In this review, we will be comparing Dovedale and SUPER LINTON, two Passive Bookshelf speakers by Wharfedale
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Wharfedale Dovedale and Wharfedale SUPER LINTON first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
Wharfedale Dovedale Key Specs
- 3-way Design
- 1" soft dome Tweeter
- 5" Midrange
- 10" black woven Kevlar cone Woofer
- 36-20K HZ Frequency Response
- 89 DB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 6.5ohms
- Power Range:25-250watts
- Weight:26.20kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 660.0" x 14.6" x 16.4"( 660 x 370 x 417mm )
Wharfedale SUPER LINTON Key Specs
- 3-way Design
- 1" Soft-dome Tweeter
- 5" Midrange
- 8" Black Woven Kevlar Cone Woofer
- 5" Midrange
- 39-20k Hz Frequency Response
- 90 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 6ohms
- Power Range:25-200watts
- Weight:19.80kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 605.0" x 12" x 14.2"( 605 x 300 x 360 mm )
Dovedale and SUPER LINTON are members of Wharfedale's Heritage series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
Wharfedale Heritage Series
History
What size room are the Wharfedale Dovedale and Wharfedale SUPER 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* |
Wharfedale Dovedale |
Wharfedale SUPER LINTON |
| Near-field |
Poor |
Poor |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Average |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Good |
| Large Room |
Good |
Average |
| Very Large Room |
Average |
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 Wharfedale Dovedale and Wharfedale SUPER LINTON compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one of these loudspeakers is the better choice for you.
**This post contains affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking
through my links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Drivers
Both Dovedale and SUPER LINTON are 3-way speakers.
| Driver |
Wharfedale Dovedale |
Wharfedale SUPER LINTON |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 5-inch |
1 x 5-inch |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 10-inch
|
1 x 8-inch
|
Dovedale features a 1" soft dome Tweeter , a 5" Midrange and 1 x 10" black woven Kevlar cone Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 560Hz and 2900Hz. On the other hand, the SUPER LINTON features a 1" woven textile Soft-dome Tweeter , a 5" Midrange and 1 x 8" Black Woven Kevlar Cone Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 550Hz and 2500Hz.
Frequency Response
Dovedale has a frequency range of 36-20K HZ whereas SUPER LINTON has a frequency range of 39-20k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 36Hz, the Dovedale can go slightly deeper then the SUPER LINTON's min frequency of 39Hz.
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
Dovedale is a 6.5 ohms speaker compared to the SUPER LINTON which has a nominal impedance of 6 ohms.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Dovedale sensitivity is rated at 89 DB and the SUPER LINTON's is rated at 90 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the Wharfedale SUPER LINTON a more sensitive speaker compared to Wharfedale Dovedale, 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.
Dovedale can handle a max power of 250 watts RMS from the amp the whereas SUPER LINTON has a max power handling value of 200 watts RMS, 50 watts less than the Dovedale.
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
Dovedale features Post type posts and SUPER LINTON has a Post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Wharfedale Dovedale's Post terminals
Wharfedale SUPER LINTON's Post terminals
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both Dovedale and SUPER LINTON 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.
Wharfedale SUPER LINTON dual Port
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 Wharfedale Dovedale's and Wharfedale SUPER LINTON's external dimensions. Wharfedale Dovedale has external dimensions of 660 x 370 x 417mm ( 23.6 x 14.6 x 16.4 inch) whereas Wharfedale SUPER LINTON has external dimensions of 605 x 300 x 360 mm ( 23.82 x 12 x 14.2 inches) .
Wharfedale Dovedale is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 70mm wider, 55mm taller and 57mm deeper than Wharfedale SUPER LINTON.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Wharfedale Dovedale and Wharfedale SUPER LINTON in scale.
Comparison image of Wharfedale Dovedale and Wharfedale SUPER 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 Wharfedale Dovedale is approximately 1542.9cm2 / 239.1inch2 and base area of the Wharfedale SUPER LINTON is approximately 1080.0cm2 / 167.4inch2. The Dovedale requires 43% more surface area than the SUPER LINTON which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.