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Kef r3 vs Wharfdale Linton 85 (My comparison)

Digby

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Anyway, I'm also interested in the Lintons because of the positive reviews and looks, but if it was only for this video, they would be last speakers on my list :)
A lot of the speakers in that video sound off in one way or another. I don't think you can take much from it.
 

muad

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I think one or even both of the guys said they have Lintons at home, so there's no reason to skew the results.
Anyway, I'm also interested in the Lintons because of the positive reviews and looks, but if it was only for this video, they would be last speakers on my list :)
I've had many many speakers over the years. Ones pushed as giant killers, others with perfect spinoramas. Some sounded good with some songs, but weird with other songs. Or the treble would be more prominent and the mids recessed on some songs...

The lintons are one of the most right sounding speakers I have ever owned. Everything sounds in its place, nothing pronounced. The sound is smooth and just enjoyable. They're the HD650 version of speakers imo. They have the same magic.
 
D

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I've had many many speakers over the years. Ones pushed as giant killers, others with perfect spinoramas. Some sounded good with some songs, but weird with other songs. Or the treble would be more prominent and the mids recessed on some songs...

The lintons are one of the most right sounding speakers I have ever owned. Everything sounds in its place, nothing pronounced. The sound is smooth and just enjoyable. They're the HD650 version of speakers imo. They have the same magic.
Some of your earlier comments on the Lintons helped push me over the edge—I ended up getting a pair and I think they sound wonderful. Thank you for your insights on them.
 

Darvis

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Some of your earlier comments on the Lintons helped push me over the edge—I ended up getting a pair and I think they sound wonderful. Thank you for your insights on them.
Do you use them in a hc setup? If so, what centre do you use?
 

sq225917

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I know it only youtube but, the 1st two sounded decent, even-handed, the others sounded broken particularly the missions
 

delta76

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I know it's hard to judge true speaker nature based od youtube video, but I found it strange how much "off" Lintons sounded compared to other speaker in this short comparison:

those comparisons are the worst. you have to trust their entire recording system to be flawless. (microphone, ADC etc.), and your playing system to be perfect. Both are not, and you have Youtube downgrade the audio quite significantly in between.
 
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Do you use them in a hc setup? If so, what centre do you use?
No, they are for general use, so no center, though they are used with a TV. We have a non-concentric layout with vinyl flooring, so I put casters instead of spikes on the stands so I can roll them out and listen to music and give the speakers some room to breathe—got the idea from another forum-member here (Zvu).
 

fpitas

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The Lintons are a time-honored approach, to say the least. Just the much-reviled "monkey coffin" which we are assured by armchair theorists can never sound good.
 
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What amplifier do you use with the Lintons @muad & @AtomicPumpkin
NAD C-268 with a Marantz nr1608 as a preamp. Got it because it was favorably reviewed here by Amir and was within my budget at the time. I might eventually get the C-298, but I may never get around to it—the 268 seems sufficient for now and is conservatively rated. NAD stuff seems hit-or-miss, but I trust that the C-268 will be reliable and I like that it sips power on standby.
 

cavedriver

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I have the Lintons powered by a 200 wpc Hypex amp and SMSL DAC. Was happy enough with them until I sent most of the 200 W through them by mistake. Now I wonder if I damaged them because the bass is tubby. Thinking very seriously about getting the new Andrew Jones Sourcepoint speakers to replace them. Heard them last month at the Capital Audiofest and thought they sounded very, very good. Just waiting on measurements to confirm what I suspect is a really good speaker.

In person I think the fit and finish on the Linton's looks excellent, fits right in with our Danish modern furniture and they look as good from the back as the front in my library. If I could have bought them in the UK where they are much cheaper I would, but then I think the KEF's are cheaper there too. I'm sure the quality on the KEF's look great in person as well, but are they going to put the Meta material in the R3's soon? I thought someone said they wouldn't to differentiate the price points in the different series.
 

Zvu

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I have the Lintons powered by a 200 wpc Hypex amp and SMSL DAC. Was happy enough with them until I sent most of the 200 W through them by mistake...

Sorry to hear that. How did that happen ?

If you like the vintage look and feel of loudspeakers, listen PSB Passif 50 if you can. They are just a tad more unforgiving than Lintons (in a good way) but look and sound great.
 
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MrOtto

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Maybe software controlled volume control by DAC? This is a big risk using DACs as volume controls. A 0dB setting on the DAC will maximize the poweramp output.
 

JohnnyNG

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Thinking very seriously about getting the new Andrew Jones Sourcepoint speakers to replace them. Heard them last month at the Capital Audiofest and thought they sounded very, very good. Just waiting on measurements to confirm what I suspect is a really good speaker.
Was considering trying the Lintons when the free stands offer came up again recently but the SourcePoint 10 announcement completely re-directed my interest despite being over twice the price. Just would love to see Klippel!
 

cavedriver

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Sorry to hear that. How did that happen ?

If you like the vintage look and feel of loudspeakers, listen PSB Passif 50 if you can. They are just a tad more unforgiving than Lintons (in a good way) but look and sound great.
The lesson I learned was that when using digital sources like a laptop feeding a DAC, where the DAC has a volume setting, the laptop might have a "global" volume, and the playback source (chrome, youtube, etc.) might have an in-app volume, and you might change those volumes for different combinations, you need to check all the volumes in the chain before restarting playback with a different combinations of entities in the chain. But generally I have to remember to keep the main DAC that feeds the amp at or below a certain maximum volume to protect the speakers and that was the rule I had broken on this occasion because of some weird source I was using.
 

regan

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the SourcePoint 10 announcement completely re-directed my interest despite being over twice the price. Just would love to see Klippel!
Isn't the fact that they're 2 way speakers a bit dissapointing for the price?
 

cavedriver

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Isn't the fact that they're 2 way speakers a bit dissapointing for the price?
Really depends on the execution. If they measure flat and Andrew did a good job resolving the crossover and cone behaviors they might be exceptional. There are quite a few two way audiophile speakers that perform well into the 45 Hz range, but yes, including bass below that seems to be an additional challenge. Also keep in mind they are at the $3.7k price point, not 10k or more where the bar gets higher with things like better tweeter materials or aggressive DSP solutions, in addition to being three way systems. I think I've seen speaker designers on other threads here on ASR saying they actually prefer 2 way systems if other constraints are appropriate. Even back in the 90's my Snell E/III's measured fairly flat despite being just a 1" tweeter and an 8" woofer, although their downfall is a certain lack of resolution and also flabbiness in the bass.
 

regan

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Initial (sighted/biased) impressions: The speakers sound quite good. Very non fatiguing, can listen for a long time. Good imaging, and music seems to envelop the room. The bass is good, with drums sound very nice on them. I do not feel any sharpness in the midrange or treble that can cause discomfort over long listening sessions. I can't hear much above 12k and suffer from tinnitus, so take my impressions for they are worth.
Which of the two speakers are you talking about?
 
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