Wharfedale LINTON
Nicely Roasted
Sound Quality
88/100
Build Quality
88/100
Value for Money
95/100
The Wharfedale Linton pairs room-filling scale with weighty, rounded bass, expansive depth and a relaxed musical flow that flatters everything from rock to orchestral works. What Hi-Fi? highlights its open staging and effortless low end, while its handsome real-wood, three-way design brings genuine heritage character to long, immersive listening sessions.
Pros
Delivers unusually deep, full-bodied bass and dynamic authority for a standmount speaker.
Creates a broad, open soundstage with particularly impressive front-to-back depth.
Smooth, inviting tonal balance makes it engaging and comfortable over long listening sessions.
Real-wood veneer and substantial cabinetry look and feel far more premium than the price suggests.
Cons
Treble prioritises smoothness over ultimate air, delicacy and fine-detail retrieval.
Imaging is spacious but not as pinpoint-focused as some narrower-baffle or coaxial rivals.
Generous bass can become excessive in smaller rooms or when placed too close to walls.
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What Reviewers Are Saying
SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 88/100
The Linton delivers a large-scale, warm and easy-going presentation that prioritises musical weight, colour and long-session comfort. Reviewers particularly admire its powerful low end, expansive staging and ability to play with convincing scale, while noting that ultimate treble air and pinpoint focus are not its main strengths.
Bass
91/100
Its large 8-inch woofer and cabinet produce unusually substantial bass for a standmount: reviewers describe it as full, fat, round, deep and physically involving. What Hi-Fi praises the effortless separation of bass guitar and kick drum, while several others say a subwoofer is unnecessary in most rooms; the deepest electronic bass and ultimate definition are less convincing, and wall proximity can make the balance too heavy.
Mid
87/100
Vocals are consistently described as full-bodied, natural and intimate, with especially convincing weight on male voices. The dedicated midrange driver also earns praise for clarity and separation, though Hi-Fi Choice and Darko Audio hear a slight softening of upper-mid detail, including a touch of vocal nasality and smoothed-over rhythmic subtleties.
Treble
85/100
The treble is smooth, agreeable and notably free of harshness, with reviewers finding percussion clear and well defined rather than edgy. Its forgiving nature supports long listening sessions, but multiple reviewers hear slightly reduced delicacy, air and ambient information compared with more analytical rivals.
Soundstage Imaging
89/100
Reviewers repeatedly praise the Linton's open, room-filling stage, strong front-to-back depth and ability to make recordings sound larger than life. Images can be highly satisfying with careful positioning, toe-in and grilles fitted, although placement within the stage is less laser-focused than from some narrower-baffle or coaxial competitors.
Dynamics
90/100
The Linton is widely regarded as lively and capable of substantial scale, from quiet listening to forceful orchestral crescendos, drums and rock music. Reviewers highlight its dynamic headroom, timing and ability to slam without losing its relaxed character.
Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.
Build Quality
88/100
The real walnut or mahogany veneer, substantial 18.4kg cabinets and thoughtfully matched stands receive frequent praise, with several reviewers saying the finish looks far more expensive than the asking price. One teardown-focused review criticises the internal bracing, binding posts and crossover parts, but this is at odds with the overwhelmingly positive impressions of fit, finish and outward construction.
Value for Money
95/100
At roughly $1,198/£999 per pair, reviewers find the Linton exceptionally compelling against similarly priced standmounts, especially given its full-range scale, real-wood finish and three-way layout. TONEAudio calls it close to perfection at $1,200, while StereoNET and Hi-Fi Choice both consider the amount of speaker and finish at the price unusually generous; the dedicated stands add cost in some markets but are widely considered worthwhile.
Reviews & Sources
Professional reviews and sources for this product's Watt'n Potatoes analysis.
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Specifications
- Model
- LINTON
- 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 (2.0V @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
- Cabinet Volume(in litres)
- 57.6L
- Height (on plinth)
- 565mm
- Width
- 300mm
- Depth (with terminals)
- (330+30)mm
- Net Weight
- 18.4kg/pcs
- Gross weigh
- 20.5kg/ctn
Manufacturer's Description — Wharfedale
To celebrate its history, Wharfedale has established the Heritage Series recreations of famous models from its past, entirely re-engineered using contemporary techniques and materials. The latest loudspeaker to join this collection is the Linton.
The original Linton debuted in 1965 and the line continued in various iterations until the end of the 1970s. It was a classic model of its time, viewed as a serious hi-fi speaker but also relatively affordable. Its cabinet was substantial, big enough to hold three drive units including a good-sized bass unit, yet not overly unwieldy by the standards of the day.
The new Linton has a clear family resemblance. It, too, is a three-way standmount model – a rarity in the modern era – retaining similar proportions to the classic Linton models. Its wood-veneered cabinet has a vintage look, yet the standard of finish is distinctly contemporary.
Retro style, timeless musicality
The Linton makes use of its wide baffle by incorporating a large (by modern standards) bass driver with a 200mm Kevlar cone, mounted on a rigid, die-cast chassis. Above this sits a 135mm midrange driver, also sporting a woven Kevlar cone and housed within its own internal enclosure. Finally, a 25mm fabric-dome tweeter with a high-flux ferrite magnet handles high frequencies.
The original Linton incarnations of the 1960s and 1970s were well known for their rich and natural sound quality; the new model retains these attributes but upgrades the performance in every department. Its bass is deep and well-defined, its midrange clear and open, with free-breathing dynamics and an expansive scale that brings music to life. It is a sound you can dive into and lose yourself in, as you listen to album after album; a nostalgic nod to the past elevated to a level fit for the future.
Designed to appeal
This is a speaker that exudes authenticity, designed to appeal to the dedicated music-lover.
In keeping with a design intended to be treasured, the new Linton sports hand-matched wood veneers and optional matching stands with a similarly classic style. Custom-made to ensure each speaker is sited at the perfect height for a seated listener, the stand’s rigid metal frame ensures critical damping of unwanted vibrations, embellished with wood-veneered panels at the top and bottom to complement the speakers. The design even provides space to store vinyl records within the stand’s structure.
Back in Black
Now available in a new contemporary Black Oak finish; 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.
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Authorized dealers for Wharfedale LINTON
- In Living Stereo — in-store — New York City, New York, United States (website)
- 110Hz — online and in-store — Kielce, Województwo świętokrzyskie, Poland (website)
- A Tube High Fidelity — online and in-store — Almere, Flevoland, Netherlands (website)
- A/V Solutions — in-store — Pleasanton, California, United States (website)
- Acclaim Sound and Light — online and in-store — North Bay, Ontario, Canada (website)
- All Elite Audio — online and in-store — Perry Hall, Maryland, United States (website)
- Alma Music & Audio — online and in-store — San Diego, California, United States (website)
- Alpha Audio Pte — online and in-store — Singapore, Singapore (website)
- Alpha High End — online and in-store — Brasschaat, Vlaams Gewest, Belgium (website)
- Alta Fedelta — online and in-store — Lombardia, Italy (website)
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