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Hi guys, yesterday I auditioned the Wharfedale Linton Heritage (LH) and Castle Avon 5 (CA5) speakers in Mumbai. The demo was arranged by Hifimart (Thanks Anil) at the demo room of the IAG importer. Here are my impressions after thoroughly listening to the two speakers.
Firstly, why these two? So these were the two options I narrowed down as natural upgrades over my Castle Knight 2 (CK2) bookshelves that I am very happy with. I love the warm, unfatiguing sound of the less known and therefore underrated CK2... and they are also very well-built for their price range (below 40k). They aren’t small for a two way BS, and produce good amount of bass to give enough body to the sound. They responded well to the upgrades I did further up in my sound chain and with each upgrade in the source, amplification and cables the CK2 kept improving in sound. That only shows the potential they had. But now I feel I have come to the max potential that these speakers can perform at. So I started exploring upgrade, not desperately though - I am perfectly happy to stay with the CK2 if I don’t find a worthwhile upgrade in a reasonable budget that I am convinced about. But I want a similar sound signature - warm, emotional, rounded and unfatiguing. What I am looking for through the upgrade is some more detail, better rhythm (speed) and more low end. I don’t want to stretch too far beyond Rs 1 lac for a new set of speakers. Castle Knight 5 was one option as the highest variant in the Knight series, but I felt it won’t be a significant upgrade and is also not available currently.
So the first option was the Castle Avon 5 CA5 - as Avon is the next higher series to the Knights from Castle And CA5 is the highest FS variant in it. The few reviews I couid get in the Avon talked highly about its detail (ribbon tweeter) and deep classified bass (two woofers with transmission line) while maintaining the warm/dark signature of the Castles.
The second was the newer, but more popular Linton Heritage (LH) from the sister company, Wharfedale. It’s as close to a vintage like speaker one can get new today in this budget - large 8 inch woofer, huge baffle, high sensitivity (for a BS thats not a full range driver). What interested me further is the possibility of driving it with purely tube amplification in future (today I prefer a hybrid - Lyrita DHT tube pre and Audiolab 82000A SS power with the CK2). And these also were recommended by a couple of FMs (not owners though - I’d like to hear from actual owners). Also there’s a certain buzz among reviewers of LH even in international forums - they don’t have mainstream appeal but a niche appeal for sure. Also that both the above speakers are available in India and couid be demoed here in Mumbai.
So, let’s get to the actual experience. If you’ve managed to read thus far, i imagine you’d find the following useful.
I carried my set of favourite CDs (that are also among my most heard, and a diverse collection) along with me for the audition. These included Norah Jones, Santana, Trilok Gurtu, Simon & Garfunkel, Ry Cooder and VM Bhatt, Raincoat (Hariharan), Dave Brubeck, Fitoor and Suresh Wadkar. I also played Led Zep streamed as I forgot to take the CD.
The demo rig consisted of a modest Pioneer CDP/BRP (not sure which) and Audiolab 6000A integrated amplifier (modest 50WPC A/B class). First we connected the Avon and I was totally underwhelmed. It was quite clear that the 6000A simply could not drive the Avons. So we shifted to the Linton. Immediately one could see that the Linton was much easier to drive and the 6000A would do the job of driving them for most users (but not all... more later).
The impressions of the LH’s sound? On first listen the aspects that strike about it are:
1. it’s volume (sounds like a big speaker, not a small BS)
2. Lot of bass which seemed uncontrolled and boomier than to my liking
3. Not the most detailed, but airy enough treble to keep the music lively
4. But third most importantly, highly emotionally connecting vocals. The vocals aren’t recessed like usual Wharfedales, and not also too forward. But you can see the singer (eg Hariharan, Norah) standing between those two speakers - there’s good immediacy
5. Second most importantly, very good timing that adds to the musicality (eg Time Out) as well as fun factor (Gurtu, Santana); and
6. And finally and most importantly, the way the speakers present the music (not the sound) - this is where the magic of these speakers lies - it’s almost impossible for you to keep noting the specific sounds and analysing them, you are drawn into the music because of the way all the instruments and vocals are presented as one coherent whole.
Now, this also came at a cost. What could be considered the limitations of these speakers are:
1. Detail in the treble - there would be a number of speakers at much lower price that do better job of this than the LH
2. Mid-bass boom— it’s there and one would need to control it in an installation through complementing equipment and room arrangement (if not conditioning) If one wants more clarity
3. Bass extension - can’t realistically expect much from a stand speaker, but not as much as would be expected from a speaker that specs to 35 Hz
So that was the first audition with the Lintons. I had one more with another amp with different results, but more about that later.
Then we got back to the Avons, but on my request, we hooked the hugely costly (upwards of Rs 5 lacs) Luxman power that was lying in the room, with the Audiolab 6000a’s pre feeding it. So this was Avon audition no 2
immediately the Avon’s came into their own as they got enough juice. One couid see that it’s strengths/characteristics lied in the following:
1. Darkish signature - my guess is Gothic metal may sound best on it
2. Very palpable vocals
3. Reasonably deep and sufficiently detailed bass. But better still, the transient/impact of drums etc
4. But most importantly, where these speaker shine is the detail, tonality and control of the treble. The ribbon tweeter and its positioning on the speaker makes this possible.
But it wasn’t all hunky-dory with the Avon’s. There are a few areas which weren’t to my liking:
1. I couldn’t feel much connect with the songs, even the vocals. Not just in comparison with the Lintons, but even a far cry from my CK2. If you listen to soulful music, you may not be satisfied.
2. While the darkish signature will go well with rock etc, it doesn’t jive enough with more fun music like Jazz or new Hindi films. But this is a matter of individual preference. This factor was not a deal breaker for me as much as the first one above.
3. Like with most speakers with rich detail and focused sound, you keep noticing the sounds. While the analytical listeners among you will appreciate this, others who want to get lost in music won’t.
I could see my relative inclination when I found myself eagerly waiting to hear how the Lintons paired with the Luxman power amp. And it did not disappoint. While the Lintons retained all the strengths mentioned above in audition 1, with more and better power (I think due to the quality of the power and not so much the wattage), the Lintons further shined up:
1. The bass which was flabby became tighter. Now it was no more a downside, though it didn’t come anywhere close to the bass quality of the Avon.
2. The vocals, which were sweet, warm and emotional even with the Audiolab, were now better textured and more natural sounding with the Luxman. This was particularly evident in the passages in a song in Raincoat where Gulzar talks in his characteristic deep voice.
3. While the fun factor and rhythm was retained, the overall sound was less airy-fairy and more grounded with the better amplification. You couid go higher in the volume without impacting the listenability.
In short, while the Lintons do a reasonable job to keep most users happy with averagely powered SS amplifiers, it will make the remaining users happy when coupled with sufficient good quality power (am wondering if the damping factor plays a role here). But no matter which amplifiers you connect, you are bound to find the sound enjoyable and immersible. I would imagine they will equally respond well to tube amplification. Something tells me that tube and Lintons will be a good combo.
Though I couldn‘t reach a conclusion on my buying (upgrade) decision immediately, I clearly preferred the Linton over the Avons. And feel most buyers would too. But I can also see that a certain category of buyers (analytical, keen listeners, bass lovers, rock buffs) could prefer the Avons. These speakers have a much smaller niche than the Lintons which themselves are niche.
If any of you have heard either or both the speakers above (or better still, own them), please add your experience in comments. That can help me as well as other interested members. And experts, kindly share any further insights/advice you couid guage from my impressions/other reviews etc. after connecting the dots.
(P.S. The auditioning room was too highly treated with absorbers all around the walls amd ceiling with thickly carpeted floor, so the actual experience in a living room in most homes could be somewhat different).
Firstly, why these two? So these were the two options I narrowed down as natural upgrades over my Castle Knight 2 (CK2) bookshelves that I am very happy with. I love the warm, unfatiguing sound of the less known and therefore underrated CK2... and they are also very well-built for their price range (below 40k). They aren’t small for a two way BS, and produce good amount of bass to give enough body to the sound. They responded well to the upgrades I did further up in my sound chain and with each upgrade in the source, amplification and cables the CK2 kept improving in sound. That only shows the potential they had. But now I feel I have come to the max potential that these speakers can perform at. So I started exploring upgrade, not desperately though - I am perfectly happy to stay with the CK2 if I don’t find a worthwhile upgrade in a reasonable budget that I am convinced about. But I want a similar sound signature - warm, emotional, rounded and unfatiguing. What I am looking for through the upgrade is some more detail, better rhythm (speed) and more low end. I don’t want to stretch too far beyond Rs 1 lac for a new set of speakers. Castle Knight 5 was one option as the highest variant in the Knight series, but I felt it won’t be a significant upgrade and is also not available currently.
So the first option was the Castle Avon 5 CA5 - as Avon is the next higher series to the Knights from Castle And CA5 is the highest FS variant in it. The few reviews I couid get in the Avon talked highly about its detail (ribbon tweeter) and deep classified bass (two woofers with transmission line) while maintaining the warm/dark signature of the Castles.
The second was the newer, but more popular Linton Heritage (LH) from the sister company, Wharfedale. It’s as close to a vintage like speaker one can get new today in this budget - large 8 inch woofer, huge baffle, high sensitivity (for a BS thats not a full range driver). What interested me further is the possibility of driving it with purely tube amplification in future (today I prefer a hybrid - Lyrita DHT tube pre and Audiolab 82000A SS power with the CK2). And these also were recommended by a couple of FMs (not owners though - I’d like to hear from actual owners). Also there’s a certain buzz among reviewers of LH even in international forums - they don’t have mainstream appeal but a niche appeal for sure. Also that both the above speakers are available in India and couid be demoed here in Mumbai.
So, let’s get to the actual experience. If you’ve managed to read thus far, i imagine you’d find the following useful.
I carried my set of favourite CDs (that are also among my most heard, and a diverse collection) along with me for the audition. These included Norah Jones, Santana, Trilok Gurtu, Simon & Garfunkel, Ry Cooder and VM Bhatt, Raincoat (Hariharan), Dave Brubeck, Fitoor and Suresh Wadkar. I also played Led Zep streamed as I forgot to take the CD.
The demo rig consisted of a modest Pioneer CDP/BRP (not sure which) and Audiolab 6000A integrated amplifier (modest 50WPC A/B class). First we connected the Avon and I was totally underwhelmed. It was quite clear that the 6000A simply could not drive the Avons. So we shifted to the Linton. Immediately one could see that the Linton was much easier to drive and the 6000A would do the job of driving them for most users (but not all... more later).
The impressions of the LH’s sound? On first listen the aspects that strike about it are:
1. it’s volume (sounds like a big speaker, not a small BS)
2. Lot of bass which seemed uncontrolled and boomier than to my liking
3. Not the most detailed, but airy enough treble to keep the music lively
4. But third most importantly, highly emotionally connecting vocals. The vocals aren’t recessed like usual Wharfedales, and not also too forward. But you can see the singer (eg Hariharan, Norah) standing between those two speakers - there’s good immediacy
5. Second most importantly, very good timing that adds to the musicality (eg Time Out) as well as fun factor (Gurtu, Santana); and
6. And finally and most importantly, the way the speakers present the music (not the sound) - this is where the magic of these speakers lies - it’s almost impossible for you to keep noting the specific sounds and analysing them, you are drawn into the music because of the way all the instruments and vocals are presented as one coherent whole.
Now, this also came at a cost. What could be considered the limitations of these speakers are:
1. Detail in the treble - there would be a number of speakers at much lower price that do better job of this than the LH
2. Mid-bass boom— it’s there and one would need to control it in an installation through complementing equipment and room arrangement (if not conditioning) If one wants more clarity
3. Bass extension - can’t realistically expect much from a stand speaker, but not as much as would be expected from a speaker that specs to 35 Hz
So that was the first audition with the Lintons. I had one more with another amp with different results, but more about that later.
Then we got back to the Avons, but on my request, we hooked the hugely costly (upwards of Rs 5 lacs) Luxman power that was lying in the room, with the Audiolab 6000a’s pre feeding it. So this was Avon audition no 2
immediately the Avon’s came into their own as they got enough juice. One couid see that it’s strengths/characteristics lied in the following:
1. Darkish signature - my guess is Gothic metal may sound best on it
2. Very palpable vocals
3. Reasonably deep and sufficiently detailed bass. But better still, the transient/impact of drums etc
4. But most importantly, where these speaker shine is the detail, tonality and control of the treble. The ribbon tweeter and its positioning on the speaker makes this possible.
But it wasn’t all hunky-dory with the Avon’s. There are a few areas which weren’t to my liking:
1. I couldn’t feel much connect with the songs, even the vocals. Not just in comparison with the Lintons, but even a far cry from my CK2. If you listen to soulful music, you may not be satisfied.
2. While the darkish signature will go well with rock etc, it doesn’t jive enough with more fun music like Jazz or new Hindi films. But this is a matter of individual preference. This factor was not a deal breaker for me as much as the first one above.
3. Like with most speakers with rich detail and focused sound, you keep noticing the sounds. While the analytical listeners among you will appreciate this, others who want to get lost in music won’t.
I could see my relative inclination when I found myself eagerly waiting to hear how the Lintons paired with the Luxman power amp. And it did not disappoint. While the Lintons retained all the strengths mentioned above in audition 1, with more and better power (I think due to the quality of the power and not so much the wattage), the Lintons further shined up:
1. The bass which was flabby became tighter. Now it was no more a downside, though it didn’t come anywhere close to the bass quality of the Avon.
2. The vocals, which were sweet, warm and emotional even with the Audiolab, were now better textured and more natural sounding with the Luxman. This was particularly evident in the passages in a song in Raincoat where Gulzar talks in his characteristic deep voice.
3. While the fun factor and rhythm was retained, the overall sound was less airy-fairy and more grounded with the better amplification. You couid go higher in the volume without impacting the listenability.
In short, while the Lintons do a reasonable job to keep most users happy with averagely powered SS amplifiers, it will make the remaining users happy when coupled with sufficient good quality power (am wondering if the damping factor plays a role here). But no matter which amplifiers you connect, you are bound to find the sound enjoyable and immersible. I would imagine they will equally respond well to tube amplification. Something tells me that tube and Lintons will be a good combo.
Though I couldn‘t reach a conclusion on my buying (upgrade) decision immediately, I clearly preferred the Linton over the Avons. And feel most buyers would too. But I can also see that a certain category of buyers (analytical, keen listeners, bass lovers, rock buffs) could prefer the Avons. These speakers have a much smaller niche than the Lintons which themselves are niche.
If any of you have heard either or both the speakers above (or better still, own them), please add your experience in comments. That can help me as well as other interested members. And experts, kindly share any further insights/advice you couid guage from my impressions/other reviews etc. after connecting the dots.
(P.S. The auditioning room was too highly treated with absorbers all around the walls amd ceiling with thickly carpeted floor, so the actual experience in a living room in most homes could be somewhat different).
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