Pinnacle Speakers - History/models ?

[kbott]

A few months back I aquired a pair of Pinnacle PN-5+ speakers for $10. I find them to be an impressive small bookshelf speaker. I believe they were mfg in the late 80's/early 90's.

My question is regarding what other models they may have manufactured during that timeframe. Did they produce anything larger (floorstanders/large bookshelf) to compete against say a JBL L80 or 100-T. I see some NIB on eBay for big bucks but was hoping there might be a little older sleeper out there

 

[lukiedog]

The sleeper you are looking for is an exceptional two way bookshelf, the AC650. This is the only pair of speakers I ever bought new back when they came out. There is a review by Julian Hirsch at http://www.pinnaclespeakers.com/revu_650.html. No sense buying new nowadays with such good finds at the thrifties, but do get a pair if you can snatch them at under, let's say $50.

I also auditioned a pair of larger speakers, model number eludes me, that were fantastic. Even the wife still remembers how great they sound, she mentions them every now and then. I went cheap and got the AC650s. Anyway, any larger-than-bookshelf size Pinnacle from mid '90s would also be a very nice catch. Problem is, their surrounds are rubber, so they won't go bad and people who have them will most likely not want to part.

The AC650 is a great match for modern receivers and amps.

There were smaller ones from that era, like the AC400 and I do have a pair, I would not bother with them, but they apparently did get some good press, too. Maybe I just have a poor pair...

 

[starkiller]

yeah, i second the ac650..picked up a pair for the grand total of $2 at a church rummage sale...running them with my ka-800 amp/scott lt-112 tuner and a teac cd player that plays my cdr's really really sound good and can really crank it up...nice setup for listening to while i am on the computer...highly recommended!

 

[WhiteSE]

I had their bigger model the Classic Gold Aerogel and they were the most impressive floorstander I have heard to date for reasonable money....Tremendous midrange with the Audax aerogel,...tremendous bass with dual 10" woofers.

 

[kbott]

From reading the link it looks like the AC650 is a little bit bigger than the PN-5+ 6.5" woofer vs 4" if a pair falls in my lap for $5-$10 I'd probably jump at them but probably no more because the PN-5+ are really nice sounding for the application, a small office. what I'd probably be looking for more is a floorstander

 

[GordonW]

The Pinnacle PN8 is the "giant killer" of the early Pinnacle models. Hard to imagine finding MORE SHEER BASS WHOMP from an 8" 2-way bookshelf speaker, short of the extremly-hard-to-find Aconti of about the same size. Even then, it'd be a close race.

The PN8 also had a better, larger 1" dome tweeter, compared to the smaller models. VERY WELL balanced speaker.

Regards,
Gordon.

 

[kbott]

Thanks for the advice Gordon. I'm gonna be keepin' my eyes out as I drive around hotLanta. I picked up a pair of L-50's this weekend and when I went to the record store, I ran into Johncan. When I opened up the trunk to show him he goes "I think Gordon refoamed those"

I don't know if you keep track of serial #'s but they do sound nice

 

[lukiedog]

I'm going to make good and get me a pair of PN8s, those must have been "the ones that got away" years back. I see a pair went for a measly $70 in August.

 

[2DualsNotEnough]

I just picked up a pair of AC-650's for $50 locally yesterday in really good shape.I only listened to them a few minutes at his place to check them out,but I like what I hear so far.The seller told me he hadnt had any responses yet,and the ad had been up a day or so.The Pinnacle name flies pretty low under the radar,so the chance of getting a good deal on them is pretty likely.
Jimmy

 

[Cleve]

I had a pair of Pinnacle PN8s along with the matching passive subwoofer (had two 6" woofers) - nice speakers with good sound for the size. Can't hold a candle to the CF-4s I've owned for 2 1/2 years now, though.

I gave speakers and subwoofer away to a friend's teenage son over a year ago. I think he's still enjoying them

 

[BuckNaked]

SEE BELOW...

 

[BuckNaked]

I am so glad you guys have picked up on Pinnacles. I have been a fan for years. A local mid-fi audio retailer contracted with Pinnacle for a private label line.
Stereo Advantage offered the I.N.C.U.S. of which I managed to scoop up for a measly $5. cash money.
Paired early on with a Luxman r-405 in my bedroom made for a superb listening experience. Spacious and deep but not artificially boomy. I like the front firing port, but they also had rear-firing port configurations in their lineup. I found the highs to be quite accurate, but it did take a treble boost on the Luxman. Just a notch balanced out the sound quite nicely.
A true sleeper and well worth the modest investment.
I now own 3 pairs of Pinnacle PN2+, PN5+, and PN7's and 2 pairs of I.N.C.U.S.

 

[lukiedog]

Digging in my files, I found a Pinnacle brochure for the Audio Cinema line. PM me with an address if you want a scanned copy.

 

[Hillman]

I have a set of Pinnacle PAS 26 speakers (Same as the PN-60). I bought them with a black plastic Technics receiver for $28.00 at a St Vincent De Paul Thrift Store last year. Had to buy it all as a set. I think they are great speakers for their size.