I wouldn't even consider them "bookshelf" speakers. They are big, heavy, and sound even bigger then the towers I replaced them with.
Yes they were those. I didn't listened to the Lintons then, because I was looking for smaller ones for a different system, but the person at the shop commented that the sound was similar but bigger. Is closing the rear ports an option? Ok then I know, but I need to replace some large speakers (2x100 w, 10" woofer) that currently are placed on the bookshelf My current speakers are quite large, when I directly compare smaller speakers to them, there is always something laking at the low frequencies, this is why I am considering large ones.
Think you would be better off with small infinite baffle or front ported speakers with a sub woofer. For Wharfedale maybe consider the smaller Evo models (4.1 or 4.2) which have downward firing ports.
I'm so happy with my Linton's!!! Everything I throw at them sounds more of less how I want a speaker to sound. My room is quite small so when I'm able to move to a bigger place the first thing I'll do is to hook up the Lintons and listen. That won't not be until a few years but still. Until then I'll keep loving them at my current place. Best buy in the last few years!
A Linton review this many years in? Seems pretty unlikely... Perhaps he's got them in to compare with the Dovedales?
Yes, he says it at the end of the long video. When I heard it, I immediately wrote a comment that the Lintons need to be listen to with their grilles on. Some reviewers only discover this at the end of the review period, even though it's stated in the user's manual.
Personally, I keep the grills on at all times with my Lintons, as per Wharfedale's recommendations. Regarding Darko's upcoming review, expect it to be quite subjectivist. It wouldn't surprise me if he likes it without the grills.
Not sure anyone cares, but tomorrow i will receive a new pair of Falcon RAM Studio 10s. For those who remember my comments on the Wharfedale Linton threads and my experiences and pursuit of my next 10 year speaker, this will either bore you, exhaust your patience or generate mild interest. Since selling my PSB Synchrony Ones (owned 10+ yrs) and Harbeth Super HL5+s (3 yrs) i’ve bought and returned (or sold) the following: KEF LS50 W, Klipsch Heresy III, PSB Passif 50, Wharfedale Linton, and Mission 770s. Without regurgitating all the Pros and Cons of each, i will summarize by saying the Missions were my favorite, followed by the Lintons. The others just didn’t suit my tastes. Having said that, if i didn’t already own a very enjoyable REL sub and two sets of monitor speakers, NHT Super Zeros ( love them) and Dynaudio XEO 10s, with 2 pairs of stands, i could have been quite happy with the Missions ! It’s just that for 5k i couldnt escape the feeling that i could buy as much sonic enjoyment for much less with a quality bookshelf speaker and my existing sub. One thing that bothered me with the Lintons and the Missions is that they made my REL pretty much useless. So why not stick with what i own, save money and buy a decent monitor speaker ? Four things are important to me in a bookshelf speaker: 1) decent efficiency (8 ohm, better than 88db sensitivity - so hard to find !) 2) good involving sound at low and moderate volumes 3) no metal drivers or tweeters, just soft dome units, paper or composite drivers 4) no harsh, fatiguing or clinical sound Well, from what i’ve read from the few reviews i found, the Falcons might fit the bill as my next 10 year speaker…updates to follow. I CAN say i am sick of hauling speaker boxes to UPS or FEDEX as returns or sold items, so fingers crossed these Falcons will be a keeper.
I'll write the following reply with best intentions - genuinely hoping to offer some thoughts to help you off this hamster wheel of short-lived, unsatisfactory upgrades - even though I'm certain it will be ignored or met with some sort of defensiveness. Firstly: I'm unsurprised those Mission's eventually frustrated you. They're not very sensitive at all and 50w will only get you so far with an electrically unwilling partner - like those 770's - stifling the outcome. Second: You have a large room and a moderately powered amplifier. So while I do not wish to sound like a mean spirited naysayer - it's my belief that you're barking up the wrong tree with a pair of mini-monitors. A speakers job is to move air and a 5" woofer will only move so much of it - I should know, I've tried it. Even paired with a sub they will not equal a pair of larger speakers in terms of scale, depth of tone or room filling ease. Having been down that route myself - and since a correctly set up subwoofer must be set at a level that is subservient to the mains, the combination will forever be limited by the dynamic and/or room filling capabilities of the mains. Third: For your stated set of aims you should be looking at larger, high sensitivity speakers and I'm not just plucking that out of no-where - that's the route I've gone myself and I can check off every single one of the 4 points on your checklist. These last two and a bit months since upgrading my Linton's have been an eye opener. For nearly 25 years of messing around with audio gear - certainly up until now anyway - I've (incorrectly) assumed that the path to unlocking (seemingly) unfettered dynamics, room filling ease and satisfying low level listening was finally attaining the right amplifier either powerful enough to overpower even the most unwilling transducers or to happen upon some mythical synergy. The pair of 95dB sensitive speakers in my living room right now tell me otherwise. I know people love their low to mid sensitivity speakers and I understand how speaker designers employ sensitivity as a design tool. But it seems to me - based on personal experience - that speakers of middling sensitivity will only ever be so dynamic, go so loud for a given amplifier input and generally go about making music with less apparent ease than a high sensitivity design. Larger drivers and boxes - it seems - can help. But why not have both when they're on offer? Love your amp and don't want to change it? Great! Start with the right speakers and 50w will drive the Allen bolts off of them. Want dynamics and presence even at low levels - start with the speakers... I could go on but the punchline remains the same... Start with the speakers and work backward. Good luck to you. Sincerely. Decorum suggests that I should add the caveat - I hope I'm wrong - but having tried the same routes you're describing here, hoping for what appears to be similar outcomes I don't think that I am.
hmmmmmm … seems you love the Forte IVs more than Lintons. Intriguing. I assume so, but wonder if they are as musical, image as well, and all that. What do you perceive as differences between them and the Lintons, if I might inquire?
thanks for your input, Toneh and i take no offense, but i’m not looking for concert levels in my room…yes, it’s pretty decent size yet both the Lintons and the Missions filled the space nicely. As for the Missions, i felt the 50W Simaudio was an excellent fit and provided all the grunt and dynamics i needed. They certainly didn’t frustrate me ! I liked them a lot …Even my sub and NHTs give me a very pleasant experience with 50 quality watts. The Falcon Studio 10s are rated at 89db and are an 8ohm speaker, so i believe i’ll be able to attain the volume levels i am comfortable with. My priorities as i age are an involving, musical experience, tone being very important, more so than detail, but maybe a bit more relaxed sound as my ears are more sensitive due to tinnitus. My younger self would have agreed with your summation. Ten years ago i would not have owned an amp less than 150w, but my listening habits have changed. So we’ll see….
Hi Rick. I'll try to answer carefully and only from my personal experience. For starters I'm not a Klipsch advocate or devotee. I'm unfamiliar with the sound of any Klipsch speaker outside of the Forte IV. I have it on good authority that the version IV models have turned a real corner in terms of refinement and audiophile "chops" and that earlier generations could be - to varying degrees - all the things you normally hear about Klipsch speakers... hot up top, fatiguing, brash, unrefined and so on. For starters - in the context of my set up which remains unchanged since I had the Linton's (save for a pair of bi-wire jumpers I've added recently to great effect) - I hear them as being equally laid back as the Linton's. But my views in this regard are an outlier it seems. Many report a more forward presentation. Not bad in and of itself I guess - just more "front row" than "row 5 or 6". But as I say - I don't hear them that way. Ditto in terms of top to bottom balance. Just like the Linton no part of the audio spectrum sticks out, calling attention to itself. It's all in proportion. To directly answer your question the Forte's better the Linton's in any parameter that matters to me - but specifically in a way that builds on the Linton's positives... scale, bass impact and weight (without so much as a hint of there being any less speed or articulation than we both enjoy/ed from the Linton) and of key importance to me - 1) they're in a different league of enjoyment at lower levels remaining dynamic and engaging in a way that the Lintons (good as they can be at this) can't match, and 2) they're significantly more transparent. To be clear - they're not etched or "hyper-detailed" speakers by any stretch but they lay bare details the Linton's could only hint at. This matters... not because I want to hear detail for details sake, but because it aids realism. And it's not just "fun but ultimately irrelevant" stuff like hearing the stool creaking under the pianists weight... that's all good and fine... I'm talking about higher discernment of the recording or mastering techniques employed or more of the recording venue ambience coming through... or a more "explicit" rendition of the tone of instruments. And bass has been most gratifying... on paper they don't go much lower than the Linton's do despite those huge woofers - the vastly higher sensitivity will no doubt be an influencing factor here - but "in room" there's a dynamic impact and a sort of "completeness" to the bass that's really well worth checking out. I tried them side by side while I still had both speakers in house and well... the single 8" woofer could only do what it could do. And that's probably as a good a point as any to make my last point on the key differences - Dynamics. The Linton's sound dynamically restrained by comparison. I notice it the most on subtle stuff especially. The little micro dynamic shadings. Drums in particular drive this home to me. Someone told me that's the "horn effect" I wonder if it has to do with their 95dB sensitivity? Music just flows easier out of these... again... good as the Linton is at this, I find this better. And speaking of horns... they sound just like regular speakers to me... no "cupped hands" honk or squawk. I'll finish by repeating what I started saying - I'm not a Klipsch devotee or advocate. We all have different gear, rooms and tastes. Plus we don't all hear things the same. I would merely say that if you someday consider wanting that proverbial "more" than builds on everything you love about your Linton's, don't sleep on the Forte IV's. They're at least worth the time it takes for an audition - preferably in your own room.
I'm glad you took no offence - because I intended none. I respect your aims and what you're trying to achieve - I believe they're fundamentally similar to my own. I want music to enjoy, presented to me with ease, not strain... in a way that fosters relaxation - not forced onto my lap with conspicuous effort. It's been my most recent experience that high sensitivity speakers have been the missing piece in my system matching endeavors to date. If the speakers are the true arbiter of your end results - and they are - why pick designs that do less with a given amplifier input? And if you've got a big room to fill - knowing speakers only job is to excite air - physics being what it is, a bigger speaker will get there so much easier? All I'm getting at is - you're going in the opposite direction of where you last found a favourable result - Larger speakers. It's a curious move is all. And I was not being facetious or sarcastic when I wished you well. It just pains me to see people going through several, rapid fire options that don't satisfy when the correct route already seems readily apparent?
@Rick58 I listened to what @Toneh said and I couldn’t be happier. The Forte IV is a huge jump up from the Lintons.
Wow!!! Sounds very intriguing. But I think it’ll be a few years before I’d seriously consider changing. I don’t swap speakers often. Altho I had the MA Silver 8s for not too many years, they were good. But the Lintons give me more of what I enjoy and have bigger scale. I gave the 8s to my daughter. Maybe in a few years I’ll give her the Lintons? Nah, I think I’ll insist on setting them up in a separate system. Could probably drive the Forte IVs with my 300B SETs … or get a somewhat more powerful tube amp.
We're all susceptible to thinking the last new thing we bought or the thing we own is the greatest. I'm the same as anyone else in that regard, so take what I've said with as big a grain of salt as you like. If you re-read what I wrote though you'll see I went to pains to reference and compare the performance of the Linton's in a positive way. There are no veiled insults or hyperbolic comparisons being drawn. The Linton's are a phenomenal value - probably under-priced for what they are. But they have physical limitations just like any other speaker and they offer a presentation that does not suit everyone entirely - just like any other speaker. The Forte's feel like a "culmination" of sorts... They're the physical distillation and embodiment of many (until now) disparate trains of thought I've been musing over for what feels like ages. The Linton's were a giant flashing route marker on the road here and they'll remain a part of my personal speaker hall of fame because of it. But put simply after the "taste" I got from the Linton, I wanted to try an even larger speaker and I wanted to break the 12" woofer barrier just to see what results are like... I wanted a high sensitivity speaker too... it was my theory that combining these factors would result in a speaker that would present and pressurize and fill the room even more effortlessly than the Linton can, with greater scale and authority. And that's how it's turned out to be - in a sort of "proof of concept" kind of way. So yes - to quote what you said upthread... ... that would be a fair assessment of the situation. And that's not to say the Forte's are the only route there either... @mreeter seems understandably smitten with his new Atalante 5's for example and as the Linton's pointed the way to these Klipsch for me - funds and time permitting - the Forte's in their turn may prove yet another route marker to something that pushes the concept further still?
