“Undeniably superb” is how we described Wharfedale’s 2019-released Linton speakers, so our in-house reviews team will have to search their lexicon for even stronger superlatives if the all-new Linton Super do indeed turn out to be even more, er, super.
These upgraded Lintons are the second Wharfedale Heritage-range designs to get the ‘Super’ status, following the Super Denton that debuted at the Bristol Hi-Fi Show back in February, and see the speakers get across-the-board upgrades to their cabinet, crossover and drive units.
You may expect any ‘Super’ variant to be supersized compared to the original offering, particularly if you’re a regular at McDonald's, and the Linton Super are indeed bigger than the Linton, albeit moderately so. While they sport the same look as the Linton (which were themselves based on the company’s 1970s Linton 3XP model), their cabinet is 4cm taller, meaning the internal cabinet volume (and the damping materials within it) has increased. In the name of reduced resonance, the construction has been enhanced by applying dual fibreboard layers coupled with damping glue, too.
The tweeter, midrange driver and woofer have all been revised. The Super Linton’s high-frequency unit inherits many design aspects of the higher-end Dovedale's tweeter. The 25mm dome is formed from a damping-coated fine fabric weave, while the revised short horn profile around it smoothens the response down to the upper-midrange region and a new front plate improves dispersion. The design also features a rear chamber that absorbs output from the rear and moves the unit’s resonant frequency below the crossover region.
Moving up to the midrange unit, the Linton’s 13.5cm Kevlar cone has been carried over to the Linton Super, although here it is housed in its own cylindrical chamber, where long-hair fibres have also been added to absorb the driver’s back wave energy.
Last but not least, the 20cm Kevlar-cone woofer is now facilitated by a more powerful motor system that deepens bass extension to 32Hz while offering better control.
Ensuring each of those improved drivers receives the right parts of the audio signal is an all-new crossover network, which Wharfedale has split onto two separate circuit boards to reduce electromagnetic interference from the bass crossover components affecting higher-frequency signals.
Available in walnut, mahogany and black oak finishes from mid-November, the Wharfedale Super Linton is an addition to the Heritage series, sitting above the current Linton (£1249 / $1799 with stands, £1099 / $1499 without) with an asking price of £1999 / $2499 / AU$5199 with the same stands as the Linton, or £1849 / $2299 / AU$4599 without stands. Will the Super Linton be another example of “the best of old hi-fi combined with the best of the new”? We hope to find out very soon.
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