One of the great treats having Hifi gear and Vinyl, as a hobby, is playing around with new equipment and sounds. The adage of ‘try-before-you-buy’, well that’s gone out the window.

We have mentioned before, in one of the Blogs, about securing a very nice haul of Revox gear recently. (All being 1980 Vintage) This included: a fully refurbished B77 MkII reel-to-reel, B750 amplifier, and B760 tuner.

Modern-looking speakers simply weren’t going to work visually with the setup, as we are trying to maintain a classic look. Our search turned toward classic speakers that would suit both the room and the old-school aesthetic.

Our research included:

What size would be best for the space? Room is around 4 X 5mtrs, high ceiling. Lots of soft furnishings, and a large rug but the negative is a concrete floor (offset by rug largely), and perhaps high ceiling. Compact to mid-sized speakers, preferably on stands, are required

Power Requirements- The Revox B750 delivers a perfectly respectable 40 watts into 8 ohms — real-world measurements. More than enough sweet music for the space.

What music will we play? All Vinyl of course and leaning more toward electronic, ambient, classic rock, jazz, and quieter listening sessions. “Kick-ass” party speakers need not apply.

 The Trouble with Vintage Speakers- So it looks like the most likely classic candidates are Tannoy, Mission, Heybrook and others from the era. Now that would be fine if we were overseas where there is healthy source of good solid gear but not so much here. The Revox speakers of that time were also considered, although they are somewhat imposing in size.     

As we have discussed, before older gear can have it’s own condition issues. Vintage speakers may have damaged cabinets, failed crossovers, or perished foam surrounds especially after years sitting in the New Zealand sun. At some point you begin to wonder whether older speakers are simply too much of a gamble.

A Modern Speaker with a Classic Soul that’s what we need!

The question became: what speaker has a classic aesthetic without the challenges of age? Think of it as the difference between buying a new Morgan and a vintage Mercedes.

Fortunately, New Zealand now has a huge range of quality audio gear available — something that certainly wasn’t the case during the heavily restricted import era of the 1980s.

Several modern retro-inspired speakers caught my attention:

JBL Classic L100 – wonderfully stylish and unapologetically seventies. Fantastic looking speakers, but at around $10k they felt excessive for a second system.

Mission 770 – I absolutely love the early Mission styling, especially on stands. Hugely evocative, but again around $8k.

Klipsch Forte – another beautiful speaker with enormous presence, although at roughly $14k they were firmly out of budget.

Wharfedale Linton Heritage with stands. At around $3k, this began to look like a strong option. After lots of research, and no listening, the Lintons are now happily installed and have nicely fit the bill.

They are handsome speakers: substantial and perfectly sized, beautifully finished, and wonderfully detailed. The matching stands complete the vintage presentation perfectly. More importantly, they pair beautifully with the Revox amplifier. The sound is rich, warm and detailed, with an effortless musicality that suits the system perfectly. Visually, they look as though they were designed alongside the Revox components from the beginning.

The Wharfedale Linton Heritage is a classic three-way stand-mount loudspeaker that combines vintage wood-veneered styling with modern acoustic engineering. It features woven Kevlar drivers, a textile-dome tweeter, and delivers deep bass alongside a smooth, dynamic and highly detailed soundstage.

Design: 3-way bass reflex with twin rear-firing ports

Frequency Response: 40Hz – 20kHz (±3dB)

Bass Extension: 35Hz (-6dB)

Sensitivity: 90dB (2.83V @ 1m)

Nominal Impedance: 6 Ohms

Minimum Impedance: 3.5 Ohms

Recommended Amplifier Power: 25 – 200 Watts

Conclusion

The Lintons are a perfect example of a visual appealing speaker built with the best modern technology. The result is exactly what we had hoped for: a warm, engaging and beautifully cohesive vintage-inspired setup that feels both timeless and personal. Check them out.

Thanks to the team at AV World for outstanding service.

If you have any further questions, please let me know

All the best

David and Otis.