Wharfedale Linton 85th Anniversary Heritage Loudspeaker With Stands

Wharfedale Linton

The Wharfedale Linton Heritage Speakers celebrate the 85^thAnniversary of Wharfedale's founding, an incredible milestone for this British brand. This traditional looking speaker successfully incorporates all the elements of a 21^stCentury loudspeaker into a design that brims with heritage and class. If that isn't enough, their big, rich and sweet sounding character, combined with room filling sound, is guaranteed to win you over.

Overview

The Wharfedale Linton represents one of the most iconic models in the long history of Wharfedale loudspeakers. A model that embodied the Wharfedale pioneering research through the 60s, 70s and 80s, with a bloodline dating back to 1965, Linton has always been manufactured according to the Wharfedale principles of quality and value for money. The new Wharfedale Linton further exemplifies these two edicts, balancing fine craftsmanship, natural sound quality and affordability inside a beautifully proportioned loudspeaker that has been bought in its millions right across the globe through it's various incarnations.

The original Linton was well known for its warm, rich and natural sounding character and the new Wharfedale Linton retains that standing but imbues it with an open, detailed performance that will entice you to explore your whole music collection, once more. Capitalising on the modern-day trends of traditional styling with value in pedigree, the Wharfedale Linton is set to be a veritable modern classic.

Classically Modern Three Way Design

A three-way speaker in the classic Wharfedale tradition - beautifully hand veneered with an inset front baffle and traditional cloth grille. Bang up to date - utilising a mixture of traditional and advanced technology, for optimum performance whilst staying true to the legacy

Three-Way Design: Wharfedale's woven Kevlar cone - mounted on a rigid die cast chassis, this combination delivers a rich, controlled bass output with superb dynamic performance. Midrange frequencies are handled by a second, smaller Kevlar coned unit - housed in its own internal enclosure. Woven textile soft dome treble unit – true to form, with a high flux ferrite magnet, engineered for smooth, detailed HF extension. The highly researched crossover – 1000s of hours of listening tests perfect the coherent, seamless musical output that is both thrilling and natural in its rendition of any source material

A Genuine Classic: Fashions come and go but style defines oneself. Class lasts a lifetime! The Wharfedale Linton portrays the timeless design of a stunning loudspeaker cabinet with an authentic legacy. Traditional, simple, yet beautiful.

Matching Stands (Included)

The custom engineered Linton Stand offers optimum positioning and mounting for the Linton speaker. Perfectly crafted with matching wood veneer finish, to match the Linton cabinet, the Linton Stand supports the size and weight of the cabinet, while presenting the listening axis perfectly to the seated user.

Precise: Perfected to fraction of a millimetre measurements, the Linton stand is precision manufactured.

Solid: The Linton Stand base plate and structure is perfectly stable and offers critical damping from unwanted vibrations, ensuring you hear the Linton perform as it was intended!

Perfectly matched: The wood paneling features hand matched veneers to perfectly complement the Linton speaker finish.

A view of your music: With additional consideration to the musical purpose and experience, the Linton Stand is also designed to act as a host for your 12” vinyl record collection with perfectly shaped spacing for placement of vinyl records underneath your speakers.

LINTON Heritage 85th Anniversary (85週年慶典藏紀念版) 古典Hi-Fi揚聲器 -

英國音響史上珍貴的文化產物，LINTON Heritage古典揚聲器

Wharfedale邁入85週年特別推出第二款紀念限定版古典佳作，極具珍藏

Wharfedale已經堂堂邁入85週年，毋庸置疑是歷史上英國最著名的喇叭品牌。今年，Wharfedale為慶祝85週年，同時推出二款音響史上經典暢銷古典揚聲器的複刻款，第一款是延續80週年時大受好評的DENTON強化版『DENTON85th』，第二款就是『LINTON Heritage』。『LINTON Heritage』可視為『DENTON85th』的三音路大型款，並配有專用的喇叭架，外觀與喇叭同款設計，無論是實用的穩固效果或是視覺性，都能與喇叭融為一體，『LINTON Heritage』同樣勾起了老一輩發燒友美好的回憶，也讓新一代的年輕燒友聽見6、7年代英國喇叭溫厚、純樸的正統之聲。

溫暖、自然、開放、細節豐富，適合所有類型的擴大機

初代的『LINTON』揚聲器始於1965年，行銷至全球後獲得巨大的商業成功，因為掌握了二大要素，一是關鍵的音質，聲音表現自然又溫暖，高音甜美、細節豐富，二是價格依其作工與表現非常超值，比照競爭品牌等質的機種，價格甚至不到一半。同DENTON85th一樣的訴求，『LINTON Heritage』的目標也是要重現當年『LINTON』揚聲器那種溫暖、豐富與自然，再加上今天追求的開闊音場與細節表達能力，而且完整3音路的設計，音域與相位銜接表現比起DENTON85th更為完美，高達90dB的靈敏度，非常順推，就算小功率的擴大機也能經鬆駕馭。

獨特高音單體中央8度偏角設計，提升擴散力

一般來說，傳世名器都有自己獨到之處，既然，『LINTONHeritage』是DENTON85th的三音路大型款，絲質高音單元同樣移動至面板中軸8度角，目的是進一步拓展聲音擴散能力，亦改善了高音與低音單元的銜接表現，音樂結像和定位以及音場有更優秀的表現外，更重要的是在聽感上也更舒適柔順，更貼近自然。

釹鐵硼強磁高頻驅動單元，還原當年原版高音的特色

『LINTONHeritage』的高音驅動單元，採用釹鐵硼強磁材料和兩層音圈驅動。釹鐵硼強磁材料內含陶瓷物料，還有鐵，由於製成磁體前，鐵已經過氧化過程，所以不會再氧化，有耐高溫、耐潮濕、容易控制、高阻尼表現等特性。應用於『LINTONHeritage』，再進一步改善聲音的分析力與拓展音場。此外，製程採用磁液冷卻散熱，讓高速振動的音圈擁有足夠的散熱能力。避免高音單體的音圈振動受熱後的性能下降。

5吋中音、8吋低音的Kevlar功夫龍單元

『LINTONHeritage』的中音與低音採用Wharfedale最驕傲的Kevlar功夫龍編織單體，中音大至5吋，低音亦拓展至8吋，低頻的能量非常顯著，表現出軟Q又具下潛力。振盆材質採用了經典Wharfedale三明治結構，並加入全新的來自海洋的植物纖維，讓低音的聽感更準確，更具層次感的前提下，帶來更加自然而美妙的柔順與寬鬆。

帶著酒桶般的芬芳，令人沉醉的箱體設計

箱體設計高度約56公分，配合專用44公分腳架，總高剛好100公分，高音位置正好與一般人耳朵齊，是非常適合聆聽音樂的設計。『LINTONHeritage』背板上同DENTON85th，採雙低音反射氣孔設計。整體如同DENTON85th，視覺上的古典味同樣濃郁芬芳。敲打木箱，結實質感濃烈，設計採用三明治結構，利用天然木材與複合板加強箱體硬度，箱內亦加入骨架結構加強控制諧震與避免囤積駐波的效果。

若您預算許可，建議『DENTON』、『LINTON』同時珍藏

『LINTONHeritage』頻率響應為40Hz-20kHz（+/-3dB），低頻延伸可低至35Hz，靈敏度高達90dB，標準阻抗6Ω。帶著濃烈兼追尋舊日的氛圍，再加上現今揚聲器對細節和清晰度的追求，完整的三音路設計，比DENTON85th更適合播放所有類型的音樂。作為世界上獲得國際重大獎項最多的著名音響設計師之一的PeterComeau，同樣足足花費了6個多月的時間，1000多小時播放各類型音樂來對LINTON紀念限量版書架進行精心調教，假如您已鍾情史上經典的DENTON古典喇叭，那更不可再錯失珍藏LINTON的機會，而Heritage的原意就是人類珍貴的文化或文物遺產之意，足見LINTON那無與倫比的價值。

產品特色

1.85週年紀念限量珍藏，神還原當年原版的音質與感動

2.大型3音路書架喇叭，搭配專用腳架，整體高度100公分

3.仿效當然DENTON第二代XP版的高音單體中央8度偏角設計，提升擴散力，改善高音與低音銜接表現

4.釹鐵硼強磁高頻驅動單元，改善聲音的分析力與拓展音場

5.5吋中音、8吋低音的Kevlar功夫龍單元，低頻可下潛至35Hz

6.古典味濃郁的箱體外觀設計，延用當年的品牌標誌

7.大型鍍金香蕉插端子

General Description    3-way vented-box/standmount
Enclosure Type    Bass reflex
Transducer Complement    3-way
Bass Driver    8"(200mm) black woven Kevlar® cone
Midrange Driver    5"(135mm) black woven Kevlar® cone
Treble Driver    1" (25mm) soft dome
AV Shield    No
Sensitivity (2.83v @1m)    90dB
Recommended Amplifier Power    25-200W
Peak SPL    110dB
Nominal Impedance    6Ω
Minimum Impedance    3.5Ω
Frequency Response(+/-3dB)    40Hz ~ 20kHz
Bass Extension(-6dB)    35Hz
Crossover Frequency    630Hz & 2.4kHz
Height (on plinth)    565mm
Width    300mm
Depth (with terminals)    (330+30)mm
Weight per loudspeaker:    18.4 kg
Total weight of a loudspeaker with packaging:  21.5kg

Stand dimensions (HWD): 17.2" x 11.8" x 13"
Weight per loudspeaker stand:    12 kg
Total weight of a loudspeaker stand with packaging:    14.5 kg

Wharfedale Linton review

The best of old hi-fi combined with the best of the new Tested at £1000 / $1198

By What Hi-Fi? February 17, 2020

OUR VERDICT

With retro good looks and a natural, relaxed sound to match, these Wharfedales are different, but undeniably superb

FOR

• Effortless bass production
• Detailed, open soundstage
• Authentic good looks

AGAINST

• Looks won’t be to everyone’s taste

We often say that good sound doesn’t get old, but it does still date. Listen to hi-fi equipment from yesteryear and you might notice a different audio presentation more suited to the music from that era. In the case of the original Wharfedale Linton speakers, that era was between 1965 and the late 1970s – a time of big trousers, big music and big speakers.

Those original Lintons were 25-30cm across, depending on the specific model, and between the big enclosure, big front baffle and the big drive units that could be accommodated, they were able to produce a big, open sound that's very different to that produced by today's much more compact standmount speakers.

But what if you want a new speaker that's built using modern methods and materials, but that takes this old-school approach to styling and sound? Then you might well want the new version of the Linton, launched to celebrate Wharfedale's 80th anniversary.

Build

(Image credit: Wharfedale)

Size and styling are the most obvious old school features of these Linton speakers. At just over 56cm tall, 33cm deep and 30cm wide, they’re significantly larger than most modern standmounters, but they surprisingly never feel overwhelmingly big, even in our relatively small listening room.

That’s partly down to their natural look with their matched wood veneers, available in a choice of mahogany or walnut. Were they finished in some kind of high gloss piano black or marble white, we imagine they’d shout a lot louder.

Their other weapon in keeping a low profile is the dedicated Linton stands, which sit the speakers at a slightly shorter height than some. Short enough, in fact, that those with a lower than average seating position will be the ones who hear the Lintons at their best.

Their disproportionate shortness notwithstanding, the Linton stands are excellent. They’re styled with a seamless look and feel to match the speakers and, while they cost £280 for a pair when bought separately, they can be bought in a bundle with the speakers for a premium of just £100.

Whether you appreciate the Linton aesthetic or not (we're very keen, for what that's worth), there are clear sonic benefits to this approach. A bigger box should make for more generous bass production, and the greater width of the Linton's baffle helps to add a bit more substance to the midrange by supporting the speaker’s output to a lower frequency. This effect, known as the ‘baffle step’ occurs at a higher frequency in slimmer speakers, and so they tend to sound less substantial, and that’s even with electrical compensation applied in their crossover networks.

A bigger cabinet can also accommodate bigger drivers. Bass frequencies are handled by a 20cm unit that's the same size as the bass driver inside the old Linton XP2s but this time utilises woven Kevlar instead of paper in the construction of its cone. A 12.5cm Kevlar midrange driver sits just above in its own enclosure, and slightly off-set to the inside edge is a 25mm fabric dome tweeter.

The cabinets themselves are made from high-density chipboard sandwiched between MDF skins to create a combination that Wharfedale says can scatter panel resonance better than MDF alone. Internally, the dampening material of choice is long-hair synthetic wool.

Compatibility

(Image credit: Wharfedale)

The Lintons are fitted with two rear-firing bass ports on each speaker. While they’re not too fussy about positioning, we’d recommend starting at around 50cm from the wall and moving in from there.

Unusually, they are designed specifically for use with the grilles on. Not only does doing so help to maintain that low visual profile, the grilles actually improve the sound thanks to their shape ameliorating interference from reflections from the edges of the cabinet. 

The speakers sound best when slightly toed-in towards the listener, making sure that the Wharfedale badge is on the outside edge of each unit. That ensures that the off-centre tweeters are positioned on the inside edge, although as we play with the positioning, the difference between that and the other way around feels minimal.

It’s soon clear that these speakers have a relaxed way about them, so we pair them with the energetic Rega Elex-R integrated amplifier (£949). Other amps that offer a good degree of get up and go will also work well.

Sound

(Image credit: Wharfedale)

The moment we start our listening, we get a brilliant sense of scale and space from the Lintons and so we head straight for an orchestral recording to see what they can do. We play John Williams’s The Raiders March – the main theme from the Indiana Jones films – and get a thrilling sense of these speakers’ dynamics.

Starting quiet but firm with the plucky horn section, the piece when played through the Lintons offers a brilliant range of texture and ability as it builds. Striking up just to the side, the trumpets sound just as heroic as the archeological adventurer, while the string section launches in front. Underneath it all, the enormous hits on the kettle drums are reproduced with consummate ease by these big standmounters. 

It’s such a fantastically open presentation of the music that our listening space feels bigger than it is. Every instrument is there to be heard in the soundstage. The harp strums float over the top, the timpani chimes in perfectly from the back left, the cymbal clashes and the tubular bells ring so true that we can almost picture the instruments. It’s quite joyous and, arguably, a demonstration of these speakers at their very best.

We switch to something more contemporary to the original Lintons - The Rolling Stones’ Jumping Jack Flash. The track is easily murdered by lesser speakers, but the Lintons excel. The tonal balance is spot on and no one instrument dominates – not Jagger’s voice, not the tambourine and not the drums. This recording can sound incredibly thin, but not here. It’s as full a rendition as we could hope for, but the speakers also have enough agility to keep the track from dropping into a melange of noise as it reaches its climax.

The Lintons’ ease at the bottom end really delivers. The bass guitar has a wonderfully rounded hum to its strings, quite separate to the weight of the kick drum. It drives the song along and you get a real impression of how exciting and rebellious this band must have sounded live, back in its pomp.

Lastly, we head for something more recent with Blinded By The Lights by The Streets and its bare, thumping bass. Through the Lintons it’s big, clean and as precise as we expect – just the bass, the snare and Mike Skinner telling the tale of a club night gone wrong.

(Image credit: Wharfedale)

It’s not as forward a sound as we’re used to from more modern speakers. They don’t throw the great thuds of the bassline at us like the equally brilliant but very different KEF R3s (£1300). The KEFs are probably a little more detailed but not to a huge degree, despite first impressions. Their more direct approach makes it easier to access, but almost all of that brilliant detail is still there in the far richer and wider soundstage of the Wharfedales - you have to go and get it.

In a sparse track such as this, it’s easy to prefer the KEFs’ presentation. They create a shade more nuance to Skinner’s voice and the shimmering synth. But the Lintons manage to do something that the R3s cannot: with that electro sample not quite so tightly focused, we get a magnificent, room-filling sense of the size and the feel of the club, right down to the strobe lights and dry ice taste in the back of the throat. Nostalgia kicks in. These speakers have done their job.

Verdict

The Lintons may not be everyone’s idea of how they want to listen, but this is a taste that's worth acquiring. These speakers do an impressive job of capturing something of an older, fuller, more easy and open style of hi-fi sound without forgetting to make the music exciting. That excitement may not come thundering out of its cones, but you don’t need whisky and elbow patches to enjoy it either.

With effortless weight, spot-on stereo imaging and layer upon layer of marvellous detail, you could listen to these speakers for days and still not get tired. Just remember to change the record once in a while.

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Compatibility 4
• Build 5