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

[AC1]

 

[AC1]

Despite all the measurements I've seen by Erin (one of his favorite speakers no matter the price), Hifi World (condluding the Lintons are not warm but accurate), Jon Atkinson from Stereophile (calling it surprisingly linear) and others, John Darko is somehow taking a different stance and calls the Linton 85 a colored and character speaker, designed to mimick the sound of vintage speakers. He does think that the new Super Linton is much more accurate. Is Darko right? Would I have been just as happy with a cheap pair of Marantz speakers from the '70s? Have the measurement guys falsified their findings?

 

[Zvu]

Measurements won't tell you how the loudspeaker sounds other than tonality. He does have about 15k euros invested in room treatment so maybe he does hear something that is masked for us in our predominantly reverberant living rooms.

His conclusion though i consider false or very poorly communicated. I have listened those 70's , 80's and 90's loudspeakers for most of my youth (i was born in 80's but couldnt afford new speakers so i bought vintage which were cheap) and i know the sound of vintage Marantz, kabuki japanese loudspeakers and british (Wharfedale, Spendor, Kef etc.). Linton is nothing like it. Actually, generalizing like that is completely wrong. There is no such thing as "vintage sound". Vintage is JBL 4355, Sansui SP5500X and Spendor SP1. They couldn't be more different in sound, aesthetics and construction.

Wharfedale Linton 85's are less resolving/revealing than some other popular loudspeakers. I've had direct comparison of Linton 85 next to Kef Blade 2 and Kef LS50meta. You immediately hear how much more revealing LS50 and LS50meta are compared to Linton. I've had them both but i kept Linton and i have very good reason for it - they simply sound better to me.

I'd suggest to not try to read something out of other people comments and/or opinions. If you bought Linton, i guess there was a reason for it (other than -some ABX reviewer told it was good-). Now you have it, be happy and enjoy. If you are not satisfied with sound, sell them and buy something else. Simple as that. I also follow Darko but for entertainment purposes only. I like the aesthetics of his videos, electronic music in the background and presenting new stuff on the hifi scene in a fun and interesting way.

 

[AC1]

If you bought Linton, i guess there was a reason for it (other than -some ABX reviewer told it was good-). Now you have it, be happy and enjoy. If you are not satisfied with sound, sell them and buy something else. Simple as that. I also follow Darko but for entertainment purposes only. I like the aesthetics of his videos, electronic music in the background and presenting new stuff on the hifi scene in a fun and interesting way.

A few years ago I wanted to buy an extra pair of speakers. I had good speakers but sometimes you want variation. Having heard good things about the Lintons and the KEF LS50 Meta, I decided to compare them at my local hifi shop. I'm not really a genuine audiophile (I don't care how many feet there is above the cellist) but a musician that values tonal balance above anything else. What I heard from these 2 speakers was that both sounded very balanced to me, with no particular region sticking out or calling for your attention. However, while the instruments on the Lintons sounded life-sized (it feels like a grand piano is standing in the room with you), they sounded disappointedly small on the KEF LS50 Meta. It reminded me of a compact studio monitor but with a less dry sound. I do remember that the saxophone on 'Dat There' by Rickie Lee Jones had a little more presence on the LS50 than on the Lintons. Anyway, I went home with a pair of Lintons because I didn't think the LS50 was going to be able to fill my room.

In my experience a flat-ish sounding speaker simply means it sounds tonally balanced, with no discernible dips or bumps. However, most speakers want to impress you with a more exciting sound. It is for this reason that I think reviewers like Darko might have the wrong idea about what is colored or not. Hearing the finest details jump out of the music is more of an indication that the speakers has specific bumps in the frequency range.

 

[ahofer]

Despite all the measurements I've seen by Erin (one of his favorite speakers no matter the price), Hifi World (condluding the Lintons are not warm but accurate), Jon Atkinson from Stereophile (calling it surprisingly linear) and others, John Darko is somehow taking a different stance and calls the Linton 85 a colored and character speaker, designed to mimick the sound of vintage speakers. He does think that the new Super Linton is much more accurate. Is Darko right? Would I have been just as happy with a cheap pair of Marantz speakers from the '70s? Have the measurement guys falsified their findings?

No. Too many modern speaker companies have a “showroom treble” boost.

 

[Ropeburn]

It's starting:

Now that's what I call a good deal.

 

[funkera91]

Besides the Kef Q6 Meta, I might also suggest the Revel C205.

Just bought Wharfedale EVO 4.C which is okay for its price, I couldnt find here for sale the KEF Q6 meta nowhere, and they offered me that one. It is big!

 

[IngMishael]

Has anyone tried the Super Lintons and compared them with the normal ones?

I found an offer for 1650€/pair and initially thought it was a no brainer but still... I am not sure if the difference is worth the extra 700€... 'cause actually the old version sounds great

The main advantage in my case would be to be able to place the closer to the wall

The Super Linton is more efficient, front wall friendly, more transient attack perceived and can play much louder without compression or distortion. And you're getting them for almost half off? Why are you still asking the question?

 

[Jimbob54]

The Super Linton is more efficient, front wall friendly, more transient attack perceived and can play much louder without compression or distortion. And you're getting them for almost half off? Why are you still asking the question?

Let's try and be less curt with responses to genuine questions please .