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Wharfedale Linton Heritage - opinions

Remember to buy the stands, if you want them, at the same time. Even if you don't want them, they may help you to sell them should you want to in the future.
 
Yes. In general, they have a smooth presence, but in the middle frequencies I hear dirt and squeak, some kind of “tssstsss”
Interesting, would better driver help? Other day was looking at offer in email, small speaker. Just a plain cabinet was double price what was driver. I also like this Linton design, why they comprise on drivers so much when it probably will not change final price by much anyway.
 
Some people say they are smooth. How could it be squeaky and smooth in same time?
Don't be put off by one comment. They don't \squeak'. Maybe he has a system problem that the speakers are reproducing? All other reviews say they are great. It is just this...do you want speakers that are a little warm sounding, or do you need something cleaner and more clinical? Harbeth make a very good living from 'warm sounding' and Focal and others do clinical very well. For me, it is about balancing out your system to suit your taste in sound (? Taste in sound???) well i hope you know what I mean hahaha.
The fact is the world was surprised when a Chinese made speaker arrived on the market and not only did the reviews all say it sounded GREAT, BUT (and prepared to be amazed!) It was well made as well. O M G !!!!
I'd just say that if you think you might like that kind of sound, and if them being a sensible price helps you, then go get some.
 
The point about IAG as a brand manager is they may not have the vision or talent that so strongly influenced their brands historically -but and it's a big BUT- they are aware that the brand names they have bought over the years have value and that while the consumer can be fooled for decades-truly inferior products can eventually destroy that "name" brand . KLH speakers would be a case in point: in the distant dark ages when I started in the audio business -KLH was a innovative market leading force in the Hi-Fi world. The owners sold the company-the new owners were clueless -they sold it-the new,newer owners (or was it the new ,newer,newest-I lost interest and track of ownership at some point ?) applied basic biz school MBA flesh eating bacteria principles to the NAME and sold very high profit margin speakers that basically performed at white van speaker levels.Eventually - the word penetrated the consumer's world that KLH was cr@p - got that CR@P!. At least here in the USA this pattern was repeated with brand name after brand name. In most cases these names have vanished from the market (anybody bought a Fisher recently? Avery Fisher era Fisher is impressive -nobody has said that about this brand in ? decades since he sold the company?). Do not anticipate innovative design from IAG -they produce reliable ,competent "stuff" with prestige brand names and at least some after sales support. And are the support for the bones of the retail Hi Fi business today -what very little of it is left.
I do keep running into mostly ol' F@rts like me who talked their wives into letting them get the new Lintons. Not sure what percentage of these are replacing ??? with rotted foam surrounds - but a fresh set of Lintons really do blow away those Larger Advents with completely rotted surrounds (big surprise -huH?)
 
@audiopile

Have to say, I was disappointed with the IAG remakes of the Quad II monoblocks. Owners of originals don’t seem to have any of the issues I had with the new ones. Such a shame, it’s a legendary product that should be even better-made today if they actually tried, and I’d be using a pair now.
 
Don't be put off by one comment. They don't \squeak'. Maybe he has a system problem that the speakers are reproducing? All other reviews say they are great.

That.
I didn't hear any squeaky sounds for sure, to that rather sounds like a system prob...a cap on the way out for example.
Or it was a one -off problematic pair..idk..
What I heard was silky smooth and just fine..with a 17 Watts class A as mentioned.
And I stick to my words you don't need a lot of pwr to get them alive.

In the end you should pack your amp into the car & just listen to them.
 
Personally I have rather an issue with the exploitation of famous names for profit... there being absolutely no link whatsoever between the company set up by Gilbert Briggs in the '30's in Yorkshire and the present day "Wharfedale".
That and the relative gullibility of people in "falling for it" in the manner the exploitative parent companies intend, at least the extent that they will immediately compare products made by IAG to real Wharfedale speakers of yore simply because they have stuck a badge saying "Wharfedale" on the finished item.
At least when Rank bought them out in '58 there was great continuity and the staff, factory, R & D team etc plus the then extant products would have all continued on as they were.

It's like someone on the lines of Ssangyong making a new car called the Singer Gazelle and people getting misty eyed recalling their parents actual Singer Gazelle... the intended effect of course!

People like Briggs, Leak, Walker etc had a love of music and a technical calling that led them to turn their interest into businesses.
IAG and similar are in it 100% for the money. It would make no odds to them if they were making toasters or wellies so long as the bottom line was right.

It also saddens me that the original UK companies were willing to sell out for 30 pieces of silver! The likes of Quad and Mission etc were no doubt still profit making companies when they were "the real thing", employing a UK workforce and coming up with innovative products but shareholders saw dollar signs and comfy retirements and that was that...
 
Interesting thread, as I've been curious about these speakers ever since they came on the market. As it happens I was in my local Euronics store (A&J in Hastings) on Saturday buying a new fridge/freezer and washing machine. Job done, I wandered down the other end of the store to have a look at TVs and hi-fi and low and behold they had a pair of the new Lintons playing. They were hooked up to the new retro Leak amp and CD player. I didn't have time for a proper sit down and listen, but what I heard sounded very decent. I'm very tempted. It would be interesting to know how they compared with my HLP3-ESRs on the end of the Jadis. I may take my amp down for a listen
 
Once it's a stockholder owned company v. family or individual/partnership -it changes focus. Koss corp here in beertown recently got it's stock pretty dramatically pushed up by internet punters -the family finally looked at the share price and apparently said; REALLY ! You can have it for that.John Koss the founder had passed recently and his children had been runnin the company for decades and probably just decided a couple more vacation homes would be nice. Start ups almost have to innovate and as a bit of Britophile when it comes to audio gear -ya'll were blessed with more than your share of original thinkers who could stretch investment and execute on mass marketing their ideas.Today -the initial investment and design phase is pretty challenging -I hope we not missing new ideas as a result ?
 
Personally I have rather an issue with the exploitation of famous names for profit... there being absolutely no link whatsoever between the company set up by Gilbert Briggs in the '30's in Yorkshire and the present day "Wharfedale".
That and the relative gullibility of people in "falling for it" in the manner the exploitative parent companies intend, at least the extent that they will immediately compare products made by IAG to real Wharfedale speakers of yore simply because they have stuck a badge saying "Wharfedale" on the finished item.
At least when Rank bought them out in '58 there was great continuity and the staff, factory, R & D team etc plus the then extant products would have all continued on as they were.

It's like someone on the lines of Ssangyong making a new car called the Singer Gazelle and people getting misty eyed recalling their parents actual Singer Gazelle... the intended effect of course!
Where does that leave Naim, which while still mostly made in the UK, is not really JVs legacy?

BMW "Mini" is a better example of the latter
 
Don't be put off by one comment. They don't \squeak'. Maybe he has a system problem that the speakers are reproducing? All other reviews say they are great. It is just this...do you want speakers that are a little warm sounding, or do you need something cleaner and more clinical? Harbeth make a very good living from 'warm sounding' and Focal and others do clinical very well. For me, it is about balancing out your system to suit your taste in sound (? Taste in sound???) well i hope you know what I mean hahaha.
The fact is the world was surprised when a Chinese made speaker arrived on the market and not only did the reviews all say it sounded GREAT, BUT (and prepared to be amazed!) It was well made as well. O M G !!!!
I'd just say that if you think you might like that kind of sound, and if them being a sensible price helps you, then go get some.

I agree with you and had decided for the Lintons. I just need some time to raise money. Until there, some opinions about the match of the receiver are welcome. Thanks for that
 
Where does that leave Naim, which while still mostly made in the UK, is not really JVs legacy?
..

Its mostly a matter of "Brands" and Cost-down to optimize profit and market share.

Investors demand profit, or the business will be sold on or organisation further revitalised.
They will use JV legacy" as long as possible, they will release mega sellers with as much semi-parts made cheap as possible, price increases etc..etc..
Strong marketing and moderated forum, management from France headquarter.
 
This dude is reviewing the Linton from a design perspective - quite interesting, taking into account that he's marketing his own 'upgrades'.

 


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