Amplifier Recommendations for Wharfedale Linton 85th

[Snoopy]

Go with the Yamaha. Open box offers are available all the time and that reduce the price.

 

[Deleted member 48726]

The Wharfedales are a complex enough load that not all amplifiers are going to optimally drive them:

Wharfedale Linton Heritage loudspeaker Measurements

Sidebar 3: Measurements

www.stereophile.com

it's not surprising to me that different results are obtained with different amplifiers. Testing into dummy loads is not the same.

Without measuring these specific combinations of amp and speaker we cannot say for certain what the outcome will be and therefore we cannot dismiss even uncontrolled comparisons with the 'all amps sound the same' hand wave.

I agree we should avoid 'synergy' and 'feelings' and other such bullshit words. What is happening electronically is what matters.

It's not a difficult load for the Yamaha which is rated at 4 ohm.

As much as I like Yamahas they aren't best choice for Linton's which deep to 3.5 Ohms. Sanken A-B class Yamahas aren't great with low impedance loads and you should avoid those with lower (than 230) dumping factor.

What in the world are you talking about?
Could've let it slip if you just made one stray statement but three in a row??

 

[Chrispy]

Cant imagine spending more on the amp than the speakers myself. I'd worry more about the speakers....

 

[Angerhome]

Hi! I specifically registered here because this topic is close to me. I have Aiyima A 08 Pro 36V. I liked his work, but this is not the best amplifier, he is not good enough in genres, I will say that he has an emphasis on high. After his power supply burned out, I decided to try the Yamaha AS 1200. I recently sold AS 1200 because I didn't like her playing with my Lintons and Polk Rti a7 at all. She didn't rock these speakers at all, the bass is sluggish and weak. the sound was like a blanket for me and I always chose tracks that would play at 1200. I changed the dacs, wires, but it did not bring results.After a couple of months of using 1200, I noticed that I was not interested in listening to it at all. I immediately bought a Fosi 20 pro 48V and got a wow effect on two pairs of acoustics. I like its sound, it plays any music and sounds beautifully fast and accurate. Rocking Lintons with the most powerful bass and Rti-A7 with high details. I don't change the cables on it and DACs, everything is very good. The only thing I compared was the canare 4s11 and 4s11G speaker cable and left the 4s11. I read here that muses 02 give an increase, I think to order. I would not recommend Yamaha.

 

[ZolaIII]

@Holdt where is a third one? I said not a best choice, not that it won't work. Selector switch limits the V and lowers the output W arguably it still gives as much as declared. I mentioned dumping factor and low impedance loads and that's two as much as I know to count.

 

[Mart68]

It's not a difficult load for the Yamaha which is rated at 4 ohm.

View attachment 305473

View attachment 305474


What in the world are you talking about?
Could've let it slip if you just made one stray statement but three in a row??

On paper it should work, in the real world it's a sliding scale. It will work in that sound will come out, but is it optimal? If it's not the LF is where it will be noticeable.

 

[Deleted member 48726]

@Holdt where is a third one? I said not a best choice, not that it won't work. Selector switch limits the V and lowers the output W arguably it still gives as much as declared. I mentioned dumping factor and low impedance loads and that's two as much as I know to count.

Selector switch should always be set to 8 ohm otherwise you're limiting the amp as the rail voltage is lowered on 4 ohm switch.

1. As much as I like Yamahas they aren't best choice for Linton's which deep to 3.5 Ohms.

2. Sanken A-B class Yamahas aren't great with low impedance loads

3. and you should avoid those with lower (than 230) dumping factor.

 

[Deleted member 48726]

On paper it should work, in the real world it's a sliding scale. It will work in that sound will come out, but is it optimal? If it's not the LF is where it will be noticeable.

It's not a sliding scale. The Yamaha is perfectly capable. Only thing of concern is if OP is listening at high SPL at far distance and need more power than the amp is capable of providing. Then maybe more power is needed but then we need to investigate the listening habits of OP in terms of nominal SPL, music taste and listening distance.

 

[Beave]

dAmping factor, not dUmping factor

 

[Bergante]

A year ago I got a pair and I tried them with my old Nad 302. It was lacking a bit of “oomph“.

I borrowed the old Audiolab 8000S from the 90’s and what a difference. So, turns out there was one for sale nearby for the hefty sum of 275 eur. Happy now!

I haven’t tried the Audiolab reincarnations though.

 

[ZolaIII]

@Holdt well first is related to Linton's not Yamahas. And they do dive under 4 Ohms between 100 and 200 Hz.

https://www.stereophile.com/images/819Wharfig1.jpg

Second they ain't designed for low impedance loads, switch is a safety measures.
Third it's safe to say that any from recent series with two separate amp boards will have 230 or more dumping factor (AS500 +, RN600 +).
However there are amplifiers with better tolerance and higher damping factor.
Don't get me wrong low impedance (high A) is bad on the long run and not just for amplifier even if it's designed to cope with it but also for speakers themselves.
By design I recommend one modern one with a little bit more power which does better in both regards. I didn't want to recommend anything on DYE or small firm base but something properly engineered (with good traditional transormer and good caps along with protection circuits) and with good warranty and both balanced and unbalanced inputs. Who knows better be my guest in suggest such.

 

[Beave]

@Holdt well first is related to Linton's not Yamahas. And they do dive under 4 Ohms between 100 and 200 Ohms.

https://www.stereophile.com/images/819Wharfig1.jpg

100 and 200 Hz, not Ohms.

Second they ain't designed for low impedance loads, switch is a safety measures.
Third it's safe to say that any from recent series with two separate amp boards will have 230 or more dumping factor (AS500 +, RN600 +).
However there are amplifiers with better tolerance and higher dumping factor.

DAMPING factor, not dumping factor.

Don't get me wrong low impedance (high A) is bad on the long run and not just for amplifier even if it's designed to cope with it but also for speakers themselves.
By design I recommend one modern one with a little bit more power which does better in both regards. I didn't want to recommend anything on DYE or small firm base but something properly engineered (with good traditional transormer and good caps along with procreation circuits) and with good warranty and both balanced and unbalanced inputs. Who knows better be my guest in suggest such.

Procreation circuits?

 

[Mart68]

It's not a sliding scale. The Yamaha is perfectly capable. Only thing of concern is if OP is listening at high SPL at far distance and need more power than the amp is capable of providing. Then maybe more power is needed but then we need to investigate the listening habits of OP in terms of nominal SPL, music taste and listening distance.

So your saying that either an amp can drive a speaker optimally or that it can't drive it at all?

Clearly that never happens, therefore it's a sliding scale.

I;m not saying the Yamaha cannot drive the Linton optimally - we don't have the data to support that.

IME when you have loudspeakers with low impedance combined with steep phase angle, as with the LIntons, there can be an effect on amplifier performance and therefore SQ. That the amp is rated on paper for 4 ohm loads doesn't change that. It's just a rough guide. Real world load and the interaction is much more complex.

 

[ZolaIII]

100 and 200 Hz, not Ohms.



DAMPING factor, not dumping factor.



Procreation circuits?

Sorry about that, working outside and didn't really gave it a look, mostly autocorrect/auto-fill kicking in.
Thanks for corrections and have a wonderful time.

 

[Overseas]

I am using As1100 with Triangle Australe EZ which I believe are difficult enough. Working absolutely great, excellent bass depending on the source. In my subjective comparisons, always better than Rotel A11 Tribute, Aiyima A07, Denon pma 600ne, Loxjie A30.

 

[muslhead]

When pairing/matching speakers and amps there are facts and room feelings.
Facts: yamaha is a good brand with low distorsion graphs measured in acoustic laboratories.
Room Feelings: yamaha sounded thin to my ears in direct comparison to other brands. (Same place, same streamer, same speakers).

By “Thin” I mean a lack of low /mid frequencies, or too much treble/highs. Yamaha sound usually excels in the upper frequencies in comparison to other brands. I’m not a high frequencies guy. I don’t seek ultra high definition detail. And Lintons don’t.

Obviously you could have other room feelings acording to your personal likes. In this case I’m sure Yamaha could be your match.

Feelings?
You are on the wrong forum.

 

[Christoph-ASR]

I use a Hypex (NAD C 368) with my Linton.

 

[Deleted member 48726]

So your saying that either an amp can drive a speaker optimally or that it can't drive it at all?

Nope. That's not what I'm saying.

 

[Miniyouuuu]

Feelings?
You are on the wrong forum.

Ok sorry for writing the forbidden word. Should I leave the forum?

Before buying my Lintons I read lots of reviews, I collect as much data as I could, and latter I visited a local audio store where I played 4 hours with multiple combinations of amps, songs, and even other speakers.

I’m learning each day, and I’m sure every feeling I got is related to some spec of speaker or amp. As Erin says, every aspect we feel in person tend to be detected in the speaker graph. Thus we use common shortcut words that express complex data retrival: weak, lean…

All that said, to my ears audiolab 9000, Musical Fidelity ms5 and Rega Elicit Mk5 were the better match I tried.

Maybe I’m crazy for buying based on “feelings” I got during my personal review but I would be crazier buying without hearing the amps, only trusting on graphs made in anechoic rooms that are completely different to my room.

 

[asziszi]

I'd worry more about the speakers....

if you find their sweet spot, you can get a big smile on your face

Cant imagine spending more on the amp than the speakers myself

i try to combine my separates ‘evenly’. in the other system i got adi > purifi amp > lintons. the system is about 4k and the separates are quite the same money-wise.