At AXPONA 2019, I raved about the new Wharfedale Heritage speaker line, which consists of the 3-way Linton and 2-way Denton loudspeakers. These two models were introduced to celebrate the 85th anniversary of Wharfedale, and both speakers have that classic BBC-monitor look right down to the classic wooden box aesthetic. The price is a little bit lower now, with the Dentons costing just $900/pair and the Lintons costing $1200, plus $300/pair for those awesome stands that double as LP racks. While the word has been out for months on these two stellar bargains, but at the 2019 Rocky Mountain Audio Fest, the buzz in the hallways of the Gaylord was palpable. Have you heard those Wharfedales? HAVE YOU? Even Scot Hull and Brian Hunter praised the Wharfedale Heritage speakers during the RMAF wrap-up edition of The Occasional Podcast.
I’ve already mentioned how MoFi Distribution has been on such a roll lately, obtaining so many brands that are flat-out musical. MoFi has been importing Wharfedale for years, however, so their love for the Wharfedale Heritage line shouldn’t be a surprise. Lionel Goodfield of MoFi has been a friend of mine for years, and it was a pleasure to sit down with him for a while and discuss everything that’s been going on. It was tough to concentrate, however–the modest system consisting of the Lintons and Dentons, Primare electronics and a MoFi turntable was doing such a great job of playing classic rock LPs that I kept stopping to hear a particular musical passage.
Remember when I mentioned that palpable buzz about the Wharfedale Heritage speakers at RMAF? Well, this room was hoppin’. The Saturday crowd was packed tight in that room, with everyone clamoring to get some seat time with a pair of speakers that most audiophiles, even newbies, can easily afford. The Lintons, for example, seem to have it all–bass response that goes down to an honest 40 Hz plus the ability to play loud, a 90 dB efficiency that allows them to match up with just about any amp, and a trio of unusual drivers such as a Kevlar woofer and midrange as well as a “woven textile” soft dome tweeter.
You even get a pair of white gloves when you purchase a pair of Wharfedale Heritage speakers, a classy touch that reminds me of their British heritage. I suspect that Wharfedale will sell plenty of these speakers over the next few years. If there’s such a thing as a no-brainer in high-end audio, this is it.
Crooked grill cloth, loosely fitted. Ugggh.