Music for York House

Relative price

below typical

Among the 26 loudspeakerss in the catalogue, this one is below typical.

A band places a component against its peers and carries no price. It is deliberately the only price indicator on this page: a second one, measured against a different set, would narrow the two together far enough to give the figure away.

What it is

What Hi-Fi 5-star review: "effortless weight, spot-on stereo imaging and layer upon layer of marvelous detail." Stereophile Herb Reichert: "Lintons merge a refined, elegantly detailed, full-range sound with a magnetic personality that made me want to play records." The Absolute Sound: "by turns engaging, energizing, seductive, and just plain fun to listen to."

EXCLUDED ON BOTH FIT AND PLACEMENT AXES: (a) DEPTH: 330mm exceeds 305mm declared cavity by 25mm AND 270mm practical cavity by 60mm — physically beyond cavity limits. (b) PLACEMENT: TWIN rear-firing reflex ports require >50cm rear-wall clearance for design-intent bass alignment; even if cavity depth were flexed, the port airflow demand cannot be satisfied. Compare to Graham LS5/9 status (280mm depth, FRONT-ported): LS5/9 is depth_marginal but acoustically suitable because its front port is indifferent to rear clearance. Linton 85 fails both axes; LS5/9 fails only one.

CATALOGUED AS §7 REFERENCE ONLY (added 2026-05-03): documented for context as the most-celebrated Wharfedale Heritage standmount (Stereophile Class B, multiple 5-star reviews). The 200mm bass driver and 18.4kg weight deliver substantially more bass extension and SPL than any cavity-eligible speaker — but the trade requires BOTH a deeper cavity AND open rear-wall placement, neither of which this build provides. Buyers seeking the Linton character should redesign the cabinet to provide free-standing speaker placement or accept that no cavity-based design can host this model.

BRAND PATTERN: see Diamond 12.1 notes — Wharfedale catalogue is uniformly rear-ported. Linton 85 is the most-decorated example of the brand-pattern mismatch with sealed-cavity placement.

CAVITY HEIGHT INELIGIBLE (added 2026-05-12 per constraint audit): Cabinet height 565mm exceeds the cavity's 324mm physical maximum by 241mm — the most extreme height violation in the catalogue. Linton 85 is a large 3-way standmount; structurally cannot fit cavity at all. HARD INELIGIBILITY (in addition to twin-rear-port acoustic issue and 18.4kg weight). Catalogue retained as §7 reference for open-placement context only.

What the reviewers said

fine craftsmanship, natural sound quality The Absolute Sound + Hi-Fi+ Linton 85 reviews· Tonal body

conveyed sense of front-to-back stage depth Hi-Fi+ Linton 85 review· Spatial naturalness

neutral midbass to midrange transition Erin's Audio Corner measurements + listening· Bass control

F3 of 50Hz, in-room extension to ~40Hz Erin's Audio Corner measurements· Bass extension

dynamics still there at lower volume levels Erin's Audio Corner review· Tonal consistency

How it scores

Voice

• Tonal body 76 from listening evidence
• Spatial naturalness 74 from listening evidence

Bass

• Bass control 76 from listening evidence
• Bass extension 75 from listening evidence

LowerVolume

• Tonal consistency 74 from listening evidence

Specifications