CES 2008

Escalante Design's CEO and Founder, Matthew Waldron, and the company's design engineer, Tierry Budge, were on hand to introduce the $11,000/pair Pinyon, a lighter and less expensive version of their Fremont loudspeaker, which I review in the Febraury issue of Stereophile. Weighing 35 lbs each, the Pinyon includes two direct-coupled 6.5" woofers, and the same 1" ScanSpeak ring-radiator tweeter found in the Fremont. It comes with the Hoodooh Monitor stands that have a brushed aluminum inlay. Waldron had it playing with the 210 lb, 12", powered (500W), UINTA subwoofer, which is rated from 16–100Hz.

The same great bass was heard with this combination playing Master Tallis' Testament on the Pipes of Rhode Island (one of my 2008 "Records to Die For") that I first heard on the Fremonts at the 2007 Home Entertainment Show. This is no surprise, because the $7,500 UINTA has the same driver as in the Fremont.