Wharfedale Linton

We often say that good sound doesn’t get old; but it does still date. Listen to hi-fi equipment from yesteryear and you might notice a different audio presentation more suited to the music from that era. In the case of the original Wharfedale Linton speakers, that era was between 1965 and the late 1970s – a time of big trousers, big music and big speakers.

Those original Lintons were 25-30cm across, depending on the specific model, and they were able to produce a big, rich, and fuller-bodied sound that’s very different from that of today’s much more compact standmount speakers.

But what if you want a new speaker that’s built using modern methods and materials, but that takes this old-school approach to styling and sound? Then you might well want the new version of the Linton, launched to celebrate Wharfedale’s 80th anniversary.

Think big

Size and styling are the most obvious old-school features of these Linton speakers. At just over 56cm tall, 33cm deep and 30cm wide, they’re significantly larger than most modern standmounters, but they surprisingly never feel overwhelmingly big, even in our relatively small listening room.

That’s partly down to their natural look – matched wood veneers available in mahogany or walnut – but their other weapon in keeping a low profile is the dedicated Linton stands, which sit the speakers slightly lower than some.

Their disproportionate shortness notwithstanding, the Linton stands are excellent. They’re styled with a seamless look and feel to match the speakers and, while they cost £280 for a pair when bought separately, they can be bought in a bundle with the speakers for a premium of just £100.

As well as allowing for a more generous bass production, a bigger cabinet can also accommodate bigger drivers. Bass frequencies are handled by a 20cm unit that uses woven Kevlar instead of paper in its cone. A 12.5cm Kevlar midrange driver sits just above in its own enclosure and slightly off-set to the inside edge is a 25mm fabric dome tweeter.

The cabinets themselves are made from high-density chipboard sandwiched between MDF skins to create a combination that Wharfedale says can scatter panel resonance better than MDF alone.

Remember the rear ports

The Lintons are fitted with two rear-firing bass ports on each speaker. While they’re not too fussy about positioning, we’d recommend starting at around 50cm from the wall and moving in from there, placing them slightly toed-in towards the listener. Unusually, they are designed specifically for use with the grilles on.

It’s soon clear that these speakers have a relaxed way about them, so we pair them with the energetic Rega Elex-r integrated amplifier (£949). Other amps that offer a good degree of get up and go will also work well.

The moment we start our listening, we get a brilliant sense of scale and space from the Lintons and so we head straight for an orchestral recording to see what they can do. We play John Williams’s The Raiders March – the main theme from the Indiana Jones films – and get a thrilling sense of these speakers’ dynamics.

Starting quiet but firm with the plucky horn section, the piece when played through the Lintons offers a brilliant range of texture and ability as it builds. Striking up just to the side, the trumpets sound just as heroic as the archeological adventurer, while the string section launches in front. Underneath it all, the enormous hits on the kettle drums are reproduced with consummate ease by these big standmounters.

It’s such a fantastically open presentation of the music that our listening space feels bigger than it is. Every instrument is there to be heard in the soundstage. It’s quite joyous and, arguably, a demonstration of these speakers at their very best.

We switch to something more contemporary to the original Lintons – The Rolling Stones’ Jumping Jack Flash. The track is easily murdered by lesser speakers, but the Lintons excel. The tonal balance is spot on and no one instrument dominates – not Jagger’s voice, not the tambourine and not the drums. This recording can sound incredibly thin, but not here. It’s as full a rendition as we could hope for, but the speakers also have enough agility to keep the track from dropping into a melange of noise as it reaches its climax.

The Lintons’ ease at the bottom end really delivers. The bass guitar has a wonderfully rounded hum to its strings, quite separate to the weight of the kick drum. It drives the song along and you get a real impression of how exciting and rebellious this band must have sounded live, back in their pomp.

A taste worth acquiring

The Lintons may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but this is a taste worth acquiring. These speakers do an impressive job of capturing something of an older, fuller, more easy and open style of hi-fi sound without forgetting to make the music exciting. With their effortless weight, spot-on stereo imaging and layer upon layer of marvellous detail, you could listen to these speakers for days and still not get tired. Just remember to change the record once in a while.