Pink Triangle (audio manufacturer)

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Pink Triangle Products Ltd was a British audio manufacturer specialising in high end turntables.

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It was founded in London in 1979 by Neal Jackson and Arthur Khoubesserian. Jackson chose the name 'Pink Triangle' after the symbol used to identify homosexuals in Nazi concentration camps (both Jackson and Khoubesserian are gay). [1]

Initial manufacturing took place on an industrial estate in Maidstone Road, Sidcup, Kent, and later at Lomond Grove, Camberwell, London. The company closed in 2003. [2]

Industry magazines are saying Pink Triangle are launching a new turntable at the 2023 Bristol HiFi show. [3]

History

Pink Triangle Products Ltd was founded in London in 1979 by Neal Jackson and Arthur Khoubesserian. The company specialised in high-end turntables that combined innovative engineering with minimalist design aesthetics. [4] [5]

Phonograph turntables

The company's first product, referred to as the Pink Triangle Original turntable, was produced in small numbers. It featured several innovative design elements for its time, including an aerolam (an aluminium honeycomb structure developed for the aircraft industry) sub-chassis that rigidly coupled the platter and tonearm while keeping mass low. The plinth was topped with a three-part mirror glass plate that covered an aluminium frame providing mounting points for the suspension and DC motor. The suspended sub-chassis hung from three extension springs, an arrangement that offered more stability than traditional compression spring designs. [4]

A 9V DC power supply drove the electronic speed controller, which used tachometer feedback from the DC motor for consistent speed regulation. The one-piece acrylic platter, chosen for its vibration-damping properties, was belt-driven by a brass pulley. The bearing design used a tungsten-carbide sphere rotating against a synthetic ruby cup to minimise friction and noise. [5] [6]

The next model, the PT1, was an easier-to-manufacture successor to the Original, featuring a black painted steel top plate instead of glass. Later versions moved the motor from the “one o’clock” to “seven o’clock” position on the chassis for improved balance. The PT1 remained in production from 1979 until 1985. [5]

It was followed by the PT TOO, which upgraded to a synchronous AC motor with an external power supply. Subsequent models included the Little Pink Thing (LPT), a lower-cost design based on the PT TOO, and the Export, which integrated the power supply into the plinth for international markets. [7]

In the early 1990s, the company released the PT Anniversary, featuring a return to a glass top plate, a composite sub-chassis, and an improved DC motor powered by an advanced external supply — some versions used a rechargeable battery system topped up by mains current. [6]

The final Pink Triangle turntable, the Tarantella, introduced in the late 1990s, represented a complete stylistic departure. It used a triangular clear-acrylic chassis supported on three metal spikes, with the DC motor and tonearm mounted on metal outriggers and a belt that drove the platter's outer edge. [6]

Pink Triangle turntables were praised in the hi-fi press for their innovative engineering and sonic performance but never achieved the same commercial success as the similarly priced Linn Sondek LP12. [6]

Other products

In its later years, Pink Triangle expanded its range to include amplifiers, digital-to-analogue converters, and Compact Disc transports, though these sold in limited numbers and did not offset high production and research costs. [4]

Closure and legacy

The company ceased operations in 2003, citing declining vinyl sales and the high costs of small-scale manufacturing. [4] In 2005, co-founder Arthur Khoubesserian established The Funk Firm, which continues Pink Triangle's design philosophy with new turntables featuring lightweight, rigid structures and advanced belt-drive systems. [8]

In 2023, Pink Triangle announced its revival at the Bristol Hi-Fi Show, unveiling a new model named Blue Danube, marking its first new turntable release in two decades. [4]

References

  1. ↑ Malcolm Steward (June 1990). "Pink Triangle". High Fidelity. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  2. ↑ "Sad Day For The Hi Fi Industry!". Hi-Fi News. September 2003. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  3. ↑ Slava (27 January 2023). "Bristol HiFi Show 2023: Innovative Designs by Pink Triangle And The Funk Firm". makelifeclick.com. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Pink Triangle Brings The Funk To Bristol Hi-Fi Show 2023". StereoNET. 26 January 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 "Turntable PT1 – Pink Triangle Products Ltd.; London". Radiomuseum.org. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Pink Triangle Tarantella (1998) review – What Hi-Fi?". What Hi-Fi?. 15 February 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  7. ↑ "Classic HiFi: Pink Triangle Export GTi turntable review". Audiograde.uk. 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  8. ↑ The Funk Firm – official website
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