Same, mine are only 1ft out from the rear wall and the right speaker has a side wall about 1ft away too, it’s where they have to be. I’ve toed them in a bit though. They sound great in this position, no issues..
Don’t I know it! Must have read 10 thread in numerous forums with you and Richard going back and forth. SLO mode forever.
Great compared with your previous speakers in same position? It's all relative. Others appear to have issues similarly placed. My point is you are unlikely getting the best sound these are capable off. Moving gear around does not cost anything as opposed to buying fancy cables to 'correct' the sound.
It took me several weeks before I had them positioned as they are now (it's not easy to move them around and I have damaged my floor boards), but looking at facebook's Wharfedale page, some people even put them tight in the corner of the room and they all say it sounds wonderfully smooth. Crazy!
Some people have never placed speakers properly for aesthetic reasons or domestic harmony. They probably sound smooth whatever position, but that is not the only criteria they should be judged by. I had Missions designed to be close to the wall and recommended to point straight ahead by the maker, but they still sounded better away from the wall and slightly toed in.
I've changed up my amplification again - big time. I now have a Vincent SV-237 hybrid integrated. This is not the usual incremental upgrade. It is the biggest change I've ever heard. Now I really know what great imaging sounds like. A brilliant match for the Lintons.
Anyone heard the Linton's with any Schiit gear? I'm considering 2x Schiit Vidar amps in mono and a Schiit Freya+. Thoughts?
I was looking at the same solution before the Vincent showed up for a good price. I suspect that would be a great setup.
I’d talk to Schitt … the Lintons dip to <4 ohms in the bass, and mono Schitts are only rated into 8 ohms. Thinking a single Vidar would be better, it puts out 200W into 4 ohms. They’re supposedly coming out with a new amp? But I can’t find anything at the moment. PS: see Schitt Vidar (mono’s) + Thiel 2.2 and etc. for more discussion.
Thanks Rick. I did happen to be doing some research yesterday and just happened to watch one of the Schiit live streams from earlier this year. They planning on coming out with a dedicated mono-block amplifier nicknamed 'Tyr' probably sometime in 2022. I believe they'll be class A and they will about $1500 a piece. Jason Stoddard showed the chassis of one in the livestream and it looks like they'll be quite hefty. I want to spend 3 grand but I also don't want to spend 3 grand if you know what I'm saying. I think 2x Vidars will serve me just fine for now.
Rick, so Schiit does indicate that the Vidars are not rated for 4 ohm speakers when running them in mono. Since the Linton's dip down to 4 ohms or even lower at times, would they be more appropriately rated as a 4 ohm speaker? I want to say i'm safe, since they are advertised as a 6 ohm speaker. But I want to be absolutely certain. What do you think? I have talked to one guy on Facebook who is using x2 Vidars with his lintons and he reports to love the combo although he is using them in a small room.
I’d treat the Lintons as 4 ohm speakers, even tho in the midrange they’re 6 ohms. See Wharfedale Linton Heritage loudspeaker Measurements … and note the text “However, the minimum magnitude is 3.4 ohms at 130Hz, and there is a demanding combination of 5 ohms magnitude and –46° electrical phase angle (dotted trace) at 83Hz. The Wharfedale will work best with amplifiers that are comfortable driving 4 ohms.” Not to get too technical but 5 ohms with the -46 degree (capacitive) phase angle is the “equivalent” of about 2.5 ohms. If you’re playing bass heavy tracks there’s a lot of energy in that region of the spectrum. So the amp would be asked to put out lots of power … Would the mono Vidars work? Yes, likely to more than adequate levels in a small to medium sized room. If driven to high levels in a large room with jackhammer bass tracks, likely they’d clip. Possibly even in a medium sized room … It’s just that they’re not designed per se for 4 ohm loads when run in mono. I’d think one Vidar in stereo would be more than adequate for average to loud levels in medium to maybe largish rooms. A single stereo Vidar at 200Wpc isn’t peanuts, esp with a sensitive speaker. 88dB/W/m is fairly sensitive. I’d say get a single Vidar if you want Schitt gear, and see … I guess if the sound or performance at highish volume levels is lacking, either get a second Vidar or maybe trade it in on a pair of Tyrs when they come out. PS/Edit: I’d really like to see Stereophile or others measure the Vidar into 8 and 4 ohm loads in stereo and mono. Schitt MUST have done this, but don’t release the data. I’m speculating that into 4 ohms in mono, likely the usable output power isn’t much more than 200W before things start getting strained. Maybe it goes to 300W or something, but the distortion levels are higher than into 8 ohms. There MUST be a reason they don’t spec into 4 ohms mono, and have statements about possibly shutting down (overheating) at high volumes into 4 ohms, which I’ve seen. PPS: The Freya+ seems like an EXCELLENT preamp, and yes, has balanced outputs. I can’t say that using two Vidars via balanced connections (with reasonable volumes) wouldn’t sound better than a single Vidar using unbalanced. It should … So maybe it’s a good path to do as you suggest, just keep volumes reasonable and listen for signs of distress if you’re cranking it up. Which is always a good suggestion.
I already knew I was running into uneasy territory trying to run the Lintons with 2x mono vidars. One Vidar is probably the right answer. I guess I can't run a balanced system though . Oh well. Anyways- I really like Schiit- I know there are other alternatives when I jump into the $3k range like NAD and Parasound but my impression of Schiit really makes me think that I should hold off until they release Tyr. Hopefully $3k of schiit brings a serious value proposition. Honestly, I feel like the Schiit vision is something I can get behind and I think i'm willing to wait and give Tyr a shot- besides I'm probably gonna itch for something beyond the Vidar eventually anyways.
Unless you have an aversion to class D amps, there's also ps audio, and chances are they'll take your current system as a trade-in. I have found the stellar gain cell and s300 combo to be a really good match with the Lintons, enhancing clarity and dynamics.
I do not doubt that. Not to hold Schiit audio in too high of esteem but I did hear Jason Stoddard say good things about PS Audio. I think he was referencing their DACs. I'll have to give it some consideration. Although I do kind of like the idea of two 45lb class A amplifiers from Schiit and the Freya+ to boot. For a DAC I was thinking the Denafrips Ares II. I got some input from a few guys on facebook that had Vidar, Freya+, Denafrips Ares II and they said everything had pretty good synergy together.
I'm not one to poo-poo someone's decision to make modifications, but I would have thought a floor rug would have been the first consideration? Sounds great, but as your emojis imply, it's impossible to judge from a YT clip.
I've been following Headquarter audio's Linton modification videos and judging from the comments from people who have made the modification, it makes a huge improvement. I'm planning on making some modifications myself but I'm waiting for him to release his next video to get his most recent thoughts and experience. Until then I will probably remove the tweeter and solder the connections directly to the driver and see if I can hear a difference.
Yes, his recently updated crossover modification (you've probably seen the video) is much more extensive now. However, removing the tweeter, of which the metal plate is glued onto the cabinet, is what actually scares me the most. I'm not sure if soldering instead of crimping is worth the trouble. That being said, I'm digging the treble of the Lintons more and more each day ... Don't know if it's me who has adapted to the speaker or if it's thanks to break-in.
I am hesitant about it too but I still would like to give a try. About the Linton's high end- I have to agree. At first I felt like I was really missing something in the top-end detail but now that I've owned them for about a year, I feel like it's about right. My only gripe with the speakers is that sometimes it can sound a bit compressed when listening at low volumes. Or maybe that's just the suggestions from Headquarter audio playing with my head...
