this is the only place on the internet talking about them. Like, I do a search, and only this comes up and that stupid stereophile article. I was just curious what other people were saying about them and saw only a bunch of people hungry for impressions, so I wanted to feed and give some, but f me right? I have a Holo Spring L3 fed by a Lynx E22, Vidar and Saga (IN BLACK SO RARE SO MUCH CRED++) with the new recreated version of the Raytheon 6SN7
Please do not shout at me, this forum is actually very civilized. No one cares if you have a megabuck system or spinning vinyl on a Crosley. The reason for listing your kit is to tell other members what you are listening to so they can validate your impressions on various equipment. With those words I wish you welcome to the forum.
This is the setup they were on. I didn't bring my gear, but I thought about it. On one of my visits, they switched it up and just used the DAC portion and output it to a different 15W 7 tube amp which I totally forgot the name of, because when I listened to them on there, they lost most of the liveliness and engagement I felt from the setup on this page. To be fair tho, I didn't let the tubes even warm up before I bailed and moved on to check out the 11 other floors of hotel rooms full of speaker setups.
it's clear that they say whatever they can that is "positive" about the sound of a room- or in this case they change the subject altogether. a mention is a mention and therefore it must be good even if it really sounded horrible. i have lost all respect for stereophile the way they avoided anything critical in their AXPONA coverage since I hears LOTS to be critical about.
Slippers- it is true that one demo in a hotel room does not a speaker make- but it's all we have to go on at this point. They had their chance and failed. The sound of these Lintons was awful compared to others in its price range. The fact that they made them look like Harbeth monitors (probably down to the inch) offends further because they sound nothing like them. And to be sure- no amount of run-in is going to cure what I heard- which is a midrange forward voicing and nothing else. No warmth whatsoever. Although as we all know- they can redesign them before release to the public. People asked what they sounded like and I told them. Be sure to listen before you buy or have a hassle free return policy.
Did they have them hooked into that garbage tube amp when you were there? What songs did they play? Dire straits over Roon was breathtaking for me, and then they played some string heavy vinyl, and it was so crisp. You're like, making me question my sanity. When they played some AC/DC, it was just OK, and same with the Death Cab I asked for, definitely not the best I'd ever heard. Did you judge them on one track and leave? I don't blame you for that, because I did that with a LOT of setups. There was too much there to hear to wait around to see if maybe the next track would play better.
I take your point, but I heard them Saturday and was really disappointed. I was expecting to like them, hoping to like them. Room, lack of break-in, poor synergy, it doesn't matter. You know the saying, "only one chance to make a first impression."
I'm a big Spendor and Harbeth fan but they have literally priced themselves out of the market. I hope wharfedale sells a ton of these.
I've been wanting to hear the new, improved Dentons (85th, not 80th) ... I bet those are real killers of high-priced Harbeth/Spendors!
Yes! I have read no comments from actual owners of the 85th Dentons. I would have thought that someone on or near this forum would have had a listen by now.
I suspect the Lintons if they did sound good would still be out classed in performance by Spendor and Herbert at their price.
Considering how close the new A4 sounds to a pair of SP100s, I have to disagree. I've heard many a $5K pair of speakers that don't compete with the A4s and A7s. There are some that do certain things better, however, I've encountered none that sound as balanced. I would like to believe the Lintons are genuine giant slayers, but IME, even the very best speaker bargains only compete with others of ~2X the price. That even goes for factory-direct brands, and the venerable Maggie or Vandersteen. So in this case, assuming they're something special, they might fare well against the average $3K speaker - not quite to the level of the BBC brethren.
I would suspect a speaker costing $1000 and $1400 with stands would not have as great a refinement/performance/fidelity as a speaker costing $2500 and up.
Been staring at these new Wharfedale speakers wondering why I can't move on to another thread as I am usually not attracted to stand mounted speakers. Then it dawned on me...they remind me of an old friend... The Polk Monitor 5B. I had both the 5B and 7C in my younger days, so I am afraid from a physical perspective I am suffering a bit from nostalgia. I'd still like to hear these new Wharfedale speakers though. I bet I could get them to sound good in my room.
Monitor 5JR Series II were my first "real" speaker. They sounded so much better than the Cerwin Vega's that were 3X the size that they replaced. My gateway drug.....
No one is saying they're going to be 'as good as' three, four, five thousand dollar speakers. But they'll offer a nice version of that British 70's sound for a reasonable price. Seven thousand dollars for a pair of Sp1/2's is insane.
That's assuming they sound the way they look. A Spendor or Harbeth still sound like a Spendor or Harbeth, without much break-in, and whether playing in a home, retail shop, or hotel room. One would hope they retain the charm that made the 80th Denton so popular. However, even the greats can produce the occasional flop.
The 80th are not speakers for having a rave in your living room, but I can hear every note on a bass guitar and they sound full and the kick drum goes reasonably low. I never feel I'm missing any music. The 80ths have more bass then the P3ESR. I struggled to hear the lowest bass notes on a lot of reggae on the Harbeth.
