Wharfedale Super Linton Review

The Linton speaker from Wharfedale can truly be called a HiFi classic. Originally released in 1965, the speaker was reissued a few years ago and has been highly praised since then. Does it have what it takes to become a classic?

By Simon Mendel

In 2019, Wharfedale reissued its classic Linton speaker as the 85th Anniversary Edition. This compact speaker, which can become a genuine floor-standing speaker in no time thanks to the matching stands, is not only crafted in an unmistakably chic retro style but also effectively translates the sound aesthetics and technology of the past into today. Now, the Wharfedale Heritage series receives a superb new addition.

The Super Linton is based on the Linton 85 we just discussed. However, every aspect has been reconsidered and refined. The result is a speaker that looks retro on the outside but is top-modern inside. In fact, we received the regular version of the Wharfedale Linton along with our pair of Super Linton. This allowed us in our listening test to precisely examine both variants for their sonic differences—making us all the more eager to start the following test.

Design

At first glance, one might consider it a bookshelf speaker, but with its dimensions (height 60 cm, width 30 cm, depth 35 cm), it would be difficult to fit the Super Linton on a shelf. When using the optional Linton stands, it becomes a true floor-standing speaker and reaches a height of just over one meter. The mentioned stands are not only finely crafted and look chic, they also have significant weight and, by the way, a practical storage area for vinyl records directly in the base. This saves space and pleases the vinyl enthusiast.

The ensemble of Super Linton and stands (by the way, the same stands as for the regular Linton) is impressive. Both complement each other very harmoniously. The cabinet of the Super Linton is made of dual-layered MDF and adorned with wood, giving the speaker a very high-quality appearance. The workmanship is superb, and the choice of materials gives the Super Linton a classic HiFi feel. The front is adorned by the three drivers of the speaker. The Super Linton is a three-way system, meaning it has a woofer, midrange, and tweeter. Such a configuration is often chosen to reproduce the midrange, where much of the human voice lies, as cleanly and smoothly as possible. Three-way speakers are often characterized by their very direct reproduction of vocals and speech.

Drivers

The cone drivers of the Super Linton, that is, the woofer and midrange, use a membrane made of Kevlar. This is an extremely strong synthetic fiber, which is why it is used, for example, in bulletproof vests. Fortunately, no live ammunition is fired in our listening room—unless it’s when the kick drum thunder roars from the speakers. The bass driver has been completely redeveloped and relies on a more powerful motor. The woofer measures eight inches, while the dedicated midrange driver comes to five inches. For the high frequencies from 2.5 kHz upwards, a one-inch fabric dome with ceramic magnets is responsible. The optimized horn profile and the newly designed front plate promise an even distribution of high frequencies. And while we’re on the subject of optimizations: the crossover has also been redesigned. Overall, the Super Linton covers the frequency range from 39 Hz to 20 kHz, with a measurement tolerance of ±3 dB. Wharfedale also states that at a tolerance of ±6 dB, the speaker reaches down to 32 Hz.

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Interior

Crucial for such a frequency range is, in addition to the bass reflex openings on the back, the cabinet volume. But while a large resonance body brings a lot of depth, it also introduces unpleasant resonances. To counter this problem, Wharfedale has intensively optimized the interior of the speaker. Thus, it is rounded at the top inside, which minimizes self-resonances and standing waves. In addition, the midrange driver sits in its own cylindrical chamber. This isolates it from the other drivers. Furthermore, this sub-enclosure also separates the tweeter from the woofer. So, a lot of effort has been put into the design of the cabinet interior. Wharfedale’s chief designer Peter Comeau knows that a good speaker is the result of thoroughly good design—you can’t leave any aspect unnoticed.

Rear Side

The rear side of the Wharfedale Super Linton is kept quite minimalist. In addition to the two large bass reflex openings, we find a large golden plaque with the company name and product designation and two speaker terminals. The latter are of high quality, and our speaker cables sit securely and firmly. While we’re on the topic of connections: we test the speaker with various amplifiers and stay with British brands. Namely, these are the Arcam Radia A25 and the Cambridge Audio EXA100. We feed them via streamer and turntable.

Sound Test

Now, it’s finally time. We begin with the Venezuelan musician and artist Alejandra Ghersi Rodríguez, better known as Arca. Her experimental, unconventional productions are always exciting and show how diverse electronic music can be. We play “Anoche” from her self-titled album Arca released in 2017. This track, like almost all of her projects, was created entirely in-house. The result is a dark, melancholic ballad. Her haunting, drifting vocals sound so separated from the dense sound collages and ghostly synthesizers—and here the advantages of a three-way system become apparent.

The speaker opens up a natural, coherent space in which every element can be stably located. We are particularly surprised that although the Super Linton looks like a retro speaker, it doesn’t sound like one. Because models of this genre often sound very warm and emphasize the lower midrange strongly. Often, they even have a pronounced scoop in the midrange. Especially if you think of American classics. The Super Linton, on the other hand, sounds modern. It is detailed, three-dimensional, and punchy. But here we are getting ahead of ourselves.

A Paul McCartney Classic

Next, we start the Qobuz stream of “Dear Boy” by Paul and Linda McCartney, in the remastered version from 2012. The fourth track of Paul’s second solo project Ram, which is considered one of the first indie pop albums, is a rather playful, expressive love song about a woman, which is simultaneously addressed to her ex-husband. “I guess you never knew, dear boy, what you had found” rings out from the Super Lintons, which visually already fit perfectly with the track.

Moreover, the Wharfedale understands how to reproduce the dramatic panorama of the piece excellently. Paul’s lead vocals mainly come from the right channel, while the background vocals and drums sound from the left speaker. A not entirely simple sound image, which often sounds misplaced and somewhat strained on stereo systems. But the Super Linton translates the stream very neatly, and the playful, energetic song gushes out of the speakers for 2 minutes and 16 seconds. We particularly like again the stability and plasticity of the stereo image. It is enormously wide, deep, and large. Especially when you turn up the amplifier to a decent listening volume, the Super Linton is simply fun. It is not overly analytical. Sloppy intransparency is equally foreign to it. It finds exactly the point where listening to music is simply enjoyable. Detail-oriented and harmonious.

Fancy Some Indie Music?

We switch from McCartney’s Ram to “Little Deer,” the opener of the grand The Turning Wheel by the American musician SPELLLING, real name Chrystia Cabral. This alternative album fuses genres and styles, creates something new, and sounds so effortless and coherent. It was created during the pandemic and is probably one of the best music albums of this time. Cabral worked with over 30 musicians, all spread across the globe. Most contributed their part remotely, without ever having been in the studio with Cabral. An astonishing effort, especially when you realize that you don’t notice this at all on The Turning Wheel. But enough of the hymns of praise for the musicians; after all, we are here for the Super Linton. This one reproduces the versatile album cleanly, harmoniously, and musically. Especially the soft, magical vocals sound so present and natural—simply great. Every element is sharply delineated by the speaker.

Also Does Soul Music

To conclude, we have R&B singer Amel Larrieux with “Get Up” from her 2000 album Infinite Possibilities. This soul song is funky and literally awakening. The head-nodding rhythm practically dances through the room, the bass is rich and round. Again, the vocals are clearly in the spotlight. The smooth chords and warm bass line form a coherent foundation. The stereo stage is nicely wide and defined. We are delighted with the Super Linton and convinced by its sound, which simply appears wonderfully musical and extremely pleasing. The speaker may not necessarily have the flattest frequency response or the airiest highs, but it is superbly tuned and allows us listeners to fully enjoy the music. And that’s what most music lovers are ultimately about.

Difference to the Linton?

But what is now the difference to its smaller brother, the Linton? When we unpack the regular Linton, we are initially surprised at how similar both models look. Externally, it is only details by which you can distinguish the two. For example, the Super Linton is 50 mm taller than the current Linton model. When we connect both models to the Cambridge Audio EXA100, which supports two pairs of speakers, we are quite amazed by the sonic differences. The Linton also sounds very good. To our taste, however, it is somewhat duller and less detailed. Whenever we switch from the Linton to the Super Linton, we are overwhelmed by an eruption of width, naturalness, and sheer musicality. Truly impressive.

Although the Super Linton brings in somewhat less low-end than its regular brother. At this point, we would like to remind that the Wharfedale Linton is an enormously popular speaker with a large fan base, which is certainly due to the attractive price point of $. It is by no means an underrated speaker. So the comparison is not just a “the more expensive model is better,” but rather a “what is possible with a bit more budget?” The Super Linton simply adds a notch everywhere and has truly earned the “Super”—you should hear that!

Specifications

• Impedance: 6 Ohms
• Efficiency: 90 dB at 2.83V/1m
• Frequency Response: 39 Hz – 20 kHz
• Power Handling: 200W
• Room Recommendation: 20 m² to 45 m²
• Individual Sound Adjustment: No
• Inputs: Speaker terminals