Wharfedale Linton Heritage upgrade?

izools

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So I've been captivated by the buzz around the arena this year surrounding the Wharfedale Lynton Heritage speakers and they've got me itching for an upgrade.

I currently have B&W DM603 S3 floorstanders in my listening room driven by a NAD C355BEE.

It's an old system but it's done me proud.

It's also got me pretty much set on upgrading the receiver to a network-ready receiver, most specifically one which supports Tidal HiFi.

My first question would be quite subjective and ultimately up to me to audition - that is, would the Wharfedale Linton Heritage's be a genuine step up from the B&Ws?

I'll figure that one out.

My real question which I'm really open to advice on is what receiver to pair them with?

I have been considering two:

Yamaha R-N803D
Marantz NR1200
 
I saw those speakers in Sevenoaks the other day and, as the owner of a pair of 70s Castle Richmonds, I fell in love with them straight away.

They have a good sensitivity rating of 90db and the dealer said they would be fine with my 20w NAD amplifier but I think if I was buying them I would want to get something with a little bit more oomph to get the most out of them.

The reviews are favourable on YT (Steve Guttenberg loves them) but when I listened to this sound clip of them in action I felt they sounded a bit artificial compared to my Castles:


I guess I prefer real vintage to faux vintage.
 
Oh absolutely, the sound of those old Celestions or my old favourite from the 70's the Leak Sandwich 2060s is something that lives in the products produced in that era.

I wish we still had a Sevenoaks in Exeter but it got replaced with a "Simply Pleasure" store... rather telling of the way the city is headed :/

I saw Steve Guttenberg posted a review of them; I'll have a watch tonight.


I suppose it's down to me to either find a supplier who's happy for me to audition at home and return open-box within 30 days if I don't fancy the sound or find a supplier willing to set up an audition along side an NR1200 or R-N803d (although I'm coming down in favour of the Marantz the more I read).

I'll happily post up with how I get on.

... The B&W603 S3 with the NAD C355BEE is a phenominal pairing by the way, range and dynamics for days and trebble especially glistens, very well separated from the rest of the soundtrack. B&W did so well there.

These Wharfedale's have big shoes to fill!
 
I saw those speakers in Sevenoaks the other day and, as the owner of a pair of 70s Castle Richmonds, I fell in love with them straight away.

They have a good sensitivity rating of 90db and the dealer said they would be fine with my 20w NAD amplifier but I think if I was buying them I would want to get something with a little bit more oomph to get the most out of them.

The reviews are favourable on YT (Steve Guttenberg loves them) but when I listened to this sound clip of them in action I felt they sounded a bit artificial compared to my Castles:


I guess I prefer real vintage to faux vintage.

Difficult to get a true idea of how they sound from a video clip.
 
I wouldn't base a buying decision on one but I think they can give a rough approximation of what a pair of speakers sound like.

I'm planning to enquire about an audition for them at some point in the new year.
I've also seen them in the flesh. They look excellent.
 
Great reviews and a retro look.
You must have a demo.😃
 
Oh wow, they look amazing. Takes me back to younger days standing in awe at everything in Laskys. And I mean that in a good way.
 
I have a pair of Linton Heritage and in fact they're currently set-up in place of my LS50 Metas.

If you expect 'glistening' treble as you hear from your B&Ws, you aren't going to get quite the same experience. I have a pair of 606s, which I love, but they are significantly more open and sparkly at the top end than the Lintons.

Where the Lintons excel is in creating a beautifully integrated soundstage that isn't thrown at you but which invites you in. They have a natural warmth but it isn't cloying and there's plenty of detail and insight on offer.

They are best with a bit of power behind them and I wouldn't pair them with a 20wpc amp as one dealer seems to have suggested. They are very sensitive but whilst the nominal impedance is 8 ohms, it dips right down to 3.5 ohms, and an under powered amp can fail to open the sound up. Partnered with a suitably strong amp they sound great at low and high volumes, and they never become fatiguing.

They are heavy, and swapping them in and out for comparisons can feel back-breaking by the time you've manouvred the stands and then the speakers themselves. They truly need the dedicated stands, but it makes sense to buy them together financially anyway.
 
Never use a video clip, to judge any product's sound, big mistake to make, I can assure you these speakers sound fantastic and look fantastic, classic look, I love them. I have them hooked up to my Marantz KI ruby amp.
 
I have a pair of Linton Heritage and in fact they're currently set-up in place of my LS50 Metas.

If you expect 'glistening' treble as you hear from your B&Ws, you aren't going to get quite the same experience. I have a pair of 606s, which I love, but they are significantly more open and sparkly at the top end than the Lintons.

Where the Lintons excel is in creating a beautifully integrated soundstage that isn't thrown at you but which invites you in. They have a natural warmth but it isn't cloying and there's plenty of detail and insight on offer.

They are best with a bit of power behind them and I wouldn't pair them with a 20wpc amp as one dealer seems to have suggested. They are very sensitive but whilst the nominal impedance is 8 ohms, it dips right down to 3.5 ohms, and an under powered amp can fail to open the sound up. Partnered with a suitably strong amp they sound great at low and high volumes, and they never become fatiguing.

They are heavy, and swapping them in and out for comparisons can feel back-breaking by the time you've manouvred the stands and then the speakers themselves. They truly need the dedicated stands, but it makes sense to buy them together financially anyway.

sorry to drag up an old thread, do you have them far from a wall to the rear? reading mixed reviews as to how far you should ideally have
 
I have a pair of Linton's , I've had them a couple of years now and absolutely love them
They've got very nice full sound with no harshness whatsoever, I can listen to them for hours
I play a lot of guitar based music and these fit the bill perfectly, they also handle electronic music brilliantly.
Mine are powered by a NAD C368 amp and I use a Technics SL1210GR as my vinyl source, I'm really happy with this system
 
I ended up getting dentons for my smaller room but will get lintons next, do you have them far from the wall?
I have a pair of Linton's , I've had them a couple of years now and absolutely love them
They've got very nice full sound with no harshness whatsoever, I can listen to them for hours
I play a lot of guitar based music and these fit the bill perfectly, they also handle electronic music brilliantly.
Mine are powered by a NAD C368 amp and I use a Technics SL1210GR as my vinyl source, I'm really happy with this system
 
my own set. very nice with my Denon x6500.
 

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I saw those speakers in Sevenoaks the other day and, as the owner of a pair of 70s Castle Richmonds, I fell in love with them straight away.

They have a good sensitivity rating of 90db and the dealer said they would be fine with my 20w NAD amplifier but I think if I was buying them I would want to get something with a little bit more oomph to get the most out of them.

The reviews are favourable on YT (Steve Guttenberg loves them) but when I listened to this sound clip of them in action I felt they sounded a bit artificial compared to my Castles:


I guess I prefer real vintage to faux vintage.


How can you tell what they sound like from a YouTube clip?
I'm puzzled
 
Question please to Linton owners.

It says height us 565mm "on plinth".

What is this plinth please? I have looked at images and unboxing videos and I can't see any detachable parts top or bottom.

I am trying to establish the exact height of the speaker so would really like to know what's going on here. Thank you.
 
mine are...height of the stand approx 43cm or 17"...a bit of give or take with how your spikes are adjusted...and the little supplied rubbers stuck onto (in my case) the speakers ...speakers are approx 57cm just under 22.5"

overall height of both stand and speaker ...with spikes fitted is approx just under a metre 99.7 cm ......and pretty heavy!
 
mine are...height of the stand approx 43cm or 17"...a bit of give or take with how your spikes are adjusted...and the little supplied rubbers stuck onto (in my case) the speakers ...speakers are approx 57cm just under 22.5"

overall height of both stand and speaker ...with spikes fitted is approx just under a metre 99.7 cm ......and pretty heavy!

Thank you. So it sounds like they are, as specified, 565mm. And the plinth thing is just unknown. I.e. the speakers on their own are that tall.
 
Would have thought they'd be dimensions for the stands somewhere as they are sold separately...but anyway ...that's what my measurements are .

And they sound great 👍
 
Om other forums, it is said that the Denton 85 is a great tonal match centre to the Lintons but I can't see it would be as good as another Linton as centre.

Also the Dentons' horizontal dispersion (which then becomes vertical as centre) isn't as good as the Lintons.
 
That's going to be one hefty centre speaker !

You could also double the fronts !

Screenshot_2023-11-30-10-19-35-788-edit_com.android.chrome.jpg
 

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