For those unaware, England’s Wharfedale is one of the oldest (if not the oldest) manufacturers engaged exclusively in music reproduction, having established themselves in 1932. Western Electric in the US predated them by three years, but they were actually a division of American Telephone and Telegraph, founded in 1885. England’s own Garrard goes even farther back to 1722 as jewelers, and they branched out into the manufacture of gramophones in 1915. The House of Garrard (the jewelers) still exist today, as do Garrard (the turntable manufacturers) now owned by SME. Wharfedale is now owned by China’s IAG Group. Design and engineering is accomplished by a team in Huntington England and distribution is handled by MoFi Distribution in the US.
The Linton name dates back 1965 and was revived to celebrate Wharfedale’s 85th anniversary.
Despite the vintage name and appearance, the $1199/pair Linton 85th Anniversary is a fully fleshed out modern design. Both the 8” woofer and 5” midrange drivers sport cones made of woven Kevlar- the same material used for bulletproof vests. Why? Because it is both very lightweight yet very stiff- both good performance attributes. To top it off is a 1” fabric dome tweeter with a metal cover for those with small children who prefer to run their speakers without the stylish grilles. Added are Butyl rubber surrounds to the woofers and midranges for longevity. The tweeters are offset mounted- there is a left and right speaker, which are designed to be placed with the logo on the grille outward- the left speaker will have the logo to the left and vice versa. The shipping boxes are clearly marked so one knows which is which.
The book matched finish is perfect. They look vintage, minus the scratches and water stains from drinks placed atop them that one often finds on a genuine vintage speaker.
Around back are a pair of high quality binding posts along with a pair of ports. The ports allow for higher efficiency (90 dB in this case) and also allow for deeper bass output for any given cabinet volume versus a sealed design. The Lintons are designed to be used with amplifiers rated from 25-200 watts and are a 6 ohm design. There are two available finishes: Red Mahogany and Walnut. The review samples were sent in Walnut, which I found to be quite attractive.
Also available are an “optional” matching pair of 17” stands, priced at $299 per pair. I say “optional” because I really see them as required. They place the tweeters at the proper height for a seated listener and are very robustly built of steel and wood. The bottom shelf is absolutely perfect for record storage- something all of us struggle with to varying degrees. With the Linton’s quad of rear ports, they need some breathing room at the rear- one can’t (or at least shouldn’t) put these on bookshelves. Don’t even think of placing these on the same surface as the turntable- acoustic feedback will certainly be the result. I can’t imagine any stand manufacturer offering a better alternative. I see the Lintons with their matching stands as a $1498 system, and that’s how thery were auditioned. Also included are a set of floor protectors so the spiked stands won’t damage fine flooring.
