In this review, we will be comparing Q Acoustics 5010 and LINTON Heritage, two Passive Bookshelf speakers from Q Acoustics and Wharfedale.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Q Acoustics 5010 and Wharfedale LINTON first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
Q Acoustics 5010 Key Specs
- 2-way Design
- 1" Soft-dome Tweeter
- 4.5" Continuous Curved Cone Woofer
- 56-30k Hz Frequency Response
- 86.3 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 6ohms
- Power Range:15-90watts
- Weight:5.59kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 266.0" x 6-5/16" x 10-7/16"( 266.0 x 161.0 x 266.0mm )
Wharfedale LINTON Key Specs
- 3-way Design
- 1" Soft-dome Tweeter
- 5" Midrange
- 8" Woven Kevlar Woofer
- 5" Midrange
- 40-20k Hz Frequency Response
- 90 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 6ohms
- Power Range:25-200watts
- Weight:18.40kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 565.0" x 11.8" x 14.2"( 565.0 x 300.0 x 360.0mm )
What size room are the Q Acoustics 5010 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* |
Q Acoustics 5010 |
Wharfedale LINTON |
| Near-field |
Average |
Poor |
| Small Room |
Good |
Average |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Good |
| Large Room |
Poor |
Average |
| Very Large Room |
Bad |
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.)
In the following sections, we will get into more detail in order to better understand how the Q Acoustics 5010 and Wharfedale LINTON compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one of these loudspeakers is the better choice for you.
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Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Q Acoustics 5010 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.
| Driver |
Q Acoustics 5010 |
Wharfedale LINTON |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
1 x 5-inch |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 4.5-inch
|
1 x 8-inch
|
Q Acoustics 5010 features a 1" Soft-dome Tweeter and 1 x 4.5" Continuous Curved Cone Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2500 Hz. 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
Q Acoustics 5010 has a frequency range of 56-30k 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 Q Acoustics 5010's min frequency of 56Hz.
Below graphs depict how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average values of the Min and Max Frequencies of other speakers in the Bookshelf class in our database.
Low Frequency
Bookshelf Speakers
High Frequency
Bookshelf Speakers
None of these speakers achieves full range experience which is commonly agreed as 20Hz-20kHz. In order to achieve lower lows / deeper bass, we recommend you pair these with a subwoofer. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
Q Acoustics 5010 and LINTON Heritage have the same Impedance of 6 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Q Acoustics 5010 sensitivity is rated at 86.3 dB and the LINTON Heritage's is at 90 dB. This 4 dB difference makes the Wharfedale LINTON a more sensitive speaker compared to Q Acoustics 5010, 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. While using
an amplifier within this range ensures the nominal performance , inputting a power that is higher than the
max wattage can result in a damaged speaker.
Q Acoustics 5010 can handle a max power of 200 watts RMS from the amp the whereas Q Acoustics 5010 has a max power handling value of 90 watts RMS , 110 watts less than the LINTON Heritage.
Keep in mind that a higher max power handling value doesn't necessarily make that a louder speaker
compared to a lower max handling speaker. Loudness or the sound level is also impacted by parameters
such as Impedance, sensitivity and system efficiencies.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Q Acoustics 5010 features Post type posts and LINTON Heritage has a Post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Q Acoustics 5010's Binding post terminals
Wharfedale LINTON's Post terminals
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both Q Acoustics 5010 and LINTON Heritage have rear firing ports. Rear ported speakers generally need more room between the backside of the speaker and the wall compared to sealed and front/bottom ported speakers. Placing the speakers too close to the walls may cause the bass to sound boomy.
If you are limited in space and can't get the speakers away from the backwall, check our Speakers with Front Firing Ports page.
Physical Specs
Size of a speaker can sometimes become an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare Q Acoustics 5010's and Wharfedale LINTON's external dimensions. Q Acoustics 5010 has external dimensions of 266.0 x 161.0 x 266.0mm ( 10-7/16inch x 6-5/16inch x 10-7/16inch ) 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 clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 139mm wider, 299mm taller and 94mm deeper than Q Acoustics 5010.
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 Q Acoustics 5010 is approximately 428.3cm2 / 66.4inch2 and base area of the Wharfedale LINTON is approximately 990.0cm2 / 153.5inch2. The Q Acoustics 5010 requires 57% less surface area than the LINTON Heritage which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.