Crutchfield: shop-links.co/chzSjggEcbv Amazon: amzn.to/3nCdJyq If you are interested in buying this speaker to try out, please consider using the above affiliate links which earns me a small commission at no additional cost to you.
Thanks to your excellent reviews (you are without a doubt the best audiophile / speaker reviewer on RU-vid right now), I've narrowed down my purchase to the KEF R3 Meta and this Wharfedale Linton 85. I'm leaning a bit more toward the KEFs at the moment, because in your review of that speaker it seems like there are fewer trade offs given that I own a pretty decent subwoofer (Speedwoofer 10s). What do you think? Do you think it's better to get speakers-such as these Wharfedales-that can handle more bass on their own? Or are the positives that the KEFs bring more essential to a great listening experience?
@@zacharybrewer4373Well, they really do sound quite different thanks to the wider radiation of the Linton (±50° on the R3 Meta vs ±70° on the Linton). The R3 Meta is overall a more 'neutral' speaker. But, I like both speakers. It's hard for me to say one is definitely better than the other because they're both quite good in their own right. As for using with a subwoofer; both will benefit greatly from one. If you have a place that you can order both from and try them both then I'd recommend doing that. If I had to pick one to recommend I'd probably lean toward the R3 Meta simply because it's overall more neutral, and given I don't know if you'd like a more narrow or more wider radiation. I hope that helps. If you do wind up ordering either, and don't mind, I'd really appreciate it if you'd use my affiliate link: howl.me/ck5H5EixFcY
@@ErinsAudioCorner Thanks for the advice! I accidentally ordered the wrong color (Black Gloss) of the R3 Metas a couple days ago. I will be returning them to Best Buy as soon as they arrive. After that, I'll click your link and order the color I prefer (Walnut). I was thinking I would power the R3s with a new Yahmaha R-N800A receiver. But I saw in one of your other videos that you don't recommend powering them with an AVR. Do you think the R-N800A is insufficient?
@@ErinsAudioCorner I bought both the R3s and the Lintons and tested each one for about a week each. I bit the bullet and purchased a $4000 Yamaha R-N2000A, which I used to power both (its amp is definitely powerful enough). I also paired both with my Speedwoofer 10s subwoofer. I returned the KEFs today. The warmness of the Lintons ultimately won me over. The precision of the KEFs impressed me more initially, but after long listening sessions, that precision started to sound a bit harsh. In contrast, I was happy listening to the Lintons from dawn till dusk. They Lintons are "smoother". They blend sounds better, whereas the KEFs keep every instrument distinct. The Lintons are like soup that tastes better after its been left in the fridge for a day. Even though its less "fresh", it still tastes better, because the flavors have had time to blend together. Anyway, thanks for helping my find my "perfect" speakers-or at least speakers I'm very happy with! You do great work! I would not have even heard about the Lintons if not for you. I just gave you a small PayPal donation.
I don't think anyone is doing what you're doing. Your approach to reviews is unique, detailed, and much appreciated. Your channel is highly undervalued.
This is great content. Seriously it's a cut above the rest of the RU-vid reviewers out there. Having solid data to backup your subjective take is invaluable. Keep up the good work!
Hi Erin, thanks to this and your other enthousiastic videos about the Lintons, I have just bought a pair and I could not have been happier (especially given the price).
I'm a Linton owner. I love the richness in the midrange, it's an incredible speaker for bring out vocals. The tweeter is a bit mellow, and the bass takes a while to break in, I found the bass driver loosened up nicely and improved it's thump after a couple hundred hours. I have really enjoyed them. The Heresy which I have listened to, it's wonderful for jazz and classical but I find that it colors vocals a little. In a larger space where it can breathe it's less pronounced but if you are on top of the speaker, the directional nature of the horns, it can be a bit overpowering. The Linton is also interesting because even though it's rear ported, it's not too bad to have it just six inches away from a wall because the 8" bass driver isn't tuned so aggressively to drown anything else out, in fact I prefer it to get a little more bass loading near the walls, so that makes them a little easier to place in a smaller space vs. the Heresy which I really feel like it needs a room to breathe in.
@@charlieaydin1377 I have an Arcam SA20 integrated. It’s a nice Swiss Army knife of an amp. It does a neat little trick with dynamics because it mostly runs in pure class A but if it needs reserves it can go AB for more power. The only criticism I can think is if you are a bass head it’s a little reserved in combination with the Linton but that’s what suits me personally. I like to hear the bass, I don’t necessarily have to feel it. It makes for a really balanced presentation. The DAC is great, the MM phono stage doesn’t leave me wanting to upgrade either.
@@gdwlaw5549 As a vinyl guy, I love the presentation and the stands still, great vintage vibe. The price is fair in my opinion, one of those few things where you get a little more than you pay for. The mid range presentation is warm and buttery. Beautiful. The tweeter is laid back and natural sounding, you give up what some might say is air and detail, personally, I find certain tweeter designs to be a little too aggressive, this is very vintage sounding in that regard. The one thing is that bass driver takes time to move and break in to fill the speaker out. It's a little bit of a time commitment. I found some songs with a forward kick drum to really make that think move and break and would play them a little loud and walk away sometimes to let it stretch, it takes many hours to break this woofer in. Thing is, the way the ports are tuned you can put them reasonably close to the back wall without them booming or hearing port noise coming off it, I'm not saying right up against it, but I don't know, maybe a foot off the wall (maybe not even that much) is all it needs to breathe and sound good, so if you want a little extra bass you can just move them back a little and they are fine. Obviously, you can add a powered woofer, I didn't, I wanted the simplicity of not having to fight to get the blend right. Once you get it broken in and placed in your room, it's a pleasant musical bass, if you give it some juice especially, it can slam a bit, but it's not like movie theater rumble your seat bass. I use them for two channel theater too, for my tastes it's fine for that, but your milage may vary if you are a bass head and think oh wow, a three way with eight-inch woofers, that will slam... It has it's lower limits, what it does it does well and clean, but it's not going to shake your insides. If the deepest most intense bass from a system without a sub isn't a priority and you are not one of those guys that is listening for a super detailed high end, you prefer a warmer velvety vintage sound, I think it does everything you could want it to. I listen to them on an Arcam SA20 integrated. It's a nice pairing and I really wanted a simple swiss army knife kind of amp, DAC, Vinyl Preamp, all in one. I'd say it sounds really clean on the slightly warm side. That said, I did audition them in store with a Yamaha A-S1200 - and OMG is that a fun rock and roll pairing. Lot's of growl and attitude. It's a really fun pairing if you want to crank it and play heavier music on it. Sometimes I wish I would have spent a little more, added a DAC and got the A-S1200, but at the time the Arcam was on sale for less than half the price of that Yamaha so I voted with the wallet. I do think the Arcam sounds a little better at lower listening volumes, but when you let it rip, the Yahama A-S1200 and Linton's seem like they were made exactly for that purpose together.
Brilliant content as usual Erin. I think your channel deserves to grow a lot. My only constructive critique is to not labour on points so much and cut out any repetition. That being said, I think your combination of honest, down to earth and relatable subjective analysis combined with what must be some of the best measurements published anywhere makes your channel uniquely interesting and of high value. The convoluted sound clips idea is also a really nice addition allowing us to hear relative differences in tonal balance. You must have one of the most undervalued channels in the field of audio at the moment! Really great work. All the best.
I appreciate the feedback. I'm still in my "play around" phase with how I want to do these listening examples. Lots of ideas. Just have to keep plugging and see what works best.
Oh man I'm so glad I bought these speakers. I got them when they first came out based on their vintage style. There were some reviews/info out at the time, but not the glowing reviews that are now out for them. I just liked the look of them, and I love Wharfedale speakers in general. After the first week of listening to them, I was in love and these speakers were special. By far the most enjoyable speakers I have ever listened to. I also have 3 x LS50 metas in my HT room, so best of both worlds. Great review Erin, glad you liked them 👍
Erin, you are the gold standard for how reviews should be done. Everyone should be studying your content and your approach, including your willingness to consider feedback like I've seen in some comments. Not just speaker reviews, mind you, but all types of reviews. Car reviews, knife reviews, hot dog reviews. All of it. Speaking to speaker reviews in particular, there are a few people that will completely disregard a speaker, in any context, if the spin-o-rama data is not what they want to see. Frustrating. Even more frustrating are the people - the majority of "speaker reviewers" - who have no interest in the data. They just want to listen to the speaker, all biases in tact, and tell you what they think. This one has great soundstage, this one is warm, this one is fast and punchy, this one will fill a room. Buzz words that mean nothing without data. Guys that never have anything bad to say about any speaker they review or, in some cases, nothing good to say. Even worse, they're pretentious about it. You know who you are. Stop pretending. The clickbait fad will falter eventually and the ones making quality content, like Erin, will be left standing.
I'm bying a used pair of these tomorrow. Can't wait. You guys in US have access to all the good stuff, us in Denmark have to be vigilant and ready to move!
I enjoyed these when I was at Axpona in 2019. The little brother to these, the Denton 85th were my favorite speakers for a long time and are still high on my Speaker Leaderboard. I really liked the use of the anechoic impulse response to convolve the songs for the demo. That's next level stuff in this audio review space. On a selfish level, I'm just happy I get to talk to you about IR convolution without seeming like the crazy person. I'm curious how far the idea can go.
I have both the Lintons and the Denton 85. The Dentons have more upper mid-range and treble energy, resulting in better clarity, especially noticeable during movie dialog. I do prefer the big and lifelike sound of the Lintons. It's as if the music seems to come from one full-range driver.
@@cremersalex Hello. I have heard both the Lintons and the Dentons (both 85th /anniversary) but in different systems. I like a good two way and was impressed with the Dentons. I have to admit to having a two way bias but I also love how the Lintons sound as well. I am wondering if a 2.2 system with Dentons and subs might be a smoother performer (from 1KHz up) than the Lintons? Have you seen any reliable response measurements done of the Dentons? Thanks for any comments or redirects.
@@morayjames92 In my experience, the Denton 85 sounds brighter than the Lintons, so if you have older, less perfect recordings, or remasters where they have applied too much high frequency EQ, they might become less pleasant to listen to. This is never a problem on the Lintons though, especially not after months of usage (at first I heard too much mids and not enough treble, but they get better over time, and now I think they are almost perfect). If you don't listen to 'questionable' material, then the Denton 85 can sound very impressive, giving you more clarity than the Lintons. I loved them for watching movies because I could understand the dialog very well. Sorry, but I don't have any experience with subs and I don't think I've seen much measurements for the Dentons either. The Lintons seem to be much more popular.
@@cremersalex thanks for your reply. I guess we will have to find a pair of Dentons and try them to see in the intended system. Since the Denton uses the same tweeter as the Linton's they should be able to be adjusted to work the real question will be can they play with subs and achieve the desired levels. Thanks again for responding.
I had to come back and watch this review a 2nd time, I just ordered a pair of the Linton's. Unfortunately I ordered from a place not listed in the affiliate links. What I didn't catch the 1st time I watched was the actual speaker sensitivity...I hope it's not an issue with a tube amp I was hoping to pair with them. Such a great thorough review, I'm really starting to miss your video's Erin, you truly are one of the best speaker reviewers out there. Hope you are doing well and that life is getting back to some type of normalcy for you. I'll be keeping an eye out for you at the 2023 Florida Audio Expo..take care, peace.
I've been repeatedly searching RU-vid for a very good presentation for the three speakers I'm Eyeing : Cabasse Jersey MC 179, Linton 85 and PSB Imagine T2. Reason for the choice is that I've narrowed them down to ones available around my place . Your presentation made me decide to go for the Linton 85 due to your scientific measurement, personal assessment and sound demo. Hope every other presenter could follow your method and limit the regrets after buying the speaker. Many thanks :)
The opening commentary clearly showed a measured truly objective measured approach. These speakers are indeed superb. Agree with every word said. There are so many speakers that are designed to grab your attention, but are tedious to listen-to. These speakers are excellent for long term listening and provide the detail that is simply impressive.
Great review, and your hunch is 100% correct - Peter Comeau has mentioned this in interviews - all Wharfedale's heritage series loudspeakers are designed to be used with the grills on.
Thanks Erin! This is the most accurate review and also probably the most informative video on Lintons. I own a pair of Lintons and enjoying them from last 6 months. Really appreciate your hardwork in recording the demo. Very well done 👍. Feel so happy while listening to the demo, those Lintons are very close to original track.
I bought the Denton 85 blind because I owned Wharfedale speakers previously and really enjoyed them. I’m glad I bought them. They look and sound great!
I have a set of Pioneer HPM 40's from late 70's/early 80's that I love. 3 way, 10' woofer and they have bass! I replaced the caps and resistors and they woke up and i really enjoy them. You can buy a 6" mid/tweeter speaker and add a sub but its not the same.
It's hard to get nearly the results of a 3-way with an 8" midbass from any 2-way. 2-ways always seem compromised to a degree. It's not that it's impossible, but for almost any 2-way, you'll trading off output from the woofer or the tweeter. You can run a 2-way with a smaller woofer, but you only have so much cone area available. A port or PR is only going to help so much. Or you run a bigger woofer and have pairing issues to the tweeter. So you're picking some rarer tweeters that can actually get down low, but you can't get high output from them. Or you go bigger and pick a full range 2" or maybe even 3" as your high end, and trade away off-axis behavior. Just going through numbers, an 8" woofer just gets you to a really good point for general use (just not super loud use), and there's enough products on the market that are good. You also get variety in the midrange and tweeter combos that work quite well, and you can mix and match a variety of different combos for the desired goals. And the packaging remains small enough to not end up with a huge enclosure. Output breadth is, at least for me, a fundamental necessity. You need to cover the spectrum first and foremost just to play the whole of the music. If you short the top and/or bottom, you're missing content.
@@dgregory4178 My very first speakers were HPM-40's. Underrated speaker of it's time. The big brother HPM-100's are still very highly regarded by many.
@@scotth6814 I refurbed a set of HPM-100 as well back in the day. I didn't have the ability to measure freq response at the time but they didn't sound as good as the 40's. These things were beasts tho. I believe the front baffles were 1.5" thick MDF. Sold them in one day on Craigslist
Really great reviews, educated subjective opinions backed up with great measured objective data. One of the very few reviewers worth listening to. Thanks for your efforts. Best wishes.
It looks like a horribly engineered speaker: no waveguide, no advanced port geometry, no inherently rigid cabinet shape, no DSP, no circuit protection, bad ceiling and floor reflections, lobeing, internal reflections (glad they have a ton of batting, not having parallel walls would help too but nobody does this), bracing taking up internal volume, no coaxial drivers, and heat based passive crossovers. Guessing/hoping the measurements show something different, as I have never seen a purposefully archaic, legacy design like this perform well.
@@NiToNi2002 I watched it. Did you see the part in my comment where I said "it looks like"? Are you seeing a waveguide, different port geometry, rounded cabinet, and built in amps?
@@stevenswall I also saw the part “Guessing/hoping the measurements show something different” which implies you hadn’t watched the video. But fair enough, a lot of the things you’re mentioning are absent, which is not unusual at this price point. Fortunately, they seem to perform relatively well both objectively and subjectively despite these omissions. Danny Richie doesn’t seem to agree and wants to sell you a +$700 filter upgrade. His measurements differ from Erin’s to the extent that I question the basis for his “upgrades” of these as well as other speakers: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-IP1aQI75WWo.html
I've owned these speakers for two years. Driving them with a Hegel H95 and have a JL Audio Dominion D110 subwoofer in my setup. I have tried three other sets of speakers, the KEF LS50 Meta, Buchardt S400 MKII, and the Klipsch RP600M. "Chasing the sound." I'm using a switch box so I can do an immediate comparison. For my preference, I liked the Wharfedale best. The Buchardt was a close second. I've now ordered the Polk Reserve R700. This is my last attempt to find a bigger/better sound. Maybe I should just stop watching these RU-vid videos and stick with what I have. They sound great! :)
Sam how did your A/B testing with the R700s go? I have them and am considering the Linton 85s as the Polk top end seems overly bright to me. I feel I might enjoy a warmer speaker overall.
"There is no perfect speaker." 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽So many people in this hobby forget this binding fact in their judgemental comments on the weaknesses of other people's choice of equipment. Thanks for your work and great commentary, just ordered a pair and I'm like a kid looking forward to Christmas morning!
Sounds like they would be a solid deal at 2x the $. Nice to see a brand supplying great value for costs. That's pretty rare these days. My ATC SCM 19s are great speakers, but over 2X that price and need a sub for full range sound!
I'm trying to make a decision between the Lintons and the KLH 5 and your review was very helpful. Thanks! Edit: I especially liked the speaker comparison at the end, very interesting.
Wharfedales are great at making all rounders, which will sound good will almost anything. A very safe choice. They sound warmish (most wharfedales do) despite the slightly elavated treble. When I heard these they were great, just not really my type of sound. Prefered the cheaper Diamond 12.4, which would be great if you get the chance to put in on the klippel. Another great one Erin!
That would seem to indicate low distortion in the mids/highs. There is no other explanation for elevated highs that don’t grate on your nerves. Great design here. I bought a pair and, at first they seemed “hot” compared to my Buchardt S300s. I moved them to a Yamaha R-N803 and they continued to seem bright. This morning I moved them back to my NAD M10 and, voila, the hotness is gone! Now, it may be my ears, but they now sound perfect. Go figure, unless it’s the “wimpy” 14G speaker wires from the Yamaha lol. Honestly, I think it’s me that has been broken in. Whatever - these are keepers. I still love the S300s - their bass is remarkable, but the rest now seems muted. They are fantastic background/party speakers. Too bad the NAD doesn’t have speaker switching…
Thanks for the work you put into your reviews Erin. I’ve been waiting & hoping for Your review of the Lintons. Been researching these speakers for a few months now. It’s refreshing to see honest listening impressions coupled with the Klippel measurements. I trust your work, passion & integrity. I believe I read that the Lintons were designed to play with grills in place. Thanks again 👍🏼😎
@@ErinsAudioCorner Roaming the internet, I discovered that several reviewers have measured the Lintons. With one exception, all concluded that they are surprisingly neutral.
Thanks for the review. I was expecting a cynical explotation of an old name with old technology but it appears I was wrong. It's good to see effort made in the design and engineering of the Linton. Thanks also for the A/B comparisons, definitely a good idea to get an impression of what it sounds like.
I bought these speakers 2 weeks ago. They are perfect for me. I love them and can listen to them for hours. I replaced a pair of “high end” speakers that cost $600 more than the Wharfedales. Now, my issue is how to sell my old speakers.
GR Research is not even in the same ballpark in terms of measurement equipment and data points as Erin and his Klippel. It's like comparing a PS1 to a PS5. Erin has no agenda either, whereas GR Research's whole shtick is to try and sell you parts to "fix bad speakers". So choose to believe who you would like.
In 1974 I paid 800 dollars for Infinity Towers. About 5000 in today's dollars so with that in mind 1500 for these speakers are nothing. In 1978 I bought the JBL centuries and same deal. I am ordering these speakers next week. Thanks for your unbiased opinion on the Model 5 vs the Lintons in your other video. I am going to power these with the Vidar2 Amo, Kara preamp, and Geshili Dac.
To be honest on-axis (whatever that axis is for your situation) linearity is the #1 deciding factor on preference in my experience. Good directivity makes sure that you're not the only one in the room experiencing good sound.
Nice Linton review. My first time watching you. A plastic spatula works well to remove the grill. They sound very good. I'm powering mine w/ a 35watt tube integrated and a Emotiva RS 11sub.
Awesome to see a modern day big baffle speaker which performs well. Less baffle step loss is always a good thing, but so many of the "vintage" models have terrible crossover design, or resonances sharp enough to cut rocks.
Hi Erin - your site and reviews are fantastic. The balanced nature of your reviews and measurements give me such confidence in your opinions. With regard to the Lintons, I own a pair that I found to be a little bland and lacked the clarity I wanted. So, I sent them to Danny at GR Research to see his thoughts on mods. I really like its sound now - it kept all the great things and added more clarity (to my ears, at least). I am well aware how controversial Danny (or his modifications) can be; I am not trying to weigh into any of that. I was wondering whether you tested the modified version or would be open to doing this. Thanks for everything you are doing.
First off, thank you for this video, producing and editing can be a real PIA! I ALWAYS learn from your presentations. My search for some decent speakers led me here, which is quite pleasing as I have watched, learned, AND purchased items after viewing your testing methods in previous vids. I am smiling at your review, because I had been moving closer to buying a set of these. I am a little wary of "the dip" as I seem to like a little more top side sound. To bad I can't A/B the Heresy's and the Lintons. No matter, I can't spring the dollars for the Klipsch anyhow. So, once again I do believe you have sold me on more gear. I'd like to add, that I hope things are improving. The internet is a funny place, you get to watch a fellow doing informative and interesting videos and somehow you think you know him/her, and find your self thinking about them and their trials in life, and wondering... None of us need to know, we just hope you come back some day. I am quite sure I am not the only one that feels this way. Good luck brother.
In the 70’s the best British made loudspeakers were B&W. KEF, Mission, Roger’s, and Celestion. People who couldn’t afford or hear these great British speakers sometimes Settled on the Wharfedales!
That audible comparison was wondaful! Erin, do you have a list, or maybe some kind of part on your site with such informative relative comparisons of pairs of speakers?
Interesting that for the convolved signals, the Linton is different than the original but not by a lot, and the Klipsch is just like something out of left field.
Erin, loved the video, great review, and I can tell you that the sound demo is pretty damn well done, I have the Linton 85s here and though it's not exact, it's very very close. Well done man!
I always wondered about what effect a traditional design speaker with recessed grills has on diffraction. I assumed it was not good. Also, kind of surprised speaker companies still make these designs. Must just be for the retro looks.
Another aside, being a OG audio guy "Geezer" if you like, I remember with great fondness the Heybrook HB-2 ( the rest of the line stank) sold the shit out of them in like 83 -84, the reason I mention them is about the design of well, like a ported bass reflex, but with a twist, much like these Lintons. They were a design by Peter Como. and what made these nice (not as accurate as Spica TC-50's but more fun!) there was a plastic tube that had tuning holes in it that was placed against the back of the in the cabinet against the rear of the woofer/mid and exited from a port in the back that a bit of foam around it, I guess for port turbulence. The tube in the Linton, is, a nod towards that design. At the time Mission was the hot shit speaker (small one with a cabinet desigh sort of like slipping two boxes together) The Missions were unobtainium at the time (200.00 a pair) but for my money, it was the HB-2's that sang!! 499.00 a pair, and we usually sold them with the revived AR TT or a Rega Planar -2 or 3, with the then brand new NADS receiver , like a little over 1.2K$ system, it was Hot Stuff!!!~
Its great hearing other peoples expierence espically the excitement The E.E. over at IAG are 🔥 Wanted to hear these paired to the Audiolab 8300a integrated amp i got in or thr Dovetails 😆 Thanks For the review'
Wharfedale have been around since the 30s. The original Linton was a very budget 2 way speaker that sold in the 10s of thousands. It was many peoples first dip into HiFi in the UK. I'm really pleased you chose to test this speaker. Most British speakers sound so much better than American stuff like Bose and Klipsch which must be the worlds most over rated speakers ever. Amazing what you can do with advertising! These speakers must be on open stands, don't be tempted to buy them without and stand on the floor, they sound dreadful, very muddy and bass heavy. My room is very well damped, heavy curtains and carpet, I found the HF just about perfect. Interesting you found the upper mid a couple of dB down. I found when I set these up I had put on 1.5dB boost at these frequency's. Good to know your measurements confirm my ears.
Bose do suck, but B&Ws current speakers have a bigger suckout in the mids and a tweeter that's even hotter and sriller than cheap Klipsch models. Klipsch Heritage models made in Hope Arkansas are a different animal altogether, and the La Scala and Klipshorns are some of the best ever made at any price
Thorough, thoughtful review as usual. Your findings make me wonder how the top of the line Elysian 4 would sound and measure. They are on my shortlist of new speakers in a ht configuration. I know Andrew Robinson liked them, but didn’t care for the glossy finish, which to me, is a non-issue.
Great comparison. To me the Klipsch sounded better, but as is he case with many horn speakers the treble could be a bit much. That being said the clarity and sound stage was much better.
Hope Erin will be in the position to review the Wharfedale Denton 85, which, BTW, is not the little brother of the Linton. I have both Linton 85 and Denton 85 and the two sound very different. The Denton has a lot more upper mids and treble, lots of clarity (great for movie dialogue) but can quickly become fatiguing with poor recordings/remasters. Oddly enough, Robinson & wife thought the Achille's heel of the Denton 85 is its lack of treble. What is weird as well is that the Dentons sound very different depending on how you connect them (single wire/single wire cross connection/bi-wire/). So, if anyone has a pair and you're not far located from Erin ...
3:50 THANK YOU! Not everyone is a loner and cuddles up with their Speakers. 21:28 Whoa! The wharfedale sounds almost indistinguishable from the source. I still like the way the Klipsch sounds but I think I would get fatigued after a while listening to modern music on axis for any period of time. the wharfedale literally sounds like a wire with gain for its reproduction of the source material. You don't hear that very often. Dare I say it? It sounds like a pair of Monitor speakers you use to mix music on.
I tested these against the Kef ls50meta. The meta won for me, mainly because of the size and the apparent "boominess" that comes from the big cabinet. That said, on its own, I liked it very much as well.
@@MrRidikolusHe said he tested it. Which implies that he had them both in house at the same time deciding which one he liked better. Considering that the build quality of the LS50 Meta is extremely good, then it just comes down to preference. If he already has subs, then that basically kills any inherent configuration advantage of the 3-way vs 2-way, and coaxial drivers have a very accurate sound. Erin himself rates the R3 meta as the best speakers in this price category, so I don’t know what you’re on about.
Very nice speakers. I like the retro style and the size. Also seem very well engineered. Interesting how similar they sounded to the unaltered music signal. The drivers do look like the discovery line. So might be worth looking for a diy design. Troels have made a speaker in this design with discovery drivers.
Lintons mached with a Tube Amp will bring you to Heaven. I listen my Lintons with a Ayon Spirit PP 2x40wpc. It is amazyng. Just try one Valve Amp with LS and you will hear the best from them.
I think any company putting out an anniversary model will take that extra little bit of pride in their work. Also there’s not a lot of modern 3 way passive speakers that don’t cost the moon on a stick, It’s my birthday this week and seeing as my amp has finally acknowledged that the impedance match with the giant vintage KEFs I’ve been forcing it to run is not what it was made for. I think I’m going to celebrate my 40th with Wharfdale 😃
First thing I noticed right away with the sound comparison between the two speakers is the deeper bass extension of the Linton's. The Herseys lower end sounded muted and mids were a little more recessed. The Lintons also sounded much closer to the original source music - so much so the change felt seamless.
Thanks for all you do Erin. I still want a pair of Lintons, but I’m concerned my listening room is too small. (11’x12’) I now am considering the Super Denton. Watched your review of those. It made me still want the Lintons. I’m going to audition both at a store w/a Listening Lounge when the Super Dentons arrive. Do you think they’d be good in the nearfield set-up?
Just got these. Im used to listening to the 2way Diamond 10.2 for the past few years. They are amazing. The Lintons definitely sound different. I needed to boost the high end 3db to my likings. Obviously I still need to break them in. Hopefully my ears get used to the 3way.
Is 50W from Rotel enough power for them to get loud? Kinda stupid question, but I am new and want to buy them as my first speakers and was thinking about Rotel A11 Tribute as amp.
I didn’t notice the tweeter is slightly offset until reading the blurb from Crutchfield’s comment about setup suggestion, “As you're setting things up, we suggest positioning the tweeter to the inside of each cabinet for the best stereo imaging (advice we received from Wharfedale's lead engineer for these speakers).”
Really enjoy your videos I have learned a lot from them even did my own custom speaker project here recently! Although I don't have a klippel did it the old fashioned way with outdoor measurements. I like the addition of those sound clips could you possibly use the early reflections or estimated in room response IR's as well? Thanks for all the work you put into these videos!
Today I have bought a nice combination: Wharfedale Linton 85 and NAD C3050 LE, both new and unused for together for 2k€. Next week the components will arrive. 😊
I’d love to see tests on Yamaha HS8… it’s what I use to enjoy my records (and also as music-studio/production monitors, as they’re obviously designed for that demographic) Yeah, cheap and not “audiophile,” but sounds decent for budget minded.
That final sound comparison between the original song, Wharfedale and Klipsch was revelatory. It's almost inaudible going from original to the Lintons, and totally audible to the Klipsch. Like you, the aesthetics would have turned me off of the Lintons, but the performance have put this on my short list for a future 2.1 channel room I'm creating for 2023.
I hear the bass slightly, very slightly lower in the Lintons, but otherwise almost the same as the original, with the bass softer and less defined in the Klipsch and the upper mid and treble noticeably more forward.
Nicely done. I watched your video during lunch, at work today. I was curious about your suggestion of toeing speakers out, a wee bit. So, after work: I gave it a go with my Wharfedale Evo 4.2, which reside in my 15' x 15' bedroom system. Surprisingly, it sounds better. Listening to Fourplay's first album on SACD: It does take the edge of the treble reflections in this room's untreated acoustics. The midrange opened up, is spread out more. More space and air. Guitars and keyboards are beautifully floating and emotive The whole bass frequencies ( that the Evo 4.2 are capable of): tightened up in tone, projecting out wide from the center point of the two speakers: yet is fuller and more open🤔 Dang! I'm not going to pretend to understand all the science. But ....Wow!! Thank you for the suggestion.
Thanks Erin! I noticed that the Tweeter is placed so it has different distances to each of the 4 sides. Probably a great design idea. But also the rectangular surrounding piece with the logotyp that is placed in the center line above the midrange so it fools the eye a little bit that all is symmetrical.. I should start of with that it is a briljant idea for the sound Matlab manipulation! So we can hear the difference between input and the specific output for the given speaker. You said that you don't have a way to know of the value of the speaker. A idea is now you have the original song input. And you have also a level matched output for the speaker. If you could subtract/remove what you now get as output from the speaker from what the input was. So you get the difrence what the speaker add/remove from the original input sound. If you define 1-10 different levels there 1 is the least amount of difrence and 10 is maximum difference. Call the value SoundEqualityRating (SER). Then take the speaker price and devide it with SER. A speaker that cost 1000$ and get 3 SER gets 333 dollar/SER Another speaker that also cost 1000$ and get worse SER at 5 gets 200 dollar/SER So the 333 dollar/SER should be a HIGHER VALUE speaker in regards it colour/deviates the least of the two at that price. Then maybe mix up the input songs (maybe partial bits of songs may work) so it is a blend of different genres at some distribution. But when done then lock that in as a constant to br used. Just maybe a inspirational idea. 💆🎶🎼🎵👍
