Wharfedale Linton 85th Anniversary Review

They really are the only new speaker I would consider at this price right now, other than Maggies (I've quickly gotten off the Zu and Lore train). But then I would have to upgrade to big power and subs as well. I also think average recording might suffer on revealing Maggies at times. Nil's has said the Linton is forgiving and plays nicely at lower volumes which is nice.

The B&W are more detailed I think, newer Dynaudio slightly more, some like that. That example shows off the balance of the Linton and superiority also.

They seem to do well in livelier rooms ?

Still some good value in used and vintage I am considering.

Joe and Nil's, thanks for putting up with the jazz : )
 
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JohnnyCashFan said:
They really are the only new speaker I would consider at this price right now, other than Maggies (I've quickly gotten off the Zu and Lore train). But then I would have to upgrade to big power and subs as well.

The B&W are more detailed I think, some like that. That example shows off the balance of the Linton and superiority also.

Still some good value in used and vintage I am considering.

Joe and Nil's, thanks for putting up with the jazz : )
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Why not Zu’s? I haven’t heard anything about Lore. I need to look them up.
 
Jango said:
Why not Zu’s? I haven’t heard anything about Lore. I need to look them up.
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I think they would ultimately be too detailed and revealing to my elder ears and average music collection. And the Linton have tickled my fancy with there balance and musicality. Lore's are made by Tekton btw.
 
Matt M said:
I really want to pick these up. Trying to hold off, but... How long do these continue to sell for? Is it something that won't be around in a month or two, or do they have a year or two? How does this all work? What is that beautiful house? My God, what have I done?
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The Denton 80s were introduced in 2012, and lasted nearly 9 years before they were no longer available at musicdirect, which I think is the largest US seller for wharfedale. The Denton 85s came out 5 years later in 2017, and are still in production. The Lintons arrived in 2019, so based on the first two in the Heritage line, I would expect they will be available for at least two more years.
 
dansomeone said:
The Denton 80s were introduced in 2012, and lasted nearly 9 years before they were no longer available at musicdirect, which I think is the largest US seller for wharfedale. The Denton 85s came out 5 years later in 2017, and are still in production. The Lintons arrived in 2019, so based on the first two in the Heritage line, I would expect they will be available for at least two more years.
dansomeone said:
The Denton 80s were introduced in 2012, and lasted nearly 9 years before they were no longer available at musicdirect, which I think is the largest US seller for wharfedale. The Denton 85s came out 5 years later in 2017, and are still in production. The Lintons arrived in 2019, so based on the first two in the Heritage line, I would expect they will be available for at least two more years.
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@Matt M needs them now...
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@marshall you're not helping! Honestly, I've had a ton going on. Selling my Parents house any day now after spending the last few weeks really cleaning it out, and have my house coming ready in April. Just have a feeling these are exactly what I'm looking for. Just figuring I should wait until the new place before I grab them. We'll see if I can make it. If I can get someone to buy for over asking, maybe there will be a few bucks for some speakers!
 
dansomeone said:
The Denton 80s were introduced in 2012, and lasted nearly 9 years before they were no longer available at musicdirect, which I think is the largest US seller for wharfedale. The Denton 85s came out 5 years later in 2017, and are still in production. The Lintons arrived in 2019, so based on the first two in the Heritage line, I would expect they will be available for at least two more years.
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That's good to hear! I think I should be ok then. I'm going to need to look into the whole setup. Here's what I have now -

Fluance RT-85
Fluance Preamp
Marantz PM5005
Elac 2.0

Figuring I'll need some upgrades to run them, but I really don't have as much idea as I need to. Keeping up on these equipment threads can be overwhelming! I need to spend some time really understanding it all.
 
Matt M said:
That's good to hear! I think I should be ok then. I'm going to need to look into the whole setup. Here's what I have now -

Fluance RT-85
Fluance Preamp
Marantz PM5005
Elac 2.0

Figuring I'll need some upgrades to run them, but I really don't have as much idea as I need to. Keeping up on these equipment threads can be overwhelming! I need to spend some time really understanding it all.
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I think your 40w Marantz amp would drive the fairly sensitive Lintons well, so an upgrade isn't necessary there. You could benefit from upgrading your phono preamp though, the fluance unit looks pretty basic.
 
Matt M said:
That's good to hear! I think I should be ok then. I'm going to need to look into the whole setup. Here's what I have now -

Fluance RT-85
Fluance Preamp
Marantz PM5005
Elac 2.0

Figuring I'll need some upgrades to run them, but I really don't have as much idea as I need to. Keeping up on these equipment threads can be overwhelming! I need to spend some time really understanding it all.
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IMO, the best place for you to start is your phono preamp. You dont have to spend a ton to hear a big jump either. @HiFi Guy just got his mitts on a new preamp to review that retails for $329, and already sounds like it's a steal at that price.
 
dansomeone said:
I think your 40w Marantz amp would drive the fairly sensitive Lintons well, so an upgrade isn't necessary there. You might hear some benefit from upgrading your phono preamp though, that unit looks pretty entry-level.
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Yeah, I was just getting something to get going and didn't want to go overboard. Good to know that amp should be powerful enough. Thanks for the help!

Splunders said:
IMO, the best place for you to start is your phono preamp. You dont have to spend a ton to hear a big jump either. @HiFi Guy just got his mitts on a new preamp to review that retails for $329, and already sounds like it's a steal at that price.
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Looks like you're both thinking the same upgrade. I'll start looking into options for the preamp. Look forward to the review from @HiFi Guy!
 
Matt M said:
@marshall you're not helping! Honestly, I've had a ton going on. Selling my Parents house any day now after spending the last few weeks really cleaning it out, and have my house coming ready in April. Just have a feeling these are exactly what I'm looking for. Just figuring I should wait until the new place before I grab them. We'll see if I can make it. If I can get someone to buy for over asking, maybe there will be a few bucks for some speakers!
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Sorry not sorry 😂
 
Matt M said:
That's good to hear! I think I should be ok then. I'm going to need to look into the whole setup. Here's what I have now -

Fluance RT-85
Fluance Preamp
Marantz PM5005
Elac 2.0

Figuring I'll need some upgrades to run them, but I really don't have as much idea as I need to. Keeping up on these equipment threads can be overwhelming! I need to spend some time really understanding it all.
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Yeah I agree with the lads that the immediate sore thumb is the phono stage, you can do better than that in your current set up and definitely will want that upgraded if you go for the nicer speakers. I’d definitely have a look at forum favourites like the Musical Fidelity LX2-LPS and keep an eye on the review of the the Darlington one.

Id also medium term be looking at nicer amplifier too with having such a nice set of speakers. The marantz does have enough power for them and they do play nice with lower level gear. I need some new tubes so I’ve put my old Sony in while I wait for them to arrive from Britain and it’s sounding really surprisingly good. It’s hard to place it relative to the marantz because of its age, and it has a lot more power, but it’d be in and around its level. Equally, having used it with a better amp I know that there is more that the Lintons have to offer that is currently being left on the table.

The turntable is perfect, I’d not be looking to do anything with it at all beyond, if you get curious, experimenting with other types of cartridges.
 
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Thanks for the advice @Joe Mac . I'm leaning toward that Darlington after some limited reviews I've read. Good price and sounds like great quality. I'll check out the music fidelity too before I pull the trigger. And yes, I think down the line will upgrade the amp too. Have someone willing to buy my speakers and amp already, so that helps.
 
Last night played the VMP Spiritualized, which is pretty intense, and the clarity is much better than my Polks. Then some Paul's Boutique. Nailed it. Bass was deep and tight but not boomy or muddy. Now spinning some original Blue Note mono jazz stuff like Soul Samba. The speakers breathe like crazy and sound great....they also seem to shine at 22" (55.5 cm) out from my wall. Toe in about 1 inch.
 
Andy said:
I really like the look of these Lintons (I would love to try a pair)

I don't think that's a good comparison for B&W though, the 707 has a much smaller foot print & will give a very different sound. I would have thought the B&W 602 would be a better comparison. Seems a similar price as well.
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Here is a Linton vs the popular Kef LS50 comparison as well. Linton again the winner IMHO.

 
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