Wharfedale Linton 85th Anniversary Review

Splunders said:
I want them to blow me away like that
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Splunders said:
I want them to blow me away like that
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Splunders said:
I have a set arriving today. They'll lift my Zus up off the ground more than is manufacturer recommended (they are literally bottom ported), but have been test driving them at Gaia III height, and think it sounded fine. Pretty excited to hear what they do. Got em from Crutchfield so I can return if needed.
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Any report?
 
Splunders said:
I wish. I have to wait for IsoAcoustics to dropship me some special sized threads that fit my speakers, because Zu just had to be different. No clue how long to expect either, although they'd better arrive before my 60 return window expires!
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That’s the worst.
 
HiFi Guy said:
It’s not really genres. It’s recording quality.

The Souls sound amazing with top notch recordings, but show average and poor recordings for what they are. The Lintons present great recordings differently from the Souls, but are far more enjoyable with lesser ones.

If I had to break it down:

Bass: Lintons by a country mile.

Midrange: Souls

Treble: Lintons- I alluded to the Zus being a little hot on the highs in my review. The Lintons really show this. Especially with classical and jazz, the Lintons sound closer to what I’ve heard live.

Dynamics: Souls
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Linton is is more forgiving in general then ?

How do Linton's do on vocal's and brass (Van Morrison Gypsy In My Soul for ie) ?
 
JohnnyCashFan said:
, Linton is is more forgiving in general then ?

How do Linton's do on vocal's and brass (Van Morrison Gypsy In My Soul for ie) ?
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I’ve not got as many hours on them but what I find is that as the majority of vocals land in the mids they handle them brilliantly as that really is the speakers strength. For the the higher vocalists they don’t tend towards sibilant which is a huge plus because I have heard that happen previously, particularly in systems with a detailed cart.

In a lot of ways I feel that they’re the perfect partner to my tube amps and Grado cartridge in a warmer sounding system that equally doesn’t lack for detail.
 
JohnnyCashFan said:
Linton is is more forgiving in general then ?

How do Linton's do on vocal's and brass (Van Morrison Gypsy In My Soul for ie) ?
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The Lintons are far more forgiving. Not only of upstream components, but also of less than well recorded albums.

You’ll still hear the differences though, my Dynavector sounds nothing like a Grado. So it’s not like the Lintons stamp their sonic signature over everything.

As far as vocals, I agree with @Joe Mac .
 
HiFi Guy said:
@JohnnyCashFan Right now I’m listening to Fela Kuti (Zombie/Mr. Follow Follow) and if you are familiar- lots of horns. They sound fantastic. I think it would be difficult to go wrong with the Lintons, if not impossible.
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They are certainly in my top 3-4 choices right now thanks to you guys here! When I hear so many people say they are "fun" speakers to listen and forgiving but still detailed that is attractive. The "fun" part reminds me a bit of the classic JBL lore of course in there own way.

A couple harder questions I have if you do not mind ?

What is the warranty ? And what is the warranty/service center situation in North America with Wharfedale ? Do you see xover repair, parts, and replacement drivers being available 2, 3, 5 years down the line if needed ? Have you seen any cabinet issues such such as resonances, rattles, etc ?

Do you see or have any issues with these being made overseas ? It certainly adds to there attractive price point I'm sure.

A couple people on other forums have mentioned a small upper mid issue they have run across, any thoughts ?
 
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