If you want quality, you need to pay for it...
Spoil yourself, spend some extra cash and get the speakers that you deserve...

Ok, let the flames begin...
That's my opinon and I stick by it
Chris

Chris,
First of all the PSB speakers you mentioned sound like garbage. I put on a Sting CD and he sounded like he was in a box when listening through the PSB's. I had the PSB's, Paradig Studio 80's B&W 604's and CDM 7SE's side by side with the Pinnacle Classic Gold Aerogels and the Pinnacles sounded much more musical than all of them. The Aerogels are the model above the Towers with an added Audax Aerogel midrange. BTW, the aluminum tweeter they use is Vifa. PSB uses vifa tweeters in some of their speakers as does MBwuart and many other brands. It is one of the best tweeters on the market for under $60
The Audax midrange they use is employed in $4000 speakers from Medowlard Audio and many other high end speaker companies. The midrange alone costs over $80
Sounds like these Pinnacles are pretty high end according to your standards. Before you post on something you know nothing about, get a clue. Perhaps you are used to lisening to speakers that suck.
I bought the Aerogels and have no problems with brightness other than older cds which sound bright on all speakers ness they dont have a tweeter.
Check out the review on these speakers from the Audio Critic.
Get a clue!

I've owned my classic gold towers for almost a year now and I have to tell you that I have yet to hear a better speaker in it's price range (maybe the Paradigm towers)but that a side I think there great speakers. My freind purchased the Defenitive tech. 2000's , they're OK but, FOR $2,000 DOLLARS !!!
give me a break. I'm not saying these are the best speakers in the world but,I've listened to a lot of speakers in my time and these I rate high (for the price and some what above). I use them with my Denon 3200 a/v receiver and my Adcom CD player.

I just got a killer deal on these awesome speakers, they were supposedly factory "blems", as in cosmetic flaws.....I think someone screwed up though, they were shipped directly from the manufacturer and arrived in PERFECT condition. Score 1 for me. Anyhow, the sound? Well, I used to work at Wall-to-Wall sound and video some years ago and have owned/listened to a whole lot of speakers....I love 'em. The dynamic range is phemomenal. The bass is ultra-tight and extends an octave lower than anything else I've ever heard with 8" woofers (they perform more like a well controlled 12"). I think I'll even hold off on buying a sub now. The 10 year warranty and excellent appearing build quality is just icing on the cake. Regarding the "brightness" I've read so much about from other posters on this board....well, sorry, but I just don't hear it. I even have the treble control on my Denon AVR-3600 over in the positive end of the spectrum. My overall summation is that they are quite neutral and add very little of their own coloration which is what a quality speaker is SUPPOSED to do.....vanish. I'm lovin' 'em and I'm really glad I chose to ignore some of the negative postings and just buy the damn things anyway!!
P.S. I welcome INTELLIGENT opposing opinions, just E-mail me.