Whaferdale Linton Heritage put to the test

Audio equipment

Whaferdale Linton Heritage put to the test

Developed to celebrate the 85th anniversary of Wharfedalethe Linton Heritage It is a superb expression of the best and, at the same time, most traditionalist know-how of the industry. british audio regarding loudspeakers. An acoustic box that, taking as its starting point a design that first saw the light of day more than half a century ago, has received profound and calculated improvements both aesthetically and in terms of basic design and, of course, pure and simple technology.

The objective? Offer a sound presentation extremely honest and balanced with a punch that allows it to satisfy the expectations of several generations of fans – something not easy – with the icing on the cake of a price very competitive.

Updating a very personal sound aesthetic

Talk about english sound in the era of digital “Hi-Res” with studio quality, it can be shocking, as for the majority of young fans – and many not so young – it will take them back to the years in which the stereophonic audio It was the no-go in consumer electronics. But the truth is that the aforementioned “English sound” contributed a lot at a time when high-quality media for recorded music was beginning to see the light, contributing little by little but strongly to consolidating the very concept of sound reproduction in High Fidelity.

And what did he contribute? In essence, a slow presentation, restrained, very balanced and, therefore, with an extremely homogeneous subjective tonal curve throughout all audio frequencies, that is, between 20 and 20,000 Hz, all of this complemented by an analysis capacity in which the surgical never took precedence. to the naturalness of music despite the fact that the dynamic component had a perceptible point of contention. In short, the “English sound” was what would later be defined as “very musical”, which is why it immediately earned the respect of the most demanding music lovers and, of course, music lovers. sonic perfection. At the market level, there were several representatives of this listening philosophy, most of them iconic brands to the point of remaining in the gap several decades after their founding.

One of them is the very veteran Wharfedalefounded by GA Briggs in 1932 and which almost 90 years later impresses with its vitality of its catalogue, in which a very special corner has been reserved for the updated versions of the most celebrated models in its fruitful history. And so we come to the protagonist of this Blog: the Linton Heritagea superb three-way monitor created to celebrate the 85th birthday of Wharfedale that corrects and expands the original model in all aspects, both conceptual, technical and aesthetic.

Modified bass loading and latest generation drivers

As those who have developed it tire of saying, the Linton Heritage represents the most iconic model of Wharfedale in its long history as a manufacturer of high quality speakers for domestic applications. In fact, we are looking at a speaker system that embodied the pioneering research of british firm throughout the decades of the 60’s, 70’s and 80′ of the last century, with a lineage that dates back to 1965 and that has always been manufactured respecting the quality principles absolute quality and price/quality ratio that have presided over the business history of the British firm.

Hence the renovated Lintondeveloped by a team of engineers headed by the prestigious Peter Comeaumagnificently exemplifies this philosophy through a very careful balance of high level craftsmanshipsound naturalness and affordability in the context of a beautifully proportioned speaker that, without giving up the essence of the original design, does provide substantial modifications not only in technology and materials, but even in some elements of its basic concept. Thus, in the Linton Heritage A bass-reflex bass loading system with two rear ports is used instead of the traditional acoustic suspension (i.e. airtight enclosure) of the original model. What do you earn from that? To begin with, a greater extension of the bass responsewhich reaches up to a very notable – in a design of this class – 40 Hz and, almost more importantly, a substantial increase in the sensitivity, which with 90 dB/W/m allows the renewed Linton to be comfortably attacked by a wide spectrum of electronics. On the other hand, the use of two compact bass-reflex ports instead of one larger one makes it possible to better control the behavior of the low end of the spectrum in “delicate” rooms/locations and thus avoid interactions that could negatively affect the performance. subjective tone curve. The opulent and robust floor stand specifically designed for the Linton Heritage, which by placing the speakers at their optimal emissive height guarantees the most natural spatial presentation possible.

Regarding the engineering of the transducers, both the midrange cone (135 mm diameter) and the bass cone (200 mm diameter) use the widely proven intertwined fibers of Kevlarto which we must add an innovative control scheme of the magnetic flux in the engine block that maximizes both the linearity of its response and its dynamic capacity. The reproduction of the high frequencies of the spectrum is responsible for a soft dome tweeter 25 mm whose high-power magnetic motor ensures the perfect restitution of the best records in high resolution. And as for the management of the three speakers mentioned, it is entrusted to a filter circuitry designed with the help of software developed custom for Wharfedale.
Finally, let us point out that also the construction of the enclosure –which now has more volume- has been improved, by using plywood covered on both sides with thin sheets of MDF in the different panels, the result being greater rigidity accompanied by a Superior overall acoustic neutrality.

Warm and balanced sound but also incisive and energetic

The simple connection of the Linton Heritagemounted on their dedicated brackets, to the stereo integrated amplifier with built-in streamer Marantz PM-7000N via In-Akustik It allows us to have a formally “minimal” stereo system (we can always leave the addition of a turntable for later) but musically superb.

First of all, because those as elegant as they are forceful 80 watts continuous per channel over 4 ohms of available power are understood perfectly, thanks to 100% audiophile inspired circuitry, with the 6 ohms of nominal impedance and the 3.5 ohms of minimum impedance of the Wharfedale. And secondly, because the “streamer” which houses the Marantz Inside it lives up to the brand’s reputation. Thanks to this, what we obtain is a extremely neat sound and spacious whose surprising dynamic capacity marks a powerful difference compared to the original Linton. In short, the Linton Heritage has the immense merit of revitalizing the sound presentation of its illustrious predecessor without touching even an iota the regularity of its subjective tonal curve and improving both its extension and construction quality, while maintaining intact its exceptional quality/price ratio.

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Simon Müller

Simon Müller is the driving force behind UMusic, embodying a lifelong passion for all things melodious. Born and raised in New York, his love for music took form at an early age and fueled his journey from an avid music enthusiast to the founder of a leading music-centered website. Simon's diverse musical tastes and intrinsic understanding of acoustic elements offer a unique perspective to the UMusic community. Sporting a dedicated commitment to aural enrichment and hearing health, his vision extends beyond just delivering news - he aspires to create a network of informed, appreciative music lovers. Spend a moment in Mueller's company, and you'd find his passion infectious – music isn’t simply his job, it’s his heartbeat.