a short review of the new wharfedale linton heritage speakers

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by TheSeeker, Dec 24, 2020.

  1. exiled

    exiled Forum Resident

    Location:
    Oz
    I've been running the Denton 80th's for 2.5 years now. Previous speakers were vintage JBL L110s, although they were run in a larger room. I have really enjoyed the Dentons but I have upgrade fever and would like something that sounds bigger, plus also more of the good things that I enjoy from the Dentons - soundstage, transparency, musicality, etc. Which a lot of people on here seem to cite the Lintons doing well as an upgrade from the Dentons. I don't mind some colouration in a system/speaker, I'd be leaning towards something "musical, warm, involving" and away from "bright, analytical, fatiguing".

    The JBL L82s sound like they could be a good fit; large bass driver than the Dentons. Unfortunately, auditioning isn't a possibility. Also my room is the biggest detrimental variable as I move around a bit and am likely to be in apartments the next few years, so don't have control/consistency in room sizes.
     
  2. raye_penber

    raye_penber .

    Location:
    Highlands.
    Surprised that this hasn't been addressed, and apologies if I've missed it, but how many hours had @TheSeeker put into the Lintons prior to review?
     
  3. Classicrock

    Classicrock Senior Member

    Location:
    South West, UK.
    Judging by reviews I would hold out for the new KLH model 5 to become more widely available and in a promised wider range of finishes. Said to better Klipsch Forte and JBL 100 and for around £2K incl stands.
     
    ChrisR2060 likes this.
  4. exiled

    exiled Forum Resident

    Location:
    Oz
    Yeah, it's certainly one to keep an eye on!
     
  5. Blair G.

    Blair G. Senior Member

    Location:
    Delta, BC, Canada
    Where is the KLH made?
    I know the company is based in Indiana but I’d be surprised if they actually manufacture them there.
     
  6. Blair G.

    Blair G. Senior Member

    Location:
    Delta, BC, Canada
    Found the answer in an online interview with the owner. With the exception of the Model Nine, designed in the US, built in China.

    Sorry, this is off topic, maybe we need a KLH thread
     
  7. allied333

    allied333 Audiophile

    Location:
    nowhere
    It seems decent speakers start around $1500 a pair. I also feel anything under $1500 is a waste of money, but one has to start somewhere without deep pockets.
     
  8. allied333

    allied333 Audiophile

    Location:
    nowhere
     
  9. Michael Grissom

    Michael Grissom Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Racine,WI
    I purchased a pair of the Linton's about a week ago from Music Direct who has a very liberal return policy (60 days.) . I almost didn't purchase them because I thought the drivers would be cheap. Wharfedale sure didn't say much about them other than they are woven kevlar and made for the Heritage speakers. However I then saw a couple reviews on the internet where the drivers and crossovers were removed. The drivers looked very well made to me for the money! Not like top of the line ScanSpeak's which I have owned, but they have a stiff cone, nice cast cages, rubber surrounds, and huge magnet structures on the woofer and midrange drivers. You can see the drivers on this attached you tube post. ( )
    So I decided to go ahead and give them a try. When I first listened to them cold because I just brought them in. I was underwhelmed! The highs or upper midrange were extremely harsh. I thought I had a blown tweeter. The bass was boomy! I thought OMG what are others hearing. But I had them so decided to run them in for a while.

    I now have 70+ hours on them. (They are connected to my home stereo home theater with a oppo 105D, and Luxman L 507ux, so I can just let them run in and have done that for several days.) Also I have fiddled around with their placement.

    Compared to my VMPS RM 30 hybrid ribbons they are not as neutral or transparent, nor is the bass as tight even after fiddling with the placement. ( The VMPS have (2) 6.5 inch bass drivers with a 10 inch passive radiator that are crossed over at 250 hertz almost like a subwoofer.) But I am enjoying them more and more every day because they sound good even with mediocre recordings and sound even better with good recordings. They play loud and are dynamic if you want them too. In about 80 % of the music I listen to I can't here any harshness but in some recordings I can and I wonder if it is not just related to a certain frequency where they are excited. Still I have not decided if I am sending them back or keeping them. But I am leaning toward keeping them.

    Today I had a lot of fun listening to them. I do not believe the midrange driver has any issues! The tweeter is being crossed over somewhat low and the bass driver is being crossed over somewhat high in my opinion. I believe the tweeter is the issue. (I think they could have utilized the midrange more and achieved a better result on both ends of the spectrum.) But I am not an engineer and I'm sure they had good reason for doing what they did and voicing them they way they did. They achieved a warm sounding speaker with a fair amount of detail that sounds good with a variety of music. I don't think they were looking for neutral or micro detail.

    The midrange is hardly working in this speaker. (Pull off your grill and put your finger on the midrange driver when they are playing it hardly moves.) Mike in the above video gave them 200 hours burn in and said some harshness was still there. Mike narrowed it down to the tweeter crossover parts. Some who have performed the modification have reported that it really opens them up. If I keep them I will try the parts upgrade and report back.
     
    Rick58, bluemooze and raye_penber like this.
  10. raye_penber

    raye_penber .

    Location:
    Highlands.
    ^ That's the key with Lintons. Minimum 50 hours break in, with 100 hours hitting the sweet spot based on reports elsewhere on this forum.
    For me, it was the 50 hour mark, more or less. The sound kept changing until it finally settled in at around 50.
     
  11. Michael Grissom

    Michael Grissom Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Racine,WI
    I'm sure I have over 100 hours on the Linton's right now. What I can say is this, without the capacitor modification I can not recommend this speaker! It is a little strange that some music does not exhibit much of the harshness in the upper midrange lower treble. And in other pieces of music it is very glaring. You almost never hear it with the volume turned down. But these speakers really shine when the volume is turned up a little and that is when they are most affected. It is often in male voices. Watched "Saving Private Ryan" last night and in some parts of the movie it was not noticeable. In other parts of the movie it was very obvious in Tom Hanks voice. Hanks voice in the beginning of the movie was very clear and natural. I remember thinking this as I started to watch the movie. Then I turned up the volume a bit and as the movie played his voice started breaking up when he shouted.

    I have not done the crossover modification yet but I have ordered the parts. I hope this fixes it. Because I can't live with them the way they are.

    mgg
     
  12. DannyBoyNYC

    DannyBoyNYC Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brooklyn
    This thread is absolutely hilarious!
     
    Joshua Tree likes this.
  13. three_paws

    three_paws deleted account

    Location:
    USA
    Doesn't sound like the Lintons I own at all. They're never grainy or shouty, etc.
     
  14. three_paws

    three_paws deleted account

    Location:
    USA
    I'm not sure that you're holding these up to fair standards, TBH. The Lintons are designed--physically and in terms of sonic signature--to have that old school 70s sound. They don't resolve like a modern audiophile speaker, but they're not meant to. So, that might not be your jam, but I don't think that makes the speakers "a complete mess". Sure, they're not super transparent, they don't articulate with a ton of precision, etc.. But they're not designed to do that, and that doesn't make them bad or cheap--just true to their nature and intent. (And I actually think they're among the few audio components that aren't hideously overpriced.). You can definitely get objectively better performing speakers, but I don't think it's fair to say that the Lintons are "a complete mess" because they don't live up to standards that they're not even trying to meet....
     
    Last edited: Jul 16, 2021
    Blair G. likes this.
  15. AC1

    AC1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Antwerp, Belgium
    While they are not highly detailed like B&W or Focal, they do absolutely reveal to what kind of recording you are listening to, more so than any other speaker I've ever owned. And that's because of their broad, flat, all-telling mid-range. Because of this, I don't think their sound signature isn't all that forgiving. In fact, they are the least forgiving speakers I've ever had. They soar with natural recordings.
     
    three_paws likes this.
  16. Classicrock

    Classicrock Senior Member

    Location:
    South West, UK.
    I think if you don't want a retro sound go for another speaker. Most reviewers who have had both speakers for extensive periods have much preferred the cheaper Evo 4.2. Two Youtube reviewers actually bought them and didn't keep the Linton's though they were liked. I would suggest for similar outlay the Evo 4.4 is a better buy. It has a far better AMT tweeter (superb at this price) a dome midrange (where do you get that apart from ATC?) and to my ears decent Kevlar bass drivers. You don't get boomy bass but it is extended and warm. These have the Wharfedale warmth but to a great extent give you micro detail as well. The tweeters produce extended highs without any harshness. I would say if anything the mids are a little recessed and could project more. They won't satisfy people who like KEF or B&W levels of resolution but they are good all rounders and work with all types of music. I think some will want to use a sub in spite of their size but found without a sub mids sound more open. If you have reservations about the Linton due to the above would certainly recommend the 4.4 for similar outlay. The sweet spot on these may be narrower but they do sound fine to me of axis. You don't need to sit in a particular spot to enjoy them depending on toe in.
     
    Benfica likes this.
  17. Theobald

    Theobald New Member

    Stop apologizing, you were right on the money… I only heard them on youtube and can tell right away (like w any other systems)… I run B&W DM4’s w Quad 33/303 Dada revised… it’s articulate, “accurate”, and the sound has density (mass)… which I “need”… I would love more transparency, although I keep digging with eventually a better preamp, and my new Denafrips Ares 2 will get an Iris D2D as a companion… But to beat this, with my taste, I’m afraid it’s gonna take a modern Spendor Classic series, or…. that dam Stirling LS3/6… (gee these things sound good)… Proac D2.. something something… not sure I would prefer the ribbon version btw… Anyway, you were spot on from this side of audiophilia (35 years in the making)

    (I’ve had Sugden A21a, AR Classic sixty + ls2, Exposure S8, 6 and 7, Rogers ls4, Primare 301, Rogers ls3/5, Ruark Icon (not for me but entertaining), Proac Response 2.5… And I’ve heard, it seams, everything under the sun during a one sabbatical year… all the retailers in Mtl remember me I’m sure… cheers
     
  18. Theobald

    Theobald New Member

    If it’s a retro sound, it’s not a sound from the best retros… They were few, but very far away from Cerwin Vega… (What is it with that retro sound expression, how about Quads electrostatics from ‘57… what do you guys do with that…
     
  19. Theobald

    Theobald New Member

    I think we really have to compare with the units in-front of us… I really don’t understand the comments on looks btw… we tend to forget our environment visually, but bad sound will put you on a furious spree of shopping and selling
     
  20. Theobald

    Theobald New Member

    Right again
     
  21. Theobald

    Theobald New Member

    I don’t think underpower would make such a spectacular effect… That speaker is all over the place. Btw I never heard a kevlar that I liked, but I’ve heard more coherent
     
  22. Joshua Tree

    Joshua Tree Forum Resident

    Location:
    Hamburg, Germany
    Right on! :magoo:
     
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  23. three_paws

    three_paws deleted account

    Location:
    USA
    You lost me at YouTube... they're amazing speakers. Especially in person.
     
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  24. hman

    hman Forum Resident

    Location:
    Northport, NY
    How can you hear speakers on youtube?
     
  25. head_unit

    head_unit Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles CA USA
    We heard the Lintons at Audio Element's big open plan shop in Pasadena, CA. They sounded nice and open througout. As such we preferred them to the EVO4.4's narrow sweet spot, and to the $2k Dali towers which were very nice but didn't engage us. The Lintons are actually $1200 + $300 for the custom stands = $1500. While we listened to a variety of music, it was a couple hours not a couple of weeks, and not at a hugely cranked volume. It's quite possible used speakers could be better, that's always true so somewhat a red herring. Versus LS50s...different animal. 8" in a big box takes on a 5" there's not even a war, it is over. Unless you don't care about low bass SPL and listen around that-some people do. I personally like an extended and strong (but not boomy!) low end. As for shouty mids...the only thing I've ever been able to really crank Motorhead on was the Monitor Audio Silver 300s and horn models I made in college (117 dB with a diminutive NAD 3020 driving them). The 300s were $2k at Upscale Audio where I heard them, that was like 2 years ago. Those were great.
     

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