Potato score: 89.5

90%

Wharfedale LINTON #1
Wharfedale LINTON variant 1
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Wharfedale LINTON

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Bi-Wire Capable

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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Overall Score 90/100

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Nicely Roasted

Big, musical and surprisingly modern, the LINTON delivers an immediate sense of scale with effortless bass, precise imaging and a relaxed midband that keeps long listening sessions engaging. Reviewers from Hi‑Fi Choice and What Hi‑Fi? praise its wide soundstage and woven Kevlar drivers, all in a handsome vintage-finish cabinet that represents exceptional value.

TONEAudio MAGAZINE

"Budget speakers are full of compromise because there’s only so much a designer can give you on a tight budget, yet the Lintons are as close to perfection for $1,200 a pair as anything we’ve ever heard."

Pros

  • Extended, musical low end with notable authority and control, giving a sense of physicality without sounding bloated.
  • Wide, open soundstage with strong front-to-back depth and good instrument separation for a standmount.
  • High-quality cabinet work and real-wood veneers give a furniture-grade finish and solid resonance control.
  • Generous sensitivity (90dB) and dynamic headroom mean the speakers are easy to drive and convey strong rhythmic impact.

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Cons

  • Treble can be a touch opaque or lack delicacy on very bright, shiny recordings.
  • Benefits from careful placement (toe‑in) and is designed to be used with grilles on for best dispersion — placement-sensitive for optimal imaging.

Sound Quality

90/100

Bass

92/100

Large 8" bass driver in a bass-reflex cabinet yields extended, controlled low end (35Hz spec) with a sense of physicality and heft noted by HiFi Choice and What Hi‑Fi. Reviewers repeatedly praised the effortless, well-defined bass but also noted room/placement affects the lowest octave and some listeners may still pair a sub for truly full-range impact; for its size the bass is excellent and rarely flabby.

Mid

88/100

Multiple reviews describe a relatively flat, well-bodied midrange with minimal boxiness and good clarity (Future Audiophile, What Hi‑Fi). HiFi Choice notes a slightly softened midband with a touch of nasality on certain vocals, so while musically engaging and warm, it's not strictly neutral.

Treble

86/100

Treble is detailed and extended to near 20kHz with a touch of sparkle (Future Audiophile), delivering strong detail retrieval and air. A few reviewers observed a slight brightness/opacity on very shiny recordings and some listeners used treble control to temper it, so refinement is high but not flawless.

Soundstage Imaging

92/100

Consistently praised for wide, open soundstaging and precise imaging — instruments and vocals image clearly with notable depth (What Hi‑Fi, Future Audiophile, HiFi Choice). Reviewers mention toe-in/placement tuning can refine the balance but the speaker projects an impressively large, stable soundstage for its form factor.

Dynamics

91/100

Reviewers highlight lively micro- and macro-dynamics, strong timing and the ability to deliver crescendos and percussive impact with authority (Future Audiophile, HiFi Choice, What Hi‑Fi). High sensitivity (90dB) and recommended amp power range support confident dynamic delivery across genres.

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Build Quality

92/100

Heavy, well-braced cabinets with sandwich construction and quality veneers earn repeated praise (Future Audiophile, HiFi Choice, What Hi‑Fi). Fit-and-finish and resonance control are highlighted; removable grilles are designed to aid dispersion and the overall craftsmanship is described as a significant improvement over the original.

Features Connectivity

80/100

Passive two/three-way loudspeaker baseline applied. Standard single‑post passive connections and rear twin ports are noted; no DSP/app/streaming expected or penalized for a passive speaker.

Value for Money

90/100

Reviewers repeatedly call out the Linton as an attractive proposition for its asking price (reviews reference strong value compared with its ancestor and rivals). At the listed price (~1699), critics describe it as an excellent all-round choice offering build, dynamics and imaging that punch above its cost.

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