Review: Wharfedale Super Linton
Our in-depth review of the Wharfedale Super Linton loudspeaker
I will be the first to admit, it has taken me a long time to review my first Wharfedale speaker. The British-born brand has long been a tempting hifi treat that hangs deliciously near the entry level of the hobby. The entire range doesn’t properly fit into the “budget” category, but the subject of today’s review happens to properly hit a sweet spot in the market. The new Wharfedale Super Linton packs in the hopes for “more for less”, but still manages to cost less than a new Omega watch.
The vintage vibes of the Linton series must be addressed up front. For those looking for something modern (not mid-century), it might not be your cup of tea. However, it is still just a wooden box with 90 degree corners so any offense to modern aesthetics might still be considered minimal. If you are a mid century design lover like myself, or just appreciate some of the comforting looks of the 60s and 70s, then the Wharfedale Linton look is right up your alley. To be honest, the looks were what drew me to review the newest addition to the Linton family in the first place. The red mahogany color veneer offers a nice hue to complement the room. It also wouldn’t be a complete evaluation if I didn’t mention the extremely nice and functional stands that can also be ordered with the speaker. In the case of this Linton, they are not merely an afterthought. They of course fit the speaker perfectly, but also pull double duty by holding a few records tucked in between the legs as well. Again, current promotional offers from Wharfedale really do push the idea that these two items belong together, as many online sales points include the stands as the only option to buy. With a price ranging from roughly $3k to $2.5k with stands, the appeal of Wharfedale’s value proposition here can be clearly seen.
The Super Lintons are supposed to be played with the grills on. And doing so delivers some great sonics. I started with the grills off, and there is perhaps a smidge more immediacy with the unencumbered delivery, but nothing that would be considered a night and day difference. The really good news is that the speaker looks fantastic with both the grills on and off, which is not something that every speaker option truly offers. The angled bezel gives a little more mid century modern inspiration along with the simple, clean lines. The height of the speaker is slightly more than the original Linton and gives off a little leaner profile from the listening positions. That is not to say that it features the “new” slim look of home theater towers, but just enough that the combination hits a smidge under a foot wide with the taller 3.5 foot height. The reported 90dB of efficiency proved to be a little much for the meager 17 watts ampsandsound Stereo 17, but offered plenty of boogie with the new Schiit Audio 200 watt Woton stereo power amp (paired with the Kara F pre) in for review. Given the $2k asking price for the Wotan, I felt the pairing made sense from not only a power perspective but a financial angle as well. As an added bonus, I found a most excellent pairing with the Woo Audio WA 5 Integrated with 300b tubes. The additional tube power proved to give a little boogie where boogie was needed, and the 300b flavor (although quite light in this Woo execution) was extremely tasty with the WSL. For sources, I choose the MoFi Ultradeck turntable and the Auralic Altair G2.1 for Qobuz streaming. Cables were AudioQuest interconnects and SVS Soundpath Ultra speaker wire.
The Wharfedale Super Linton is a three way design with a woven kevlar cone for both the 8” inch bass and 5” mid drivers. A 1” soft dome tweeter takes care of the rest. I am recently coming off a huge tangential exploration of two way designs, so I was very excited to get my hands on a well-received three-way for this Wharfedale Super Linton review. This was made especially sweet by the mid range $2-$3k tier the Super Linton is found in. My high expectations were met with an equal return in this case. Overall, the speaker offers an extremely balanced tonality and and extremely easy-to-listen approachability. The longer I do critical listening reviews of speakers the more I have come to realize that some designers attempt to make a speaker with tons of detail and extremely precise imaging by adjusting particular qualities of the treble. This type of treble is often pushed just to the brink of discomfort, and then backed off a bit to make it more palatable for the masses. The technique unfortunately can still result in a somewhat fatiguing experience over time (at least from my experience), and is exactly what the Wharfedale Super Linton is not. The WSL is a speaker that I continue to come back to for comfort after a hard day at work or an easy listen to wake up in the morning. It is welcoming in a very subtle way and treats music with an organic nature that I can only assume springs from a somewhat “Brit-Fi” origin as the source. While the driver arrangement may not be as traditional as the two-way BBC LS3/5a, the extended reach down into the low end brings out a fuller listening experience that leaves very little on the cutting room floor. Of course, home theater listening might miss out on a few Hz that a simple dedicated subwoofer may pick up on, but for most music listening, the spectrum was “all there”.
The integration of that finicky third transducer for the bass requires a special designer’s touch to integrate properly. In the case of the WSL, it was done beautifully. Like leftovers from a great chili recipe, the three points of sound melt together perfectly to produce an appetizing singular image. There is no visible acoustic seam to traverse on the way up or down through the frequency spectrum. The extra space (and extra cost) from the three-way design is worth it. But even so, its not a full-sized floorstander. When comparing it to the similar priced Zu Audio Omen DW 6 with Superfly package and walnut finish ($2,727) the cohesion between the HiFi soup remained the main talking point for the Wharfedale Super Linton. While the ZODW6 pulls a fair amount of resolution with its full range driver and high pass tweeter, the easy-listening factor of the Super Linton really started to win me over in comparisons. I didn’t notice a supreme deficiency in the bass between the two either. With my toes put to the fire, I would have to say that the Zu perhaps had a bit more zing in the treble and upper mids, while the Super Linton offered a bit more structure in the bass and lower mids. Both speakers make a fine option in this range, but you can get a Zu Omen DW6 for a little cheaper with the standard finish and performance package.
The combination of good looks, functional matching stands and outstanding “Brit-Fi” mid tones make it super hard not to recommend the Super Linton to anyone considering something above $2k and below $5k. Yes, if you like the UK sensibilities on display here, you might not be able to eke out more fun until you get quite a bit higher on the pricetag. If the voicing is really in your flavortown, one could argue that the WSL is a keeper even if you have another pair of uber high end speakers lying about. It certainly feels that way for me. The finish isn’t a super, high gloss effect over the Red Mahogany color, but it is above average in terms of fit and finish for the under $10k category of speaker. It is important to note that box finish is usually the first to go as price points get cheaper, as it should (more for sonics). So seeing a bit of upscale externals with rich tonality is a real treat for $2k-$3k.
According to the designer, the “super” Linton was intended to give a little more in the detail and treble extension over the original Linton. I would say the Super Linton is by no means a bright speaker, but it does again feel supremely balanced to my ears. If this is an attempt to give a little “more” in any area, the response is well placed and executed. There is no overcompensation in the highs to attempt to recreate a faux allure of more detail.
So just to summarize, the Wharfedale Super Linton is a tone monster. It has an upstream fit and finish along with reasonably priced (often included) stands that also hold LPs in them. It is a unique vintage proposition that stands out from the crowd in more ways than one. It is very easy to listen to and does not deliver a large amount of listening fatigue over long listening sessions. If you enjoy a British-inspired sound and have $2.5k-$3k this is my recommendation. You could possibility spring for a used SE LS3/5a, but you would likely be missing out on some of the low end that the Super Linton has to offer. The WSL wasn’t as finicky with placement as some of the speakers I had in for review, although they are not intended to go directly against a wall with the dual rear bass ports. A little bit of adjustment and some fine tuning is all it takes to get these speakers to sing properly. Being “laid back” isn’t always a compliment, but in the case of the Super Lintons, it is a quality that can be utilized to personify some of the best aspects of its beauty. That is not to say that the highs are rolled off severely, they are not. The Wharfedale Super Linton is just a well executed soundmaker looking for a good time. So pull up your Eames Lounger, pour a glass of Pappy’s and pop in that rare vinyl copy of Dark Side. The Super Linton won’t disappoint.
More Info: Wharfedale Super Linton | Amazon
