Wharfedale Linton 85th Anniversary speaker review & measurements by Erin's Audio Corner

[Mnyb]

I’m really happy that some manufacturers have the guts to remove the silly biwire terminals .

Not even KEF my favourite brand does that …

 

[napilopez]

Even if it's not technically the smallest, it's very very welcome to see a compact 3-way.

I just wish they'd offer those grilles in different colors, especially since they're actually beneficial to the acoustics. It's not nearly as bad as the all black tech americans love, but I do hate staring into a black box. Different grille colors is such an easy way to help speakers integrate better with a home's design.

It also would've been cool to see a 3/4" tweeter for wider directivity. I'm just nitpicking though; this looks like it could be a very nice speaker given the performance of recent wharfdale models.

 

[thewas]

Still one of his favourite retro designs despite having reviewed later quite some more expensive ones:

 

[Petevid]

Still one of his favourite retro designs despite having reviewed later quite some more expensive ones:

I wish Kef would bring out a modern version of the Corelli speaker

 

[MarkS]

I’m really happy that some manufacturers have the guts to remove the silly biwire terminals .

I won't buy a speaker with those, on the general principle that I won't pay for audio woo.

KEF and Revel should certainly know better.

 

[Mnyb]

I won't buy a speaker with those, on the general principle that I won't pay for audio woo.

KEF and Revel should certainly know better.

I have to let that slide a bit , if you always was so steadfast in your principles you get nothing done

 

[AC1]

It does make me curious for the MoFI Sourcepoint 8, even though I think I might prefer the minor dips in the midrange of the Lintons than the little bumps of the Sourcepoint 8.

 

[JaccoW]

Still one of his favourite retro designs despite having reviewed later quite some more expensive ones:

My issue with these comparisons is the wildly different price ranges here in Europe.

Model	Price
JBL L52	€999
Wharfedale Linton 85	€1250 including stands
MoFi SourcePoint 8	€3000
MoFi SourcePoint 10	€5000
Klipsch Heresy IV	€4500
Klipsch Forte IV	€6400
KLH Model 5	€3300

Why would I even compare a €5000 speaker to a €1250 model? It was especially noticable with American reviewers comparing the Wharfedale tot the KLH. That one is almost 3 times the price.

 

[MarkS]

I have to let that slide a bit , if you always was so steadfast in your principles you get nothing done

True, but there are plenty of great speakers without the double binding posts, especially from small companies like Ascend and Philharmonic, that don't cater to the wooster market.

 

[ahofer]

the wooster market.

perfect

 

[norcalscott]

My issue with these comparisons is the wildly different price ranges here in Europe.

Model	Price
JBL L52	€999
Wharfedale Linton 85	€1250 including stands
MoFi SourcePoint 8	€3000
MoFi SourcePoint 10	€5000
Klipsch Heresy IV	€4500
Klipsch Forte IV	€6400
KLH Model 5	€3300

Why would I even compare a €5000 speaker to a €1250 model? It was especially noticable with American reviewers comparing the Wharfedale tot the KLH. That one is almost 3 times the price.

I believe the point is that they compare favorably to these more expensive speakers, no?

 

[JaccoW]

I believe the point is that they compare favorably to these more expensive speakers, no?

Well, an often seen comparison is versus the KLH Model 5, which retail for $2500 for a pair including stands. Whereas the the Linton's retail for $1800-2000 per pair including stands.
A $700 difference at those prices is a lot less important than a €2000 difference.

 

[Kachda]

I’m thinking of getting a ls50 as a center channel with Lintons as L/R. Anyone tried it and if so, what’s their finding?

 

[napilopez]

I’m thinking of getting a ls50 as a center channel with Lintons as L/R. Anyone tried it and if so, what’s their finding?

I'm sure the LS50 would be fine and would almost certainly be better than any MTM, but I wonder if youd be better off with something that closer directivity behavior (not just width, though that helps). I assume you were planning on using the LS50 (meta?) on their side?

The Linton have a wide 3-way cone and dome directivity whereby they maintain constant-ish diectivity between 2khz-6khz, then start to narrow. The KEF has the usual deep waveguide off axis response with steeper slopes at further angles.


Linton (source: Erin's Audio Corner):

LS50 Meta:

Sharing my own measurements for the Meta just because Erin doesn't have the off-axis FR on his site.

 

[Kachda]

I'm sure the LS50 would be fine and would almost certainly be better than any MTM, but I wonder if youd be better off with something that closer directivity behavior (not just width, though that helps). I assume you were planning on using the LS50 (meta?) on their side?

The Linton have a wide 3-way cone and dome directivity whereby they maintain constant-ish diectivity between 2khz-6khz, then start to narrow. The KEF has the usual deep waveguide off axis response with steeper slopes at further angles.

Sharing my own measurements for the Meta just because Erin doesn't have the off-axis FR on his site.

@napilopez thanks for your input. do you know any center to be a better match ?

It would be an OG LS50. I am getting what I think is a decent deal ($300 for a 4 year old speaker). I currently have a Polk Signature S35, and it just sounds a bit muffled. It is a MMMTMMM config I believe.

I am not sure there is another center that is a better fit. The below shows a comparison between the Lintons and LS50, as well a couple of other KEF centers (using PIR as a proxy). The LS50 seems a better fit than the cheapest KEF center (Q250c). I would have to step up to the much more expensive R2C to get a closer match.

What do you think ?

 

[Kachda]

Using spinorama.org similarity tool, the closest tonality to the Lintons are the Selah Audio Integrity, KEF R3 and March Audio Sointuva. Now where do I find a single KEF R3 for sale

 

[napilopez]

Using spinorama.org similarity tool, the closest tonality to the Lintons are the Selah Audio Integrity, KEF R3 and March Audio Sointuva. Now where do I find a single KEF R3 for sale

Presumably your reciever has EQ though right? It would would probably take a just a couple of filters to get the KEFs to better match the Linton in tonality, although you'd have to take a little care due to the different directivities.

No surprise with the Polk sounding muffled. As you know that configuration isn't going to have great directivity.

Just to confirm, you don't have room to fit an upright bookshelf, right? The Revel M105 is doing a wonderful job for me at the moment, although an old Revel C12 3-way I got for cheap on eBay is set to arrive this week.

Unfortunately, your options are indeed limited at around the price of $300. I did get my Revel C12 for less than that, and I'm willing to bet that would be a better directivity match for your Lintons, but there are only a handful of measurements out there.

The monoprice thx-365C looks like a closer directivity match to the Lintons above 2khz, which I think would make it easier to match tonality as well. It seems like the only thing you'd really have to EQ is the extra energy on the monoprice around 1kHz(or perhaps raise the missing energy on the Wharfdale).

Anyway, just a thought. I'm sure the LS50s would be a big improvement over the Polks

 

[Kachda]

Presumably your reciever has EQ though right? It would would probably take a just a couple of filters to get the KEFs to better match the Linton in tonality, although you'd have to take a little care due to the different directivities.

No surprise with the Polk sounding muffled. As you know that configuration isn't going to have great directivity.

Just to confirm, you don't have room to fit an upright bookshelf, right? The Revel M105 is doing a wonderful job for me at the moment, although an old Revel C12 3-way I got for cheap on eBay is set to arrive this week.

Unfortunately, your options are indeed limited at around the price of $300. I did get my Revel C12 for less than that, and I'm willing to bet that would be a better directivity match for your Lintons, but there are only a handful of measurements out there.

The monoprice thx-365C looks like a closer directivity match to the Lintons above 2khz, which I think would make it easier to match tonality as well. It seems like the only thing you'd really have to EQ is the extra energy on the monoprice around 1kHz(or perhaps raise the missing energy on the Wharfdale).

Anyway, just a thought. I'm sure the LS50s would be a big improvement over the Polks

Unfortunately can’t fit an upright speaker. Or would have to be on the floor and a beer small speaker at that.

I run Dirac on the avr, which is hopefully correcting the mismatch somewhat. I have not found a way to apply PEQ manually in it. When listening to up-mixed stereo, putting my ear closer to the speaker, I can definitely feel the center being a bit muddier compared to the Lintons

Edit: I found an open box KEF 250C for $380 at BestBuy. Going to give it a try and see if it is better than what I have.

 

[Bierkameel]

@napilopez thanks for your input. do you know any center to be a better match ?

I used a Polk S30 for a week and then bought a Wharfedale EVO 4C as a center, it was a huuuuuge improvement.
The 4C is pretty big but being a 3 way speaker it sound great and it has the same walnut finish as my Lintons

 

[TheBatsEar]

I used a Polk S30 for a week and then bought a Wharfedale EVO 4C as a center, it was a huuuuuge improvement.
The 4C is pretty big but being a 3 way speaker it sound great and it has the same walnut finish as my Lintons

Alas, i have no space for such a behemoth. I stick to stereo for movies as well.
And welcome to ASR