Pinnacle Classic Gold Centre Center Channels
Pinnacle Classic Gold Centre Center Channels
USER REVIEWS
[Oct 12, 2002]
Dusty Sharp
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Perfect clarity, excellent bass and looks good on my 36' Sony Trinitron.
Weakness:
Maybe be big for some people, but it's just right for my TV. For 3 years I had been using a Pinnacle surround, I had the AC-650s as the mains, the AC-400s as the surrounds and a center channel that seems to no longer exist, the speaker had no model number and I can't find it online. Recently I got an AWSOME deal on Ebay, I got the Classic gold mini-monitors and this center channel for only $200 total, only slightly used! Ever since I hooked these up the difference has been astounding, it sounds like the characters in movies are "speaking up". The clarity is excellent and it never gets too bright(but then I like it loud). Now I am using this as my center, the Classic Gold mini-monitors for my surrounds, I now have the AC-400s as rear speakers for 7.1 and the AC-650s as the mains, now I just need the Classic Gold Tower to replace the 650s. Similar Products Used: Pinnacle surrounds. |
[Sep 28, 2002]
Brian Brunner
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Excellent sound quality Excellent build Excellent drivers
Weakness:
Is VERY large! Excellent center speaker! Audiophile sound at a mid-fi price! Buy this center and you will never even consider another. Similar Products Used: AR, Infinity Kappa, DefTech |
[Sep 10, 2002]
John Rey
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Crisp and detailed voice frequencies that don't drown out; looks good on top of my widescreen TV :-); A perfect match to the RX-V1 which is a warmer sounding amp (yes, the Yamaha brightness is completely gone from this unit) and thus a good complement to the brighter Pinnacle gold tweets I received this speaker as a gift from a friend about 3 years back after the same friend gave me his Pinnacle AC-400 bookshelf speakers. You'd think the guy worked for Pinnacle or something and knew that I'd be sold to buying a complete set after listening to the bookshelves + center - well, dang it, that's what I did. The Gold Center is probably one of the better sounding centers I've ever heard. It might get a bit thin at some points in movies when there's only dialogue, and it can get very bright - but a lot of that I'm sure has to do with the fact that I have it set to "small" on my Yamaha RX-V1. Nevertheless, considering the price I paid - heheh - I am completely happy. As the previous reviews indicated, it really does make a difference to have voice-matched speakers. Again, I originally used the center with the AC-400 bookshelves which uses a polyamide dome tweeter, but eventually I upgraded to the classic gold mini-monitors and also picked up the Classic Gold surrounds. Eventually, I heard the Aerogels and picked up those and moved the mini-monitors to the front effect channels (I have the Yamaha RX-V1 which includes two additional front effect channels for HT). Similar Products Used: Pinnacle: Gold Aerogels; Classic Gold Mini-Monitors; Classic Gold Surrounds; AC-400 Bookshelves |
[May 02, 2002]
pdwiley
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
very detailed and accurate. sturdy construction.
Weakness:
For some, size. This speaker is 31" long! As mentioned, sometimes bright. If you''re starting a home theater system, I would highly recommend to begin with the center channel speaker. Pick one that fits your wants, needs, and set-up. If you have the space, the classic gold center is an excellent choice. I''ve heard a few center speakers that sounded better, but they cost 3 to 5 times as much! Vocals on this speaker are amazing. Even if you put your ear right up to the speaker it is hard to localize the voices. This speaker can sometimes be a little on the bright end if you have sensitive hearing as I do(morse code in the military). A good solution to this problem is to have a receiver with center tone controls. Once the classic gold center has been burned in, it starts to really shine! The bass, in particular, will begin to open up. It really reproduces the thud of the bass drum in a set as if you were live in a concert. Pinnacle speakers are very accurate! I have my center matched with aerogels as mains and mini-monitors as surrounds. Similar Products Used: Pinnacle classic gold aerogels and classic gold mini-monitors |
[Apr 17, 2002]
JD
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Great sound and very very loud
Weakness:
could use a midrange The speaker is great! It works perfect for movies and is really loud. It is better than anything else out there! Similar Products Used: sharp |
[Jul 15, 2000]
Chris G
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Powerful presence, great highs and lows.
Weakness:
None. I owned a Pinnacle Widescreen Center that I picked up from OnSale for about $125.00 and used it with a pair of DCM mains. I thought it sounded pretty good until I bought a pair of Classic Gold Towers (which are a very nice set of speakers also) and found that I was struggling to hear dialogue during scenes where there was a lot of action or surround effect. Well, that all ended when I bought the Classic Gold Center. Now that I have matched the fronts with the center, all is good with the world. If you want clarity in a center channel, I haven't heard one yet that tops mine. I'm extatic with it. And to boot, I picked it up at OnSale for $325.00. What a steal. Similar Products Used: Pinnacle Widescreen Center, Acoustic Research, Cerwin Vega. |
[Dec 24, 1999]
Robert Glover, II
Audiophile
Strength:
4 Main drivers, with an excellent tweeter in the center.
Weakness:
Large size. You must have a decent sized TV to sit it on. These speakers are simply excellent. I have them matched to my Carver AL-III speakers in my home theater system, and they can easily hold their own. Dialog is about 50-70% of what you hear in a home-theater system. It doesn't make sense to skimp on the center channel, but most people do. With these speakers, you'll hear the dialog the way it was meant to be heard: Powerful, with presence. Your center channel shouldn't have to struggle to be heard over your right and left channel. I've owned my original speaker for about a year. I was so impressed, that I bought a second unit about 5 months ago. Now, I have one above my 60' projection tv, and one below, on a spiked stand. This is what home theater is all about! Similar Products Used: Polk, Jamo, etc. |
[Mar 21, 2000]
SteveE
Audiophile
Strength:
WOW! With my Classic Gold Towers who could ask for anything more?
Weakness:
As long as you have one of the matching models for your mains, none. I learned a hard lesson about matching a center channel to your mains. Last year, I decided NOT to buy the widescreen gold center from Pinnacle despite have having the gold mains because I didn't know where I'd put the darn thing. Similar Products Used: Center 2 by Celestion & Pinnacle PN5 Center |
[Feb 10, 2000]
Mark
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
4 Midrange speakers. Excellent dispersion of vocals.
Weakness:
None I was using the Infinity CC-3 until I dropped it. Well, I saw it as an excuse to get something even bigger. So I drove to Pinnacle's warehouse, since I live that close, and brought the Classic Gold Center. I only paid $475, which I feel is an excellent price. Similar Products Used: Infinity CC-3 |
[Sep 03, 1999]
kinderarzt
an Audio Enthusiast
This is the best center channel I have heard. I compared it to JBL, Jamo, Polk, Boston Acoustics, etc... With it's 1 tweeter, and 4 woofers, it's output cannot be matched, especially at 5-150 watts RMS, and 500 watts peak. It has really brought out and defined the dialogue in my movies, and matches my large, robust, high output main speakers (originally Infinitis, now Wharfedales). Movies sound unbelievable. It sounds great either above or below the television. For a quality home theater system I would recommend it fully. I WAS LUCKY ENOOUGH TO GET A GREAT DEAL ON THIS SPEAKER BRAND NEW FOR 295.00, UNBELIEVABLE...... |