In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers. Wharfedale LINTON Heritage is a Bookshelf speaker whereas the La Scala AL6 is a Floor-standing speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Wharfedale LINTON and Klipsch La Scala AL6 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Wharfedale LINTON | Klipsch La Scala AL6 |
|---|
| Brand | Wharfedale
United Kingdom · founded 1932 | Klipsch
United States · founded 1946 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" Soft-dome | 1" horn-loaded |
|---|
| Midrange | 5" | 3" |
|---|
| Woofer | 8" Woven Kevlar | 12" fiber-composite cone with folded horn |
|---|
| Frequency response | 40-20k Hz | 40-19k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 90 dB | 103 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 6 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 25-200 watts | up to 100 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 18.40kg / 40.5lbs | 93.18kg / 205lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 22.2" x 11.8" x 14.2"
565.0 x 300.0 x 360.0mm | 39.1" x 24.5" x 25.5"
994 x 622 x 647mm |
|---|
LINTON Heritage and La Scala AL6 are members of Klipsch's Heritage series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
Wharfedale Heritage Series
History
The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.
Drivers
Both LINTON Heritage and La Scala AL6 are 3-way speakers.
Wharfedale LINTONKlipsch La Scala AL6
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
Wharfedale LINTON |
Klipsch La Scala AL6 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 5-inch |
1 x 3-inch |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 8-inch
|
1 x 12-inch
|
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. On the other hand, the La Scala AL6 features a 1" polyimide diaphragm compression horn-loaded Tweeter, a 3" Midrange and 1 x 12" fiber-composite cone with folded horn Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 425Hz - 2900Hz.
Frequency Response
LINTON Heritage has a frequency range of 40-20k Hz whereas La Scala AL6 has a frequency range of 40-19k Hz.
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
LINTON Heritage is a 6 ohms speaker compared to the La Scala AL6 which has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. LINTON Heritage sensitivity is rated at 90 dB and the La Scala AL6's is rated at 103 dB. This 13 dB difference makes the Klipsch La Scala AL6 a more sensitive speaker compared to Wharfedale LINTON, 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.
LINTON Heritage can handle a max power of 200 watts RMS, whereas La Scala AL6 has a max power handling value of 100 watts RMS, 100 watts less than the LINTON Heritage.
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 LINTON Heritage and La Scala AL6 features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.
Wharfedale LINTON's Post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Klipsch La Scala AL6's Binding 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 Wharfedale LINTON's and Klipsch La Scala AL6's external dimensions. Wharfedale LINTON has external dimensions of 565.0 x 300.0 x 360.0mm (22.2 x 11.8 x 12.9inch) whereas Klipsch La Scala AL6 has external dimensions of 994 x 622 x 647mm (39/1 x 24.5 x 25.5inch).
Klipsch La Scala AL6 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 322mm wider, 429mm taller and 287mm deeper than Wharfedale LINTON.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Wharfedale LINTON and Klipsch La Scala AL6 in scale.
Comparison image of Wharfedale LINTON and Klipsch La Scala AL6 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 LINTON is approximately 1080.0cm2 / 167.4inch2 and base area of the Klipsch La Scala AL6 is approximately 4024.3cm2 / 623.8inch2. The LINTON Heritage requires 73% less surface area than the La Scala AL6 which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.
What's in the Box of Wharfedale LINTON?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of LINTON Heritage:
- Bookshelf loudspeaker
- Grille (pre-installed)
- 4 Self-adhesive rubber feet
- Pair of white gloves
- User's Manual
What's in the Box of Klipsch La Scala AL6?
Here are the items that come with the La Scala AL6:
- 2 Loudspeaker cabinets
- 2 Subwoofer cabinets
- 2 Grilles
- 4 Jumper-straps (pre-installed)
- Owners Manual
- Congratulations letter
- Klipsch brochure