Wharfedale Linton Heritage Speakers (Pair) Walnut

Product Information

Go large! The Linton in its full 1970s glory on Wharfedale’s dedicated stand, also strong and functional. Below there is space for LPs. Single gold plated terminals don’t accommodate modern fangled ideas like bi-wiring. In my room, using the it in lull length, the Linton 85’s sound best with one port closed. If the extra bass extension causes room resonances to get triggered, try the 85’s with both ports closed. With an Fc of 46Hz. there will still be plenty of extension left 😉 I also took my chances with some sort of short interviews with the engineering brains behind the speakers, Peter Cormeau, and the Audiolab equipment, Jan Ertner, which are echoed by a personal communication I had with Dave, an Audiophile Style user from Iowa, who owns these transducers and talked to me about his own experience with them.

In the interaction of all functions as Integrated Amplifier, the 6000A gains advantage, the sound is harmonious, tight in the lower midrange and very focused in the high frequency range. Of course, it doesn't achieve the performance of a PS Audio S300, which is twice as expensive and clearly plays in a different league, especially for the bass definition and the immersive sound experience, but the 6000A masters all the varieties assigned to it with an excellent precision and ease, which is rarely to be found in its price range.

Listening to the Dentons

The original Denton was well known for its warm, rich and natural sounding character and the 85th Anniversary Edition retains that character but imbues it with an open, detailed performance that will entice you to explore your whole music collection. Both are very handsome speakers in their own way. The KEFs have a modern, clean look, and probably goes better with modern decor. The Linton's are significantly bigger, and have a retro look, which I prefer. FR shows both speakers to have similar bass extension. The KEFs are brighter above 8khz. Kudos to KEF for achieving the same bass extension with a 5.5" woofer as the much larger Linton, though I guess this comes with a slight sensitivity penalty.

One of my British friends said, "Old Wharfedales suffered with wobbly bottoms—and no edge." Hoping he wasn't right, I told him, "I doubt Wharfedale resurrected those qualities." These drive units are combined by a highly researched crossover that is near inaudible to the listener, resulting in a coherent, seamless musical output that is both thrilling and natural in its rendition of any source material. from it. This is simply good engineering practice. The broader baffle and larger-than-normal bass and midrange units not only elevate sensitivity, but also are aligned to a baffle step that is lower and broader in frequency than modern, slimline systems.” In other words, by not following fashion he can do the right thing as far as the physics of speaker design are concerned. While I fine-tuned toe-in with dual-mono pink noise, I had it in mind that the Lintons would never achieve the same sharp focus I get with the similarly priced, narrow-baffled KEF LS50 loudspeakers—but the sound clung surprisingly tight to center for a broad-baffle design.My Marantz PM KI Pearl Lite has plenty of control over the speakers, warm midrange and refined treble; I’m happy wiht the combo. Prices valid in stores (all including VAT) until close of business on 29th November 2023. (Some of these web prices are cheaper than in-store, so please mention that you've seen these offers online.) For maximum authenticity – and pure sound – I also wheeled out our ever-lovely Icon Audio Stereo 30SE single-ended valve amplifier. For the record.: the slightly older sibling 8300A may have the additional power you prefer to have and prices of the 2018 introduced units went south (in Europe) after the 6000series arrived.

I don't envy you for the amplifier complications, but in 2020 the evening you've described sounds like a very precious moment in time. I connected the Lintons to our Creek Evolution I00A amplifier through Chord Company Signature XL Reference cables. Sources were CD and hi-res from a MacBook Pro feeding the DAC section of our Oppo BDP205D player, with its still excellent ESS DAC and linear power supply.

Conclusion

I found the Linton 85s to have considerable audiophile appeal as they were, by turns, engaging, energizing, seductive, and just plain fun to listen to. [They] tread the fine line between being revealing yet also inviting and at times downright seductive. They also can boogie, when the occasion arises."

Sometimes the screen would go blank, sometimes RPT would show, and on other occasions it would switch from Phono to OP1.The other thing to be aware of with the original Kappas is that they can be challenging to drive. If I recall correctly, you have an Adcom power amp. If I’m right, you made an excellent choice and you are good. Dave: The PS Audio S300 was bought because I could tell the bass was tubby and the amps I was using couldn't drive the Linton's sufficiently. This is also a weakness of the speakers to me, also .