Dynaudio Heritage Special's. I'm not normally much of a Dynaudio fan generally but these sounded pretty good to me... which I guess they should do at their price! I had high hopes for the X3 - "on paper" it's the one I really wanted. But as I say, on the day it just didn't grab me, while the Yamaha felt like something special. More lively, more dynamic with a real feeling of speed and immediacy? Also the presentation just sounded more holographic. Perhaps it was the speaker combo, but if I didn't know their respective specs going in and had to guess which one was more powerful I would've guessed the Yamaha Perhaps another factor could be - the X5 may differ slightly to the X3? Wouldn't be the first time I've encountered or heard of products from the same line where the "magic" isn't necessarily transferable between models? For what it's worth cabling throughout (including power cords - not that I could care less about fancy power cords, haha) was Nordost and the source was the BlueSound Node direct via it's analogue outs to keep things even (that last bit at my request since that's my current streaming device... even though I run mine digital out)
Well, IMO they make an exceptional pairing with the Linton's. I planned to try the A-S1200 initially, then I thought - my DAC is balanced - why not try the balanced 2200 instead? And I'm glad I did, turns out the 2200 is more than just a 1200 with a XLR input. Out of interest my original shortlist was Technics SU-G700, Yamaha A-S1200, Michi X3 & Musical Fidelity M6Si. Two "modest" power options and two 200w+ behemoths. But really this A-S2200 sounds more powerful and composed than it's rating would suggest. Bass in particular plays with real control and authority and yet it doesn't sound over-restrained and dry. Under normal circumstances black would be my first choice - but I was offered a very good discount on the last boxed silver unit they had in the stockroom plus a generous trade in price for my 801, so I took it! Also I recently bought a little entry level Yamaha CDP which I use as a transport to my DAC and the dealer was willing to swap my black unit for their (unused) silver display unit so I'd have a matching silver set-up. How could I say no?! And thanks for the congratulations. I will be interested to hear of your experience should you audition it. Sorry to hear of your troubles with the 501 though... to me I think of Yamaha as the "Toyota" of audio in terms of reliability.
Yea, it's true, the X5 and X3 might just sound a bit different. I agree with that comparison, btw. I think the Yamaha has more sparkle, transparency, and energy. I think the X5 might be a bit smoother. But between the two, I'd go Yammie, too. I heard the X5 with the Harbeth P3, by the way. It was a beautiful combo. Would love to hear it again and do an AB comparison with an AS-X200 model. I'm a bit underwhelmed by the P3 with the 801, unfortunately. Tried the Harbeth with the Ruby and the 8006, too, and wasn't super impressed, either. I think the Harbeth might be a bit picky. (They don't sound bad with the 801, just not nearly as beautiful as they do with the AS-1200.)
I've had the pleasure of listening to the Harbeth M40's a couple of times. They'll give you what you want. And quite possibly a subsequent divorce given the asking price for a set!
Sorry if I missed it in this thread. How are the Lintons for rock and metal? I absolutely love the look of these speakers and their stands, especially the mahogany and have always wanted to try them. I’m moving in a month and will finally have a room better for listening and was debating trying then. I have the Evo 4.2 which do well with clarity and detail, but was hoping to supplement them with something that rocks better. Always been a fan of any wharfedale I have owned
Haha, I feel like I'm one wrong move away from divorce most days Indeed, these speakers have made it onto my radar precisely because I have heard they have this magical duality. But as you say the asking price is not to be taken lightly!! Thanks for the tip though.
I listened to the Evo 4.4's when I was first auditioning the Linton's. Very nice speakers, but a very different presentation. To extract detail and clarity from the Linton's - IMO - takes quite "intentional" partnering. In the wrong company they can sound rolled off, veiled and a little tubby. Placement is key too, which of course is true of just about any speaker but some are more tolerant of less than optimal placement. The Linton's aren't. I almost wrote them off first time I heard them, they were on the end of a gooey tube amp and in a room that seemed to have a pronounced bass mode which made them sound congested and boomy. Nothing against tube amps generally, just the Linton's are perhaps more of an acquired taste or "too much of a good thing" with partnering gear that is too rich and "saturated". I don't listen to much rock so unfortunately can't offer comment, but with the stuff I do mostly listen to - acoustic jazz, small ensemble or solo classic and (well mastered) electronica these are hand on heart some of the finest speakers I've ever owned... they've just got a way of reproducing the "fullness" of a sound... and I don't just mean frequency extension... they somehow just get the myriad reverbs, resonances, decays and tone right in a way most speakers that seem to be striving for maximum resolution just don't. It's a sound with meat on it's bones. These aren't "detail first" speakers if that's what you're going for... but they certainly are "music first" and when the rest of your set up is optimal - as I said before with careful partnering - they can be surprisingly revealing. At the height of my audiophile excess I was doggedly focused on resolution and neutrality (whatever that means? ). Now on my second go around with audio these speakers have changed my approach for the better.
Thanks. Not worried about detail first, I have the Evos for that and will eventually upgrade on them down the line. Looking for something a little more forgiving and with a little more mid bass when listening to rock/metal, whether CD or vinyl. I have heard them described as laid back a few times which would help with tougher masterings. The Evos really expose poor masters, but when I give them something great I love them. Ignoring genre do you think these will do that for me to some degree or should I look elsewhere? Would be partnered with PS Audio Stellar pre and power amp for what it’s worth. I am not too concerned about placement, I have flexibility and going to use some acoustic treatments on the walls as needed
No problem. I decided to sell mine after all, just because I have too many speakers, but it's not because I disliked anything about them. I think they're really great for the kind of listening you're looking to do, and you'll really enjoy them.
Well I think you might find a lot to like then! The Linton's are revealing enough that they won't entirely gloss over bad recordings... but they won't render them with unforgiving scrutiny either. With respect to @mrkrinkle's view, I differ in that I don't consider them "warm" - that would imply that they add warmth to everything they play which they don't. As I mentioned before, they merely have some "meat on their bones" that makes them sound fuller than the ubiquitous narrow baffle, small driver speakers that are prevalent these days. Sorry - I'm unfamiliar with the sound signature of PS Audio gear. My two cents is that they pair better with upstream gear that leans a little cooler/leaner, ideally something with a "sparklier" top end and a bit of what Naim fans call PRAT... partnered with gear that's too warm or rolled off up top and it may all sound a bit too laid back and "fuzzy slippers" if you know what I mean? But that's just for my tastes... YMMV. I think you may have picked up by now that my response to that question would be "yes" Good to hear you've got flexibility with placement, that's ideal. Finally - and this may seem like a small thing, but it's not - but make sure if you end up buying them that you're getting a matched pair. The serial numbers should be identical, not sequential like some manufacturers do. I only mention this because of my own experience... I was initially given an unmatched pair, the dealers were under the (incorrect) impression that as long as you had a left and right speaker you were good to go. Turns out I ended up with one speaker with a noticeably stronger treble response than the other leading to treble sounding skewed to one channel. And since even high frequency dispersion is crucial to soundstaging and imaging I initially developed an lesser impression of their abilities in these regards until I realized something was wrong. They don't image quite as well as the aforementioned narrow baffle designs, but the second (matched) pair I received after returning the first ones made a huge difference! Also from an aesthetic P.O.V - the matched pair will have matching veneers on the cabinets.
Hmm, that's an interesting distinction. I've done AB comparisons with the Yamaha HS8s and KLH Model 5s, and the Lintons in my ears definitely sound warmer and more midrange happy. To me that meaty quality is in the speakers rather than at the source, so I guess I do think of that warmth as an end of chain addition.
I think you can call me a Dynaudio fan. Right now I have the Lintons next to the Confidence C1. The reason why I like Dynaudio is actually not much different than why I like the Lintons. Comeau and Dynaudio both seem to strive for a balanced, homogenous presentation with seamless transition from one driver to the other. The woofer or the tweeters don't beg for your attention. The C1 is more 3D but also more 'editorialized'. Play something from the '60s or '70s on the C1s and you might think it's recorded yesterday. I never heard the Heritage Special though. They might have a more direct and less beautifying presentation compared to the classic Dynaudio house sound. Who knows, maybe they are closer to the Lintons?
I listen to rock a lot in a 40 + m2 room and experience room filling sound with fine bass extension. The Lintons don't go quite as loud as my previous speakers (Yamaha NS1000M) witkout strain, but it's still more than sufficient, and I like my music loud! Further more, the "fullness" of the Lintons is what really benefits when listening to rock (well any genre really). The other day I was listening to stoner rock at very high volumes and it was such a blast. Just a rich full wall of sound right in the face. Bliss.
Am thinking about getting the Linton Heritage speakers but am wondering if my Marantz PM6003, which I really like, can power these sufficiently?
It all depends on the size of your audio space. In a mid-field configuration, you would be fine, but as with most speakers, the Linton's are scalable; they sound better with more capable and powerful amps. I had the pm 8006 on them fora while, but moving to a ps audio stellar stack made a great deal of difference. They were mellow with the marantz and became more detailed and dynamic with the ps audio.
This to any potential Linton buyers: It has been mentioned before, but I'll do it again anyway: They need break in. They'll sound good out of the box, but they sound great after 50 hours or so.
I'll chime in since my large majority of my physical music collection on LP, vinyl, and CD are metal and hardcore punk, my Wharfedale Linton speakers work very well. From old-school death metal (Cannibal Corpse, Malevolent Creation, Obituary), black metal (various lo-fi to early black metal bands), thrash (more modern like Enforced and Power Trip to old-school like Metallica, Sodom, Sepultura), the Lintons sound very good overall, especially in the mid-range. I also threw in some classic rock CDs like Supertramp, Deep Purple, and Led Zeppelin (none of them are brickwalled masters) and they also sounded great to my ears. Electronic music with a lot of bass are also great, provided that you place them away from the walls or else it'll sound very flubby.
What distance would you call midfield? Right my current speakers are positioned that my listening position is the tip of an equidistant triangle of 2m20cm, which the front part of my living room. The room is open behind my listening position but there is the dinner table cum office table (an upstairs room has yet to be converted into a proper working-from-home office). When that upstairs room is finished I intend to to move my Marantz set with their JMLab Daline speakers to it and get something new (Leak Stereo 130 maybe) for in the living room connecting that to the Lintons.
220cm is about 7ft5.. yes, that's mid-field.. I had the Lintons positioned just like that on one of my room, and they were much much better there than when I had them about 13ft away. I feel like you're in a really good spot...
This is good to know. I will likely be at about 9 feet, hopefully it doesn’t make that much of a difference otherwise I’ll move **** around.
