Полочная акустика — Wharfedale SUPER LINTON

The SUPER LINTON is a redesigned version of the Wharfedale Linton, a three-way vented-box standmount in the Heritage range, launched in mid-November 2024. Compared with the standard model it has an enlarged cabinet, and all three drive units have been substantially revised. It is offered in Walnut, Black Oak or Mahogany wood finishes. A pair costs 1,849 GBP without stands or 1,999 GBP with the matching stands, and euro prices are 1,999 EUR and 2,299 EUR respectively. Although slightly taller, the cabinet keeps the footprint of the 2019 Linton.

Key specs that matter

Drivers comprise a 200 mm (8 inch) bass unit and a 135 mm midrange, both with black woven Kevlar cones, plus a 25 mm soft dome tweeter. Crossover frequencies are 550 Hz and 2.5 kHz. Wharfedale specifies 39 Hz to 20 kHz within 3 dB and bass extension down to 32 Hz at minus 6 dB. Sensitivity is 90 dB at 2.83 V and 1 m, with peak SPL of 110 dB. Impedance is 6 ohm nominal, which the maker lists as 8 ohm compatible, and 3.9 ohm minimum. Internal volumes are given as 6.6 litres and 33.4 litres. The cabinet measures 605 mm high on its plinth, 300 mm wide and 350 mm deep including terminals, and the weight is 19.8 kg per speaker.

Engineering and use context

The enclosure uses Wharfedale's proprietary sandwich construction, in which two layers of MDF are bonded with an acoustic damping glue between them. The new bass unit gets a stronger motor system, which accounts for the deeper bass extension. The tweeter has a lightweight fabric dome backed by damping material and a ceramic magnet system, and it sits behind a revised short horn profile and a new front plate intended to widen high-frequency dispersion. The midrange unit sits in its own revised internal chamber, treated with multiple layers of long-hair fibre to absorb internal reflections, and the main cabinet is filled with special materials to reduce resonance. The crossover network is split across separate circuit boards to avoid electromagnetic interference and uses custom components with PE dielectric, wired with LCOFC cable. The standard Linton crosses over at 630 Hz and 2.4 kHz, so the midrange of the new model covers a wider band. Wharfedale gives a three-year warranty.

Pairing

Wharfedale recommends 25 to 200 W of amplifier power. With a 3.9 ohm impedance minimum, an amplifier comfortable with 4 ohm loads is advisable, although the 90 dB sensitivity means very large power reserves are not required.

Alternatives

The Wharfedale LINTON is the standard Heritage standmount on which this upgraded model is based.