In this review, we will be comparing LINTON Heritage and SUPER LINTON, two Passive Bookshelf speakers by Wharfedale.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Wharfedale LINTON and Wharfedale SUPER LINTON first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Wharfedale LINTON | Wharfedale SUPER LINTON |
|---|
| Brand | Wharfedale
United Kingdom · founded 1932 | Wharfedale
United Kingdom · founded 1932 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" Soft-dome | 1" Soft-dome |
|---|
| Midrange | 5" | 5" |
|---|
| Woofer | 8" Woven Kevlar | 8" Black Woven Kevlar Cone |
|---|
| Frequency response | 40-20k Hz | 39-20k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 90 dB | 90 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 6 ohms | 6 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 25-200 watts | 25-200 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 18.40kg / 40.5lbs | 19.80kg / 43.6lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 22.2" x 11.8" x 14.2"
565.0 x 300.0 x 360.0mm | 23.8" x 12" x 14.2"
605 x 300 x 360 mm |
|---|
LINTON Heritage 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 LINTON 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 LINTON |
Wharfedale SUPER 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
Both LINTON Heritage and SUPER LINTON are 3-way speakers.
Wharfedale LINTONWharfedale SUPER 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 |
Wharfedale LINTON |
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 8-inch
|
1 x 8-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 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
LINTON Heritage has a frequency range of 40-20k Hz whereas SUPER LINTON has a frequency range of 39-20k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 39Hz, the SUPER LINTON can go slightly deeper then the LINTON Heritage's min frequency of 40Hz.
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 and SUPER LINTON have the same Impedance of 6 ohms and their sensitivity is also same at 90 dB.
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 and SUPER LINTON have the same power range of 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 LINTON Heritage and SUPER LINTON features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.
Wharfedale LINTON's Post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Wharfedale SUPER LINTON's Post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both LINTON Heritage 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
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 Wharfedale SUPER LINTON'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 SUPER LINTON has external dimensions of 605 x 300 x 360 mm (23.82 x 12 x 14.2 inches).
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Wharfedale LINTON and Wharfedale SUPER LINTON in scale.
Comparison image of Wharfedale LINTON 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 LINTON is approximately 1080.0cm2 / 167.4inch2 and base area of the Wharfedale SUPER LINTON is approximately 1080.0cm2 / 167.4inch2.
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 SUPER LINTON weighs 19.80kg / 43.6lbs. This makes the SUPER LINTON 8% heavier than the LINTON Heritage.
Here is a comparison of how LINTON Heritage and SUPER LINTON'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 SUPER LINTON?
Here are the items that come with the SUPER LINTON:
- Bookshelf loudspeaker
- Grille (pre-installed)
- 4 Self-adhesive rubber feet
- Pair of white gloves
- User's Manual
 Height |
565mm
vs
605mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Price per pair* |
1500USD
vs
2500USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
 Minimum Impedance |
3.9 ohms
vs
3.5 ohms
|
Very low impedance levels puts more pressure on amplifier |
 Low Frequency Response |
39 Hz
vs
40 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
| General |
Wharfedale LINTON Heritage |
Wharfedale SUPER LINTON |
| Brand |
Wharfedale |
Wharfedale |
| Speaker Type |
Bookshelf speakers |
Bookshelf speakers |
| Power Range |
25-200 watts |
25-200 watts |
| Sensitivity |
90 dB |
90 dB |
| Impedance |
6 ohms |
6 ohms |
| Impedance |
3.5 ohms |
3.9 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
40-20k Hz |
39-20k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
1 |
1 |
| Woofer Size |
8" |
8" |
| Woofer Composition |
Woven Kevlar |
Black Woven Kevlar Cone |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
Soft-dome |
Soft-dome |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
5" |
5" |
| Crossover Frequency |
630Hz and 2400Hz |
550Hz and 2500Hz |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
565.0mm (22.2") |
605.0mm (23.8") |
| Width |
300.0mm (11.8") |
300.0mm (11.8") |
| Depth |
360.0mm (14.2") |
360.0mm (14.2") |
| Weight |
18.40kg (40.5lbs) |
19.80kg (43.6lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
MDF/Wood Veneer |
MDF/Wood Veneer |
| Available Colors |
Walnut, Red Mahogany, Black |
Walnut, Mahogany, Black |
| Mounting Bracket |
No |
No |
| Recommended Stand Height |
18-22" |
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 |
Siblings in Wharfedale's Heritage series, so they share a family sound. It comes down to size, output and price.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | evenly matched | Much the same reach (40Hz vs 39Hz). |
| Amplifier needs | evenly matched | Similar sensitivity (90dB vs 90dB) - both want much the same power. |
| Headroom | evenly matched | Similar power handling (200W vs 200W). |
| Size | depends | Similar cabinet size - neither is easier to fit. |
| Expandability | depends | Wharfedale LINTON: bi-amping; Wharfedale SUPER LINTON: bi-amping. |
| Price | A | Wharfedale LINTON is cheaper - $1,500 against $2,500, about 40% less; arguably a different class. |
A Wharfedale LINTON B Wharfedale SUPER 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?
Neither runs away with it - they trade advantages. Let the "depends" rows and your own room settle it. Think about the whole system, not just the speakers: the roughly $1,000 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.