Two grand per pair is a popular price point for speakers. My favorite speakers in that range are the Axiom M60 towers. They’re built like a tank in Canada.
In early 2024 I decided to boot out all of our Chinese speakers, along with almost all of our Chinese electronics. There are a few low price points in electronics where we have no alternative but to do biz with the Chinese.
Regular readers will know that it has driven me crazy how Chinese production houses are pumping out very similar products under a plethora of brand names- like changing logos on baseball hats. Between the mediocrity of such products and their poaching pricing tricks during Covid, I don’t want to do business with them.
We have better products coming from N American and Europe. We don’t need to support mass production from China in important categories like speakers, integrated amps and separates.
What prompts this entry, is that we just had a pair of Wharfedale Lintons pass through our doors. The Linton is a well priced speaker, made in China by IAG. We sold a lot of them during Covid when Bryston was literally making nothing as they suffered through government mandated shut downs.
When the Lintons came through, it was the perfect time to do a proper SHOOTOUT between our prior $2k reference and our CURRENT one. Let’s see how a couple of the top $2k competitors on the market square off.
In This Corner…From Canada:
Axiom M60 is a 37.5” tall tower with a kick like a mule. We’re talking prodigious bass from these boys at only $2k.
They use a pair of 6.5”, cast frame, Pure Aluminum woofers. The midrange is 5.25” of Pure Aluminum as well. The advantage of a contiguous aluminum cone is that it will act as a linear piston design- better than a sandwich of materials or woven fabric. Axiom’s tweeter is a Titanium dome that accepts a ton of power and is voiced very smoothly.
In That Corner…From China:
Wharfedale Linton is a large stand mount. It stands two inches taller than M60 when placed on its matching stands- which are a must. They’re also 2.5 inches wider than M60. Despite being a stand mount, Lintons take up noticeably more space.
Linton uses an 8” woofer, and a 5” midrange. Both drivers are made of woven fiber which isn’t as linear as Pure Aluminum. The tweeter is a textile dome which is popular among UK designers. IAG’s lead speaker designer is British.
Cosmetics
M60 is available in Black Ash and Boston Cherry, which has a Rosewood-ish hue. Both finishes are rich looking with a nice grain structure.
Linton is sold mostly in walnut. It looks nice but DRY. The mahogany alternative looks richer, but few customers want that very red finish. Walnut sells much better. Its finish would be far superior if they took more TIME, or if the eventual owner would invest in a few coats of Old English.
Bass Performance
M60 wins easily in the bass. M60 can really drop the hammer when your music asks it to. Linton is likable, but lean. It doesn’t have sins of commission = fat bass. It is simply thinner sounding and unable to QUAKE the room as M60 can. If you drive Linton to extremes you can hear the woofer reach its limit and it takes on a canvas sounding punch- compared to M60 which keeps going deeper.
Midrange
I much prefer M60 which is more solid and clear. Linton is fairly articulate- but thinner and boxier. Linton’s cabinet is a thinner chipboard design vs the THICK Canadian Rangerwood used by Bryston/Axiom. M60 wins mostly because its piano timbre is more like the real deal.
Top End
M60 is smoother and warmer on top. Linton is decidedly more sparkly. Textile domes don’t go as high as Titanium does, so there’s an audible back splash into lower frequencies. The Linton is fun with its extra color, but not as tonally accurate on piano- my acid test. Steinway is the world’s most loved piano for its harmonious timbre. M60 is more neutral and realistic. Linton is lighter and brighter.
Muscle
M60 clobbers Linton in terms of horse power. To be fair, this many not matter to many of you of a certain age. For people who love deep bass and want to HIT IT on occasion, M60 wins by a couple lengths.
Further, when it comes to warranty support, Bryston/Axiom win by a country mile. I have drivers on hand. With Wharfedale, when we needed a new tweeter for example, we had to order it and wait a week to get it. The speakers were DOWN for that period of time. Bryston supplies some advanced replacements knowing that TIME is important- and we’re not likely to need more in the future. It’s just good business.
Imaging
M60’s imaging is more precise and focused. Linton provides a large, brighter image which is enhanced by their bit of dazzle up top. It’s a bit shiny and fun. M60 sounds more like Steinway’s true timbre though. Linton produces music with its color turned up a notch.
Depth Perspective
Both of these speakers provide excellent depth and space. I like them equally in this regard, even though they’re different. With its brighter high end the Linton is more flowery. The M60 is more fixed and believable. On Schubert’s Wanderer for example, M60 sounds more like you’ll hear it in person. Linton can’t get the wooden character of the Steinway as solid as M60 can.
Summary
I was happy to make this A-B comparison. We proudly sold Lintons for some years, before Bryston re-branded Axiom and made it what it is today. I still like Linton, but it’s been surpassed.
Linton is the BEST of the Chinese speakers in this price class. It has more air and less box in its sound than KLH for example. The midrange and bass are integrated well- which you can’t say for any of the poorly voiced cheap Chinese towers.
But time marches on. M60 beats Linton in most critical assessments- certainly in the most important ones of tonal accuracy, bass, power and serviceability.
Bryston A2s replaced Lintons for this prior owner. He called right away to say how happy he was hearing bass better than he had ever heard before. He commented that Lintons were a good value, a good “place holder” until he could afford something truly realistic. I think that’s fair commentary. I’m not embarrassed to have sold many Lintons. Yet M60 is simply better. And, it’s built in Canada by Bryston who will support you better than any of the Chinese imports!
If you visit us today, the Axiom M60 will be the $2k Reference Standard. M60 is firm and has more timbral accuracy than even the best of the Chinese in this class.