CXA81 with Wharfedale Heritage Lintons.....subwoofer ideas?

bendeela

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Hello all,
So I went for an un-auditioned CXA81 amp with Wharfdale Heritage Lintons and although amazingly clear it's all a bit harsh sounding and lacking in bass when I crank it up......not what I was expecting at all from everything I've read. Vinyl played on my Technics SL-1500c sounds better than anything digital (streaming aptxhd or plugging in my Kern Kann). I know i haven't run anything in nearly enough yet but am starting to think amp and speakers are more bright and forward than what I like.
I mean it all sounds great and clear as a bell and the instrument separation is joyful but I cant crank it up without it hurting my ears because it's so brash. Ive lugged the speakers backwards forwards toed in toed out and nothing is working. I know that bright mid and upper will ease but Im not sure the bass will ever pop out and party in the way I'd hoped it might.
I went and snatched the Dali E12 sub from my home cinema and now we're talking. Suddenly everything has dropped into place. Its giving me the bottom welly that the Lintons by themselves (in conjunction with the CXA81 at least) weren't supplying.
Because the CXA81 has no crossover - just a sub out - I wondered if anyone could recommend a sub that might work really well with these components. The Dali is fine but it's gotta go back where it came from and I know someone here will have a much better grasp of my situation than I have! I'm not after distorted teeth shattering tinted windows stuck at the traffic lights bass, just something musical, bouncy, responsive that fills the bottom out to match the mids and uppers I have in spades here.
 
They build their own and sell direct which is why their prices are around 50% of mainstream suppliers. There are some reviews of their products on the forums if you search for BK in the reviews
 
Can't help feeling that there is something seriously amiss here. Of all speakers the Lintons shouldn't be lacking in bass - just the reverse in fact. I can understand the CXA81 contributing to a certain brightness in the sound but you should have a full reproduction in the bottom end without any sub assistance. It's not something daft like the Lintons being wired up out of phase is it?
 
Can't help feeling that there is something seriously amiss here. Of all speakers the Lintons shouldn't be lacking in bass - just the reverse in fact. I can understand the CXA81 contributing to a certain brightness in the sound but you should have a full reproduction in the bottom end without any sub assistance. It's not something daft like the Lintons being wired up out of phase is it?
I honestly thought I may have wired them up wrong so triple checked. Then tried with different cables. I'm picking up an old Arcam amp I have tomorrow so Im going to try them with that and see. Playing around today it might be more a case of not being able to turn them up for a good listen because the tops/mids go very harsh and hard with certain music. I listened for example to Kate Bush's Aerial - Sky of Honey sequence and the production is warm, lush enveloping and sounds amazing. And I could whack up the volume. But conversely Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life - which has a lot of mid/upper action is really harsh and sounds bass free......but maybe that's because it's too painful to turn it loud enough to where the bass starts to kick and sing. I plugged in my Dali bass and even with the volume just nudged up on the bass slightly makes a world of difference. I've never been a subsriber to speaker break in making that much of a difference but maybe it will this time 🤞🏻
 
I think there's something amiss here
I've got a pair of Lintons and bass is not lacking at all
There's no way I'd need a Sub with these
 
I think there's something amiss here
I've got a pair of Lintons and bass is not lacking at all
There's no way I'd need a Sub with these
What amp do you use with you Lintons? I’m considering a CXA81 and Linton combo so hearing that they are not a good pairing is concerning to me.
 
Update here. The Lintons bedded in after a good 50 hours playing but I did add a sub. By themselves at lower volumes,my main listening level, the sub - for my liking - is a tad thin. It’s there but as soon as I feed in the sub (my sub is overkill I feel using an SVS SB2000 but I can control the level via an app which is amazing) a richness and colour is added and everything comes alive. I’m also not a lover of extra whomping bass, I’m talking a minimal amount more. When playing vinyl -Technics SL1500c with Rega Fono - I only need a dab of extra bass. The Lintons sound lovely and what I like about them ( this could be a speaker/amp combo) you don’t have to have them at high levels to really enjoy the music. They are lovely and clear at all levels. Of course if you whack them right up they’re thrilling! If I’m playing them loud that’s for me when their own bass comes alive and I take the SVS right down.
If you do get the CXA81/Linton combo I’d love to hear how you get on!
 
What amp do you use with you Lintons? I’m considering a CXA81 and Linton combo so hearing that they are not a good pairing is concerning to me.

Sorry for the late reply

I use a NAD C368 , I think it's well suited to the Lintons
I listen to a lot of guitar bands (punk/post punk) and electronic music (Kraftwerk , New Order etc) and to me they sound spot on
It's a very rich sound without sounding too mellow, and more importantly I can listen for hours without fatigue
They're in a big room and previously when we've had parties and cranked the volume up they can rock big time!
 
Just taken a look at the Sevenoaks site and they do a bundle with the Marantz PM6007 so they presumably feel the PM6007 is a good sonic match with the Linton speakers:

I realise this isn't much help to the OP but it's something to think about for anyone else considering the Lintons. The bundle is £1,439 including speaker stands which sounds pretty good to me. The Marantz is £499 on its own.

I recently added a Cambridge Audio AXA35 to my system with a pair of real 70s speakers and I can't praise it enough. I actually bought a NAD C316BEE v2 at the same time as I couldn't decide which way to go and at £300 each way I could afford to hedge my bets. The NAD hasn't even come out of the box yet as I'm enjoying the Cambridge so much. I suspect the CXA81 has a lot of extra digital bells and whistles which detracts from the overall sound experience.
 
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Another thought that occurs to me is that the OP's problem might be down to the Cambridge not liking some of the components. Cambridge amps can sound great but they have a certain "house sound" that doesn't always play nice with components outside that ecosystem and I've come to suspect that my NAD PP2e phono stage and my Technics SL-P200 CD player were casualties of that regime.

When I initially started using the AXA35, I was getting mixed results with the Technics (some CDs sounded bright, others were rough sounding) and the NAD phono stage sounded like it had been pushed back a step by the amplifier as though it was saying "Hey, I power the turntables around here!". Things were resolved when I started using the built in phono stage and replaced the Technics with an AXC25 (again it was like the Cambridge was talking to me and saying "Sorry, mate, but your CD player stinks! Get me a decent one!").

That's the Cambridge deal: "If you back me 100%, I will take control of your sources and speakers and give you everything you ever wanted (and more!). If you try and micro-manage and hire employees I don't like and expect me to work with them, I won't. I will make you sorry you were born."
 
Sorry for the late reply

I use a NAD C368 , I think it's well suited to the Lintons
I listen to a lot of guitar bands (punk/post punk) and electronic music (Kraftwerk , New Order etc) and to me they sound spot on
It's a very rich sound without sounding too mellow, and more importantly I can listen for hours without fatigue
They're in a big room and previously when we've had parties and cranked the volume up they can rock big time!
Thanks for the reply. Never owned NAD products, but I probably should consider. I like the Bluesound Module option. I need to pull the trigger on an amp as I have passed my current amp onto my son.

Decisions....
 
Update here. The Lintons bedded in after a good 50 hours playing but I did add a sub. By themselves at lower volumes,my main listening level, the sub - for my liking - is a tad thin. It’s there but as soon as I feed in the sub (my sub is overkill I feel using an SVS SB2000 but I can control the level via an app which is amazing) a richness and colour is added and everything comes alive. I’m also not a lover of extra whomping bass, I’m talking a minimal amount more. When playing vinyl -Technics SL1500c with Rega Fono - I only need a dab of extra bass. The Lintons sound lovely and what I like about them ( this could be a speaker/amp combo) you don’t have to have them at high levels to really enjoy the music. They are lovely and clear at all levels. Of course if you whack them right up they’re thrilling! If I’m playing them loud that’s for me when their own bass comes alive and I take the SVS right down.
If you do get the CXA81/Linton combo I’d love to hear how you get on!
I’m down to the Rega Brio or Elex-R or CXA61/81. I’m going to look and see if any deals are available and pull the trigger this weekend. Thanks for the update.
 
I’m down to the Rega Brio or Elex-R or CXA61/81. I’m going to look and see if any deals are available and pull the trigger this weekend. Thanks for the update.
I don't know about Rega in the US but Rega give a lifetime warranty against manufacture defects.
 
@bendeela , were you ever able to get rid of the brightness? having the same issue with the CXA81 and my wharfedale denton 85th anniversaries
 
@bendeela , were you ever able to get rid of the brightness? having the same issue with the CXA81 and my wharfedale denton 85th anniversaries
Break in helps, also different speaker placement. My Dali Oberon 5 were lacking in the bass and upper treble when they were brand new, but after 100 hours they are much better.

Neutral without being too bright. Just a tad boldness to treble which I quite enjoy. Full midrange, bass also.

Some speakers sound like crap when they are new, that’s the how they are. However they should show their sound character after 30-hours then get better, better....

Btw, I use Marantz, maybe switch to them...
 
@bendeela , were you ever able to get rid of the brightness? having the same issue with the CXA81 and my wharfedale denton 85th anniversaries
I had a Cambridge CX series amp and could NEVER tame it's hard bright sound, went through 4 pairs of speakers before I realized it was the Amp. Sold the Cambridge and bought a Denon PMA1600ne, cured the problem overnight. Cambridge amps can sound good but they require an impeccable source and good speaker matching to sound at their best. With the Denon it doesn't matter how poor the recording is or how loud it goes it just sounds great with any material, and with Hi-Res streams from my Bluesound Node 3 it sounds incredible, best thing I ever did was sell the Cambridge.
 
I have the CXA81 and 2 sets of speakers, Klipsch rp160m and RSL CG25. I also have an RSL Speedwoofer. The Klipsch can get a little harsh with the CXA81, but it's not really a problem when using with the subwoofer. They CG25 and the CXA81 are great together with or without the sub. Better with the sub. The CG25s lean warm, but have a nice treble balance that never gets shouty or sibilant.

I listen to vinyl via a Project Debut Carbon Evo and Project Phono Box S2 phono stage. I listen to digital music via a Raspberry Pi streamer with a HifiBerry Digi Pro HAT via the COAX in the CXA81. I'm overall very happy with the setup. The CXA81 DAC is as good as my external DAC (Aune X1S) and the headphone out on the CXA81 is surprisingly good with my Hifiman 4XX headphones.
 
Sorry for the late reply

I use a NAD C368 , I think it's well suited to the Lintons
I listen to a lot of guitar bands (punk/post punk) and electronic music (Kraftwerk , New Order etc) and to me they sound spot on
It's a very rich sound without sounding too mellow, and more importantly I can listen for hours without fatigue
They're in a big room and previously when we've had parties and cranked the volume up they can rock big time!

Would like to pick your brain for a moment. I’m also using the NAD C368 with Lintons. Just got both last week. Still breaking them in but am considering a sub. Think our music genres also may be similar. Love them both so far. Curious if you feel a sub is needed or not? Big open space, mostly vinyl.

Cheers…
 
Don’t use subwoofer my self, not the same speakers also. Subwoofer can add new dimension to the sound, that’s for sure.

I’ve tried few subwoofer up trough the years. Is just not house music, but acoustic, jazz too.
 
Would like to pick your brain for a moment. I’m also using the NAD C368 with Lintons. Just got both last week. Still breaking them in but am considering a sub. Think our music genres also may be similar. Love them both so far. Curious if you feel a sub is needed or not? Big open space, mostly vinyl.

Cheers…
Can’t speak to the 368 or the Lintons. What I can say is I was a sub skeptic but now I own 2 ( RSL Speedwoofers). They added so much to my setup . Not only bass but expanded soundstage. Don’t think I’ll ever go without subs again.

Speakers are RSL CG25. 2.2 FTW!
 
I had a Cambridge CX series amp and could NEVER tame it's hard bright sound, went through 4 pairs of speakers before I realized it was the Amp. Sold the Cambridge and bought a Denon PMA1600ne, cured the problem overnight. Cambridge amps can sound good but they require an impeccable source and good speaker matching to sound at their best. With the Denon it doesn't matter how poor the recording is or how loud it goes it just sounds great with any material, and with Hi-Res streams from my Bluesound Node 3 it sounds incredible, best thing I ever did was sell the Cambridge.
thats interesting . the review on youtube does suggest careful matching . there is an very cheap one hardly used at 650 here if anyone wants a bargain[ no connection ]

 

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