+1 for Yamaha amps powering Wharfedale speakers. I loved the way my Denton 80ths sounded with the Yamaha A-S801.
i was actually considering upgrading my speakers as well (jbl l82 or graham ls6) but if i like the synergy with the yamaha maaaybe i will stick with the dentons.
Am thinking about getting the Linton Heritage speakers but am wondering if my Marantz PM6003, which I really like, can power these sufficiently?
if you can find a used Musical Fidelity A5 integrated that might be a good fit…i used to own one and it was a dynamic lively amp but never bright or harsh…lots of power too, 250 w….
It really depends how far away you will be from the speakers and how loud you like it. I had the 8004 integrated and it was just ok listening at above 80db 12ft away, which I do rarely. The more power the better, as the lintons impedance can get low. On the other end they are not inefficient. If you're listening at 70db 8ft away from the Lintons, I am sure the 6003 would be ok. Beyond that, I would definitely get more juice so dynamics are not compressed.
This. I was going to say something similar, looked up specs: Power Output (8 / 4 Ohm RMS) 45 W / 60 W The Lintons are def 4 ohms or below at some frequencies, so essentially a “4 ohm speaker”. But relatively efficient so 60W may be enough for moderate levels in not too large a room.
I'm with you! End of the day they're just speakers right? And I have yet to encounter a passive, box speaker that didn't benefit from more power on tap for precisely the reason's you state. Agreed. I've had mine hooked up to a Yamaha A-S801 (Good if you don't know what you're missing) a Yamaha A-S2200 (which I definitely preferred to the 801 but couldn't help feeling was not extracting the full potential) and most recently the A-S2200 (as a pre) hooked up to a little Class D amp (XTZ A2-400) which outputs 220w @ 8Ohms and 440w @ 4 and the benefits of not only that grippy "Class D" bass and additional power have been obvious and immediate. And now that I've had "proof of concept" the plan is to try a NAD c298 with it's PuriFi Class D module with a standalone pre-amp and see how that lands. These "cheap" speakers keep impressing with how responsive they are to changes upstream.
The NAD C298 (along with the C165 BEE preamp) may well be “end game” for me. It’s as close to perfection as I’ve ever had at home and less expensive than some other combinations I’ve had. The only negatives involve the preamp- the headphone section could new better and you’ll want an outboard phono stage. I find no fault with the C298 at all.
In another thread where you mentioned the 298 and Linton's as a match made in heaven (or something to that effect?) I asked you to describe why you thought so... care to elaborate? I'd be quite keen to hear your thoughts. In terms of pre amp I'm looking at something far upmarket of the c165. The impression I've formed from reviews (and the guys at my local audio store) is that the c298 is a bit special and can hang in systems with much more upmarket ambitions?
It’s pretty neutral and very resolving without being analytical. You can listen all day without fatigue. Amazing bass control. Extremely dynamic. Mids can sound like tubes if the recording had them in the chain. Highs are about perfect. My last amp was a PrimaLuna integrated and the NAD is worlds better. The NAD sounds like filters have been removed in comparison.
@Toneh I’ve experienced no downsides with the C298 at all. In regards to preamps, I agree and have to say the SPL Elector has hit my radar. No personal experience though.
@Rick58 and I have many times before referenced the Stereophile review of the Linton's in which John Atkinson opines that they "... will work best with amplifiers that are comfortable driving 4 ohms." So yes - you're correct it is a 6 Ohm speaker but he also measured a min impedance of 3.4 ohms at 130Hz and a –46° phase angle @ 5 Ohms. So I guess his opinion is more like practical/real world amp matching guidance based on testing and measuring more gear than you or I will ever even lay hands on? Doesn't technically make it a 4 Ohms speaker, but perhaps what he's suggesting is that from the amps P.O.V it may as well be?
At the moment this is the front runner for me. Not least of all for maintaining quality across its multiple functions while reducing box count. But obviously this is a DAC/streamer/pre amp vs the pure analogue device you're looking at.
I can’t speak to other preamp options but my new to me McIntosh C2300 is the end game for me. Amazing. Great phono handling capabilities as well. I just rewatched that … but yes, technically six that identifies as four.
Just an update: although I was quite happy with my PM6003 powering these I had the opportunity to upgrade to the PM7000N which added network capability (for streaming) to my set up which I am quite happy with. But what sealed the deal for me was that it has a separate optical in for TV which meant I could ditch my separate DAC I used to connect the tv to my PM6003.
Rachel: Do you like our owl? Erm... I mean Lintons Deckard: It's artificial? Rachel: Of course it is. Deckard: 6 or 4 Ohms?
