Striking up just to the side, the trumpets sound just as heroic as the archeological adventurer, while the string section launches in front. 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. 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. 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. Other amps that offer a good degree of get up and go will also work well. 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).
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That ensures that the off-centre tweeters are positioned on the inside edge, although as we play with the positioning, the difference between that and the other way around feels minimal. The speakers sound best when slightly toed-in towards the listener, making sure that the Wharfedale badge is on the outside edge of each unit. Not only does doing so help to maintain that low visual profile, the grilles actually improve the sound thanks to their shape ameliorating interference from reflections from the edges of the cabinet.
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Unusually, they are designed specifically for use with the grilles on. While they’re not too fussy about positioning, we’d recommend starting at around 50cm from the wall and moving in from there. The Lintons are fitted with two rear-firing bass ports on each speaker. Internally, the dampening material of choice is long-hair synthetic wool.
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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.
ELIPSON MELODYNE 3 MK2 SPEAKER DRIVER
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. Bass frequencies are handled by a 20cm unit that's the same size as the bass driver inside the old Linton XP2s but this time utilises woven Kevlar instead of paper in the construction of its cone. This effect, known as the ‘baffle step’ occurs at a higher frequency in slimmer speakers, and so they tend to sound less substantial, and that’s even with electrical compensation applied in their crossover networks.Ī bigger cabinet can also accommodate bigger drivers. A bigger box should make for more generous bass production, and the greater width of the Linton's baffle helps to add a bit more substance to the midrange by supporting the speaker’s output to a lower frequency. Whether you appreciate the Linton aesthetic or not (we're very keen, for what that's worth), there are clear sonic benefits to this approach. 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. Their disproportionate shortness notwithstanding, the Linton stands are excellent. Short enough, in fact, that those with a lower than average seating position will be the ones who hear the Lintons at their best. Their other weapon in keeping a low profile is the dedicated Linton stands, which sit the speakers at a slightly shorter height than some.