Wharfedale Lintons ... Any great amp pairings?


Just got a new pair of current Wharfedale Lintons. Am enjoying them.

Would like to hear if anyone has found an AMP pairing for their Lintons they find to be awesome/excellent/surprising. A basic Peachtree Nova I had and an LTA Ultralinear both sound good so far, but my gut tells me there is an exceptional match to be found that someone on here knows about. Please share.

Thank you in advance.

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in my view the lintons are a nice sounding speaker without a high degree of resolution nor drive

i would pair them with a lively, detailed solid state amp, like a yamaha or musical fidelity (lower tier) integrated or perhaps a mini gan5 power amp

Brit speakers = Brit electronics upstream….. for example , here is a highlight from a recent UK review of the LINTONs: 

https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/wharfedale-linton

” ,… It’s soon clear that these speakers have a relaxed way about them, so we pair them with the energetic Rega Elex-R integrated amplifier (£949). Other amps that offer a good degree of get up and go will also work well.…”

I’ve heard Linton side by side with Mission 700, both driven by Audiolab 6000A.

The Mission 700 sounded lively and great, the Linton sounded muffled and distant. I think the Linton might benefit from a livelier amp. Maybe a tube amp like a Wilsenton or Muzishare.

I really like the Lintons and have them matched with a Rotel 1572 MK II preamp and RB-1552 MK II power amp. Really enjoy the Rotel combo with all it's features. The Lintons have a nice midrange and also the imaging is very good when placed properly. Their a very good value in my estimation.

In my experience, the Lintons pair well with "brighter", powerful amplification.

Class D, like the parasound 200 integrated, brings them to another level.

Someone mentioned yamaha, i believe that.

REGA OSIRIS is a sensational beefy yet refined amp if you have the budget for it . I run my HARBETH M30.2XD’s and ATC C1 Mk2 subwoofer with it.

REVIEWS

https://everydayaudiophile.com/2019/12/23/rega-osiris-a-dual-mono-champ/

https://audiofi.net/2012/08/rega-osiris-punching-heavy/#:~:text=Final%20verdict%3A%20The%20Rega%20Osiris,the%20music%20for%20long%20hours.

highly recommended :

The philosophy is clear.

(1) An affordable speaker driven with a refined, robust, quality amplification (and source) makes more sense than an expensive speaker paired up with a budget or cheap amp (and source.).

(2) In my view, good value doesn’t come down to how cheap something is; for me, it’s about how much you get for the money. In those terms, these Wharfedales represent excellent value. When it comes to build, engineering content, and performance, paired up with the “right” upstream components, they have what it takes .

Price is what you pay, value is what you get.” - Warren Buffett

LINTON REVIEWS

https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/wharfedale-linton

https://www.erinsaudiocorner.com/loudspeakers/wharfedale_linton_85/

https://www.stereophile.com/content/wharfedale-linton-heritage-loudspeaker

https://www.pursuitperfectsystem.com/wharfedale-linton-heritage-hifi-speakers-review/

 

If you are talking Linton 85ths, I have a ps audio s300 and the BHK pre….they sound superb with the Lintons…. I absolutely love the s300…it replaced a musical reference RM9 Mkii tube amp in my system and I haven’t looked back (if that is a useful reference).

In my 40+ years of this insanity, I can truly say that the Lintons are probably the best audio bang I ever got. Great choice.

Bottom Line: Even small speakers need lots of good clean power to shine…I’d recommend something at least 100/channel

By the way….these are NOT a lower-tier speaker to be matched with “lower-tier” amplifiers as suggested above…they just happen to be obscenely underpriced. Your mileage may indeed vary… but my 85ths have kicked much more expensive speakers to my curb. Appropriately price? Maybe they're just appropriately price?Appropriately priced?

 A Cambridge evo has the detail dynamics and drive to do those justice I would bet.  

@ml8764ag , yes sir... s300 with Lintons is a good audio treat.  The ps audio really takes them to a satisfying level.