for the price they sound amazing.
got a pair for my collection
got a pair for my collection
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.
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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Buddy. I have the Bryston Mini-T's. Love them. PM me if you have any questions. I have the Wharfdale Denton 80ths in a 2nd system. Really pleasant, and enjoyable - especially for the price. The Lintons look like an affordable, british, Bryston Mini-T. (3 way, same size drivers, about the same size). Would love to try them as a 2nd "flavor". (but you'll have to take the Mini'T's from my cold dead hands...). |
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. |
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. |
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! |
+1 on chrisr view. They do lack a bit of air so they sound better in my more lightly furnished rooms. Or they open up with certain preamp tubes if I’m running a tube amp. At at some pint I’d like to open them up and see the crossover capacitor values. I’m thinking the caps might be generic or inexpensive caps rebranded. I have to remember what price class these are in and not too expect Class A performance from such a budget component. The looks and fit and finish suggest a more expensive product. |
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. |
I just purchased a pair of these from a local dealer with the matching stands. I have owned many pairs and brands of high end speakers over the past 40 plus years and this set is an absolute joy out of the box. fit and finish is as good as I have seen on any speaker. my dealer also carries Harbeth and you would have to go to a pair of them in the $5k range to better these . wonderful to listen to and total eye candy if you like the classic look. I am sick of tower speakers. Finally a speaker that is affordable and makes superb music. |
FYI, here is a recent in-depth review by Stereophile: https://www.stereophile.com/content/wharfedale-linton-heritage-loudspeaker |
So I have a pair about 30-35 hours on them. Paired with PrimaLuna Integrate with KT150s/KT88s/EL34s & NOS Brimar/NOS RCA ClearTops 12AU7s. These speakers sound terrible! All BOOM and VERY forward mids. No highs to speak of. Added plugs to rear bass ports with minimal results. I have them on the matching stands with 1.5 inch foam between to speakers & stands.If these do not break in & clear up some they're going back! Totally disappointed at this point.I had a 1 on 1 conversation with jbhiller who has these too and his info was helpful but unless these need more time I just don't see anything good here. Speakers are positioned about 4 feet from rear wall but room is fairly well furnished. My 2 cents. |
I have had the same hard-mids impressions on top of over-blown bass and mid-bass...not much treble. I have had the same impressions first time I heard the Denton's 80th. I was impressed right out of the box with the stand-up bass tracks and the general big sound though. If there's such things as speaker break-in, the mid-range does smooth out. I have learned how to appreciate the lintons 7ft away, pointed right behind listening position. Mine are about 21" from back wall (baffle) and 78in medium to medium. Pics are in my system. Tonally they can sound muffled to some. I find imaging and soundstage in general very satisfying though. What I am missing with them is air. I do know that the combination marantz pm8004 / Linton contribute to this lack of articulation and air. I may get an integrated that will bring the best in them before moving to something substantially more refined. |
Might want to try them with an amplifier other than the Primaluna, since the frequency response for that amp has an interesting signature, varying with load: https://www.stereophile.com/content/primaluna-prologue-premium-power-amplifier-measurements |
Interesting article. The PrimaLunas get such rave reviews but I'm beginning to question theire overall reproduction of music. I had a pair of Tekton Design Lores and they did better than the Lintons (tight bass) but still not what I was looking for. (and the wife got tired of looking at them)I have never had a pair of speakers that sounded so terrible right out of the box (Lintons). I did remove the foam I had between the speakers & stands and this did improve overall sound. Less "boom" but still up front mids and not much air on top. Tried 4 ohm & 8 ohm taps on the amp, right now connected to 8 ohm taps. jbhiller informed me that he installed a pair of Cifte 12AU7s in his PrimaLuna and this helped especially with air on top. I'm getting a little discouraged with buying $200 - $300 tubes in experimenting with not much success.I did have a pair of French Radiotechnique 12AU7s (Lores) with no luck at all. Brimars better. I'm really trying to make the PrimaLuna work as it is a quality product, point to point & auto biasing, etc. So I'll give the Lintons some more time and maybe try the Cifte tubes. |
I have owned these with the matching stands for a few months.. I was looking for a retro styled speaker at the time I found these at a local dealer. After auditioning them on a mid fi marantz integrated I bought the set. The dealer also carries harbeth. I compared them to a pair of harbeths that were more than twice the price. I use them for music. No home theater here. They are paired with a Yamaha s2000 integrated amp and the matching c2000 CD player. Analog is a vintage Yamaha yp b6 TT. I thoroughly enjoy this system as a whole. I had a pair of Linn majik 140s prior to the lintons. The 140s are for sale. I am using a rel sub with them. |
With their standard 3-way T-M-W configuration, the Lintons are not really directly comparable to Harbeths or Spendors that are more expensive, but not too many orders so, as those Harbeths and Spendors will be 2-way designs or super-tweeter/tweeter/mid-bass models. The Lintons in this sense are more like scaled-down 40.2's or Classic 100's. I know this is an improbable comparison, but has anybody been able to make this comparison? |
Hificrazed, I have both as you may recall from another discussion we both were involved with. The Fortes are overall a better speaker but the Lintons are not faulty. In fact they kept my Fortes on the bench longer than I expected. They are are very different. I like having options to suit my taste on a particular day-kind of like having different meals. |
I just bought a pair too, thanks to @cosmosound They are breaking in as we speak, but initial listening has been very enjoyable. My other speakers are Spendor A4s, which will be hard to beat. They do not sound similar whatsoever right now, but the Lintons still need some time, I know. One question though for owners - Is there a specific right/left speaker? I don't see anything labeled, or in the manual. Usually this wouldn't even come up, as most speakers are not L/R specific, but the Linton's tweeters are not centered. Right now I have the speakers positioned that each tweeter is a bit to the far right/left (outside). Should they be inside? Does it matter? I could always just swap them and decide which I prefer too...! |
Similar to a number of the old ProAc models, with off-centered tweeters. If they're close-ish to side walls, "inside" would be recommendable. If plenty of space, "outside" will probably give a wider soundstage. Really, more room to experiment (or obsess). Depends on room size, room acoustics, listening position, practical considerations on speaker positioning, etc. |
Mine are in the living/listening room. I’ve had them about 2 months. Power is a Music Hall ss amp (125rms/channel) with an Oppo 83SE & Nordost interconnects. Sound is great. However, I think my ears beckon a return to my Thiel years. With that in mind, I may consider selling the pristine pair, with matching stands for 1,000. Orig. packaging is held. Final note- pickup only. Although the original packaging is substantial, I fear the cost of 4 large boxes and the worst case scenario- damage. We listen, learn and love. |
Any idea how these would mate with denon receiver (4310) rega planar 6, newer one, turntable, jolida phono preamp, oppo hi rez players and Nak tape deck? As well, they would serve as front channels for Axiom Audio surrounds and ep500 sub. In essence, would I be p,eased if moving from Axiom M80 floorstanders? I care about music quality, 2 channel and multi, albums, tapes and hi-rez media more than home theater and feel the sub can do its job the as can the surrounds, but what about the sound of music? I love the looks and do want to have a great listening experience, especially for albums. Thanks for any guidance. |