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Wharfedale Linton Heritage 85th Anniversary

These are fun speakers.  They are musical and smooth. An absolute pleasure to hear with tubes.

I cannot believe how well made they are at this price point.  I'd like to wheel in a pair of Harbeths or Spendors (classic type) to have a shootout.  The stands are well executed.  Everything feels substantial and high end.  Color me impressed.  


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mapman's avatar
mapman
21,835 posts
 
Very nice product especially with the matched stands.
noromance's avatar
noromance
9,404 posts
 
I heard them at AXPONA and wasn't impressed. Maybe it was the source and amplification but they had an exaggerated upper midband and sucked out lower midband lending the sound a slight boom-tizz effect. 
sunnyjim
927 posts
 

I owned a pair of Denton 80th Anniversary speakers for two years as an alternative speaker.  They did sound musical and engaging  I did not find the highs shrill or edgy, but I could tell they were not all there and somewhat rolled off. 

If what Eric Squire said about the tweeters being cheap, then I would be reluctant to buy a pair of the Linton's based on the fact that they sound musical like the Denton's 80s   Despite their overall musicality, I felt the sound was somewhat constrained and imaging was average.  They also did not offer a different perspective or presentation of the music which is the failing IMHO of many speakers.

Yes, musicality is a key factor in musical enjoyment, but so is imaging and "wide-range" transparency, not just in the mid-range. I would venture to say there are other (or some $1500) speakers on the market like the Magneplanar .7 or the PSB Imagine XT model that may offer superior performance at $1500-$2000. Also, would suggest hunting down either Audio Physic Virgo I and II which can be had between $1500- $2000 if you haggle with the seller, especially the Virgo II. The new AP line, which seems to change yearly, are too expensive and offer poor price/performance ratio. 

All that said, I would give the Wharfedale  Lintons  a listen. 

chrisr's avatar
chrisr
541 posts
 
I have had them installed for about 3 weeks now (see pics in my system), and they have about 70 hours of low to moderate playtime.
To me, they are all about low registers - very strong and dynamic from bass to lower-midrange; they retain the Denton 80th signature sound but with more extreme, detail, dynamics, imaging, and bigger soundstage of course, commensurate to their size.  
They can sound too muffled to some, with a recessed mid/upper medium and treble, yet they are capable of giving good detail and they do image really well, even if they lack air.  Of course, this is with my integrated (marantz pm8400).
I think their forte is imaging, dynamics without fatigue, and the size of the soundstage (I am used to 2-way with 5"1/4 woofers).  The sound character is really a matter of taste.  It works for some music (jazz, classical, electronics), but can lack clarity and air with rock and pop.
They are really laidback.
klen1959
4 posts
 
Hello!
I am seriously considering buying Lintons for my tube amplifier (iFi Audio Retro Stereo 50). On the speakers specification page it is said that their sensitivity is 90 dB at 2.0V @ 1m. Usually sensitivity is measured at 2.87V @  1m. Does it mean that Lintons will have more than 90 dB at this level? If so, they are in the same league as some horn speakers.
Will appreciate your thoughts on this.
Thank you!
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