KLH Model Five vs Wharfedale LINTON Comparison

Speaker to replace

Change

KLH Model Five

Passive Floor-standing | 42-20k Hz

Check price atAmazon›

Change

Wharfedale LINTON

Passive Bookshelf | 40-20k Hz

Check price atAmazon›

KLH Model Five

Check price atAmazon›

Wharfedale LINTON

Check price atAmazon›

KLH Model Five

See at AMAZON

Wharfedale LINTON

See at AMAZON

KLH Model Five vs Wharfedale LINTON Speaker Comparison

In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers. KLH Model Five is a Floor-standing speaker whereas the LINTON Heritage is a Bookshelf speaker.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of KLH Model Five and Wharfedale LINTON first before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Key Specs	KLH Model Five	Wharfedale LINTON
Brand	KLH United States · founded 1957	Wharfedale United Kingdom · founded 1932
Design	3-way	3-way
Tweeter	1" Hard-Dome	1" Soft-dome
Midrange	4"	5"
Woofer	10" Pulp-Paper	8" Woven Kevlar
Frequency response	42-20k Hz	40-20k Hz
Sensitivity	90.5 dB	90 dB
Impedance	6 ohms	6 ohms
Power range	20-200 watts	25-200 watts
Weight	20.00kg / 44lbs	18.40kg / 40.5lbs
Dimensions (H x W x D)	34-1/4" x 13-3/4" x 13" 870.0 x 350.0 x 330.0mm	22.2" x 11.8" x 14.2" 565.0 x 300.0 x 360.0mm

What size room are the KLH Model Five and Wharfedale LINTON speakers good for?

The size of the room in which you are planning to use these loudspeakers is an important decision factor. Here we have compared their suitability to various sizes of environments considering their size and max power parameters:

Listening Environment*	KLH Model Five	Wharfedale LINTON
Near-field	Bad	Poor
Small Room	Poor	Average
Mid-size Room	Good	Good
Large Room	Good	Average
Very Large Room	Poor	Poor

(* Approximate Room sizes: Small < 100sq. ft / 9 m², Mid-size: 100-220 sq. ft / 9-20 m², Large 220-400 sq. ft / 20-36 m², Very Large: > 400 sq. ft / 36 m². Average Floor Height: 9" / 2.7m. Typical room sizes differ from country to country, and the actual listening experience changes depending on floor height, room shape, surface materials, listening position, speaker locations, etc.)

The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.

Drivers

Both Model Five and LINTON Heritage are 3-way speakers.

KLH Model Five

Wharfedale LINTON

TweeterMidrangeWoofer

Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.

Driver	KLH Model Five	Wharfedale LINTON
Driver Setup	3-way	3-way
Tweeter	1-inch	1-inch
Midrange	1 x 4-inch	1 x 5-inch
Woofer	1 x 10-inch	1 x 8-inch

Model Five features a 1" aluminum Hard-Dome Tweeter, a 4" Midrange and 1 x 10" Pulp-Paper Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 380Hz and 2850Hz. On the other hand, the LINTON Heritage features a 1" woven textile Soft-dome Tweeter, a 5" Midrange and 1 x 8" Woven Kevlar Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 630Hz and 2400Hz.

Frequency Response

Model Five has a frequency range of 42-20k Hz whereas LINTON Heritage has a frequency range of 40-20k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 40Hz, the LINTON Heritage can go slightly deeper then the Model Five's min frequency of 42Hz.

The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.

Low Frequency

Floor-standing Speakers

Model Five

LINTON Heritage

Min

Average

Median

Neither pair reaches down to 20Hz, the usual definition of full-range, which is normal for speakers of this size. If you want the bottom octave for movies or bass-heavy music, add a subwoofer to whichever you choose. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.

Impedance and Sensitivity

Model Five and LINTON Heritage have the same Impedance of 6 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Model Five sensitivity is rated at 90.5 dB and the LINTON Heritage's is at 90 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the KLH Model Five a more sensitive speaker compared to Wharfedale LINTON, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.

Sensitivity

Floor-standing Speakers

Model Five

LINTON Heritage

Min

Average

Median

Power Range

Power range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. Staying within that range gives nominal performance; driving the speaker beyond its maximum wattage can damage it.

Both handle the same maximum of 200 watts RMS, though Model Five is rated 20-200 watts and LINTON Heritage 25-200 watts.

Note that higher power handling does not make a speaker louder: that depends mainly on sensitivity and impedance. The calculator below shows how loud each of these actually plays on a real amplifier.

Which plays louder on your amplifier?

Starting with a popular amplifier - change it to the one you own, or any you are considering, and watch both numbers move.

Amplifier - change this

Distance

Playing as

KLH Model Five

Wharfedale LINTON

Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring

LINTON Heritage features Post posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. Model Five has a Binding post which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.

KLH Model Five's Binding post terminals

Wharfedale LINTON's Post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring

Physical Specs

The size of a speaker can sometimes be an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare KLH Model Five's and Wharfedale LINTON's external dimensions. KLH Model Five has external dimensions of 870.0 x 350.0 x 330.0mm (34-1/4 x 13-3/4 x 13inch) whereas Wharfedale LINTON has external dimensions of 565.0 x 300.0 x 360.0mm (22.2 x 11.8 x 12.9inch).

Wharfedale LINTON is 50mm narrower and 305mm shorter than KLH Model Five but it is also 30mm deeper.

Below you can see the front view size comparison of KLH Model Five and Wharfedale LINTON in scale.

Comparison image of KLH Model Five and Wharfedale LINTON Size and External Dimensions

Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited. The base surface area of the KLH Model Five is approximately 1155.0cm² / 179.0inch² and base area of the Wharfedale LINTON is approximately 1080.0cm² / 167.4inch². The Model Five requires 7% more surface area than the LINTON Heritage which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.

What's in the Box of KLH Model Five?

Here are the items that are included inside the box of Model Five:

Floorstanding loudspeaker
Riser base
Grille
Owners Manual

What's in the Box of Wharfedale LINTON?

Here are the items that come with the LINTON Heritage:

Bookshelf loudspeaker
Grille (pre-installed)
4 Self-adhesive rubber feet
Pair of white gloves
User's Manual

Reasons to choose KLH Model Five over Wharfedale LINTON Heritage

Sensitivity	91 dB vs 90 dB	Play louder with same amount of amplification power
Woofer Size	10 inches vs 8 inches	Larger woofer

Reasons to choose Wharfedale LINTON Heritage over KLH Model Five

Low Frequency Response	40 Hz vs 42 Hz	Generates deeper bass
Bi-Amping and Bi-Wiring	Yes vs No	Allows bi-amping and bi-wiring connections
Height	565mm vs 870mm	Easier to fit in smaller spaces
Base Surface Area	1080cm² vs 1155cm²	Takes less floor space
Price per pair*	1500USD vs 2500USD	costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time)

KLH Model Five vs Wharfedale LINTON Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	KLH Model Five	Wharfedale LINTON Heritage
Brand	KLH	Wharfedale
Speaker Type	Bookshelf speakers	Bookshelf speakers
Power Range	20-200 watts	25-200 watts
Sensitivity	90.5 dB	90 dB
Impedance	6 ohms	6 ohms
Impedance	3.5 ohms	3.5 ohms
Frequency Response	42-20k Hz	40-20k Hz
Drivers
Woofer Quantity	1	1
Woofer Size	10"	8"
Woofer Composition	Pulp-Paper	Woven Kevlar
Woofer Surround Material	Rubber	Rubber
Tweeter Size	1"	1"
Tweeter Type	Hard-Dome	Soft-dome
Aimable Tweeter	No	No
Midrange Driver	4"	5"
Crossover Frequency	380Hz and 2850Hz	630Hz and 2400Hz
Firing Direction	n/a	rear
Physical Specs
Height	870.0mm (34.3")	565.0mm (22.2")
Width	350.0mm (13.8")	300.0mm (11.8")
Depth	330.0mm (13")	360.0mm (14.2")
Weight	20.00kg (44lbs)	18.40kg (40.5lbs)
Enclosure	Acoustic Suspension	Bass Reflex
Finish	MDF/Wood Veneer	MDF/Wood Veneer
Available Colors	English Walnut, West African Mahogany	Walnut, Red Mahogany, Black
Mounting Bracket	No	No
Recommended Stand Height	n/a	18-22"
Grille	Yes	Yes
Moisture Resistancy	No	No
Connections
Biamp Inputs	No	Yes
Other
Parts Warranty	10 Years	5 Years
Labor Warranty	10 Years	5 Years

Verdict

A floor-standing against a bookshelf. They are built for different places in a room, so start with where these have to go rather than which looks better on paper.

Area	Better	Why
Bass	evenly matched	Much the same reach (42Hz vs 40Hz).
Amplifier needs	evenly matched	Similar sensitivity (91dB vs 90dB) - both want much the same power.
Headroom	evenly matched	Similar power handling (200W vs 200W).
Size	depends	Wharfedale LINTON is easier to place; KLH Model Five is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides.
Type	depends	A Passive Floor-standing against a Passive Bookshelf - a different job rather than a better one.
Cabinet	depends	Sealed vs Ported. Sealed is tighter and happier near a wall; ported digs lower but wants space behind it.
Expandability	B	Wharfedale LINTON: bi-amping. Wharfedale LINTON sits in a wider range (7 models), so a matched surround system is easier later.
Price	B	Wharfedale LINTON is cheaper - $1,500 against $2,500, about 40% less; arguably a different class.

A KLH Model Five B Wharfedale LINTON
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, your system or how you will use them. Only specs published for both speakers are judged; anything missing on either side is left out rather than guessed.

Which should you choose?

Wharfedale LINTON has the edge on paper, though the margin is not large. The rows marked "depends" may matter more to you than the score does. Match it to your room: we rate KLH Model Five the better fit for a large room, and Wharfedale LINTON for a small room. In a large or open-plan room, KLH Model Five has the cabinet volume to fill it more easily; in a small room, near a wall or at desk distance, Wharfedale LINTON is the easier speaker to get right.

And remember what a spec sheet cannot show: how each looks in your room and whether the finish suits it, what dealer support and warranty are like where you live, and how they actually sound to you. If you can hear them first - ideally with your own music - that will tell you more than any number above.