In this review, we will be comparing Passif 50 and LINTON Heritage, two Passive Bookshelf speakers from PSB and Wharfedale.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of PSB Passif 50 and Wharfedale LINTON first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | PSB Passif 50 | Wharfedale LINTON |
|---|
| Brand | PSB
Canada · founded 1972 | Wharfedale
United Kingdom · founded 1932 |
|---|
| Design | 2-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" Dome | 1" Soft-dome |
|---|
| Midrange | — | 5" |
|---|
| Woofer | 6.5" cast aluminum basket, paper cone | 8" Woven Kevlar |
|---|
| Frequency response | 50-20k Hz | 40-20k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 87 dB | 90 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 6 ohms | 6 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 30-200 Watts watts | 25-200 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 13.70kg / 30.1lbs | 18.40kg / 40.5lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 26" x 11" x 10"
660 × 280 × 254mm | 22.2" x 11.8" x 14.2"
565.0 x 300.0 x 360.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the PSB Passif 50 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* |
PSB Passif 50 |
Wharfedale LINTON |
| Near-field |
Poor |
Poor |
| Small Room |
Average |
Average |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Good |
| Large Room |
Average |
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
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Passif 50 is a 2-way design whereas the LINTON Heritage is a 3-way speaker. 3-way designs utilize a midrange driver in addition to the tweeter and woofer on 2-way designs. Designing a crossover for a 3-way speaker is a complicated process and generally increases the overall cost of the speaker.
PSB Passif 50Wharfedale 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 |
PSB Passif 50 |
Wharfedale LINTON |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
1 x 5-inch |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 6.5-inch
|
1 x 8-inch
|
Passif 50 features a 1" titanium dome with ferrofluid and neodymium magnet Dome Tweeter and 1 x 6.5" cast aluminum basket, paper cone Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 1800Hz. 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
Passif 50 has a frequency range of 50-20k Hz whereas LINTON Heritage has a frequency range of 40-20k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 40Hz, the LINTON Heritage can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Passif 50's min frequency of 50Hz.
The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Bookshelf class in our database.
Low Frequency
Bookshelf Speakers
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
Passif 50 and LINTON Heritage have the same Impedance of 6 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Passif 50 sensitivity is rated at 87 dB and the LINTON Heritage's is at 90 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the Wharfedale LINTON a more sensitive speaker compared to PSB Passif 50, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Bookshelf Speakers
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 Passif 50 is rated 30-200 Watts 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.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Both Passif 50 and LINTON Heritage features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.
PSB Passif 50's 5-Way post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
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 PSB Passif 50's and Wharfedale LINTON's external dimensions. PSB Passif 50 has external dimensions of 660 × 280 × 254mm (26 x 11 x 10-inch) whereas Wharfedale LINTON has external dimensions of 565.0 x 300.0 x 360.0mm (22.2 x 11.8 x 12.9inch).
PSB Passif 50 is 20mm narrower and 106mm less deeper than Wharfedale LINTON but it is also 95mm taller.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of PSB Passif 50 and Wharfedale LINTON in scale.
Comparison image of PSB Passif 50 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 PSB Passif 50 is approximately 712.0cm2 / 110.4inch2 and base area of the Wharfedale LINTON is approximately 1080.0cm2 / 167.4inch2. The Passif 50 requires 34% less surface area than the LINTON Heritage which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.
Weight Comparison The weight of a loudspeaker can become an important factor if you need to move and reposition the unit often. Weight of a speaker can also "sometimes" be an indicator of the rigidity of the enclosure and the quality of the internal components used. The PSB Passif 50 weighs 13.70kg / 30.1lbs and the Wharfedale LINTON weighs 18.40kg / 40.5lbs. This makes the LINTON Heritage 34% heavier than the Passif 50.
Here is a comparison of how Passif 50 and LINTON Heritage's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Bookshelf class.
Weight
All Bookshelf Speakers
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
 Minimum Impedance |
4 ohms
vs
3.5 ohms
|
Very low impedance levels puts more pressure on amplifier |
|
Passive Radiator |
one 8-inch
vs
None
|
Increases the bass performance |
 Base Surface Area |
712cm2
vs
1080cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Driver Setup |
3-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Sensitivity |
90 dB
vs
89 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Woofer Size |
8 inches
vs
6.5 inches
|
Larger woofer |
|
Low Frequency Response |
40 Hz
vs
50 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 Height |
565mm
vs
660mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Price per pair* |
1500USD
vs
2499USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
PSB Passif 50 |
Wharfedale LINTON Heritage |
| Brand |
PSB |
Wharfedale |
| Speaker Type |
Bookshelf speakers |
Bookshelf speakers |
| Power Range |
30-200 Watts watts |
25-200 watts |
| Sensitivity |
87 dB |
90 dB |
| Impedance |
6 ohms |
6 ohms |
| Impedance |
4 ohms |
3.5 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
50-20k Hz |
40-20k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
1 |
1 |
| Woofer Size |
6.5" |
8" |
| Woofer Composition |
cast aluminum basket, paper cone |
Woven Kevlar |
| Woofer Surround Material |
cast aluminum basket, paper cone |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
Dome |
Soft-dome |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
No |
5" |
| Crossover Frequency |
1800Hz |
630Hz and 2400Hz |
| Firing Direction |
n/a |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
660.0mm (26") |
565.0mm (22.2") |
| Width |
280.0mm (11") |
300.0mm (11.8") |
| Depth |
254.0mm (10") |
360.0mm (14.2") |
| Weight |
13.70kg (30.1lbs) |
18.40kg (40.5lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Passive Radiator |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
open-grain walnut veneer |
MDF/Wood Veneer |
| Available Colors |
Open-Grain Walnut |
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 |
Yes |
Yes |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
These sit in different price classes - PSB Passif 50 costs roughly 1.7x what Wharfedale LINTON does. Expect it to lead on paper; the question is whether the gap is audible enough in your room to be worth it.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | B | Wharfedale LINTON digs deeper - 40Hz against 50Hz. |
| Amplifier needs | evenly matched | Similar sensitivity (89dB vs 90dB) - both want much the same power. |
| Headroom | evenly matched | Similar power handling (200W vs 200W). |
| Size | depends | PSB Passif 50 is easier to place; Wharfedale LINTON is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Cabinet | depends | Passive Radiator vs Ported. |
| Expandability | depends | PSB Passif 50: bi-amping; Wharfedale LINTON: bi-amping. |
| Price | B | Wharfedale LINTON is cheaper - $1,500 against $2,499, about 40% less; arguably a different class. |
A PSB Passif 50 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. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 50Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead. Think about the whole system, not just the speakers: the roughly $999 saved by taking the cheaper pair would buy a subwoofer or a better amplifier, and either usually does more for the sound than the difference between these two.
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.