In this review, we will be comparing LINTON Heritage and Diamond 225, two Passive Bookshelf speakers by Wharfedale Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Wharfedale LINTON and Wharfedale 225 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
Wharfedale LINTON Key Specs
- 3-way Design
- 1" Soft-dome Tweeter
- 5" Midrange
- 8" Woven Kevlar Woofer
- 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 )
Wharfedale 225 Key Specs
- 2-way Design
- 1" Dome Tweeter
- 6.5" Woven Kevlar Woofer
- 45-20k Hz Frequency Response
- 87 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 8ohms
- Power Range:25-120watts
- Weight:6.55kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 355.0" x 7.7" x 11.4"( 355.0 x 196.0 x 290.0mm )
What size room are the Wharfedale LINTON and Wharfedale 225 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 LINTON |
Wharfedale 225 |
| 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.)
In the following sections, we will get into more detail in order to better understand how the Wharfedale LINTON and Wharfedale 225 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 LINTON Heritage is a 3-way design whereas the Diamond 225 is a 2-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 |
Wharfedale LINTON |
Wharfedale 225 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 5-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 8-inch
|
1 x 6.5-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 Diamond 225 features a 1" Dome Tweeter and 1 x 6.5" Woven Kevlar Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2300Hz.
Frequency Response
LINTON Heritage has a frequency range of 40-20k Hz whereas Diamond 225 has a frequency range of 45-20k 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 Diamond 225's min frequency of 45Hz.
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
LINTON Heritage is a 6 ohms speaker compared to the Diamond 225 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 Diamond 225's is rated at 87 dB. This 3 dB difference makes the Wharfedale LINTON a more sensitive speaker compared to Wharfedale 225, 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.
LINTON Heritage can handle a max power of 200 watts RMS from the amp the whereas Diamond 225 has a max power handling value of 120 watts RMS, 80 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
Diamond 225 features Post posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. LINTON Heritage has a Post which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Wharfedale LINTON's Post terminals
Wharfedale 225's Post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Cabinet Type and Port Position
LINTON Heritage has a rear firing port whereas Diamond 225 has a bottom firing ports. Wharfedale 225's bottom-firing port gives more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls compared to Wharfedale LINTON with its rear-firing 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 LINTON's and Wharfedale 225'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 Wharfedale 225 has external dimensions of 355.0 x 196.0 x 290.0mm ( 13.9 x 7.7 x 11.4inch) .
Wharfedale LINTON is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 104mm wider, 210mm taller and 70mm deeper than Wharfedale 225.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Wharfedale LINTON and Wharfedale 225 in scale.
Comparison image of Wharfedale LINTON and Wharfedale 225 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 990.0cm2 / 153.5inch2 and base area of the Wharfedale 225 is approximately 568.4cm2 / 88.1inch2. The LINTON Heritage requires 74% more surface area than the Diamond 225 which gives it a small disadvantage 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 Wharfedale LINTON weighs 18.40kg / 40.5lbs and the Wharfedale 225 weighs 6.55kg / 14.4lbs. This makes the LINTON Heritage 181% heavier than the Diamond 225.
Here is a comparison of how LINTON Heritage and Diamond 225'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 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 Wharfedale 225?
Here are the items that come with the Diamond 225:
2 Bookshelf loudspeakers 2 Grilles (pre-installed) 8 Self-adhesive rubber feet User's Manual Installation Guide