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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.  


128x128jbhiller
jbhiller's avatar
jbhiller OP
1,437 posts
 
+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. 
mmai
37 posts
 
jbhiller, I'd be very interested to hear how it performs after the crossover upgrade.
jbhiller's avatar
jbhiller OP
1,437 posts
 
Because I’m lazy and or super busy, I emailed Wharfedale for data on the crossovers. I’ll definitely drop a post after I do it. 
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.


tonyenders1's avatar
tonyenders1
2 posts
 
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. 
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