Just Audio and the Wharfedale Linton | FLAX 2023

The Just Audio room was mixed in with the multiple MoFi Distribution rooms on the sixth floor at the 2023 Florida Audio Expo, so I thought this was another MoFi room due to the presence of the Wharfedale Lintons. (MoFi distributes them as well.) The Lintons are probably one of the best values in high-end audio–they’re a great rock and roll speaker for $1.500/pr USD. I’ve heard the Lintons a few times, but after a few minutes of listening in the Just Audio room I realized that I was listening to the Lintons with Leak electronics, making for a very affordable system that really impressed the heck out of me.

Words and Photos by Marc Phillips

So here’s the breakdown for the Just Audio room. The Wharfedale Heritage Linton loudspeakers are $1,495/pr., and those nifty stands that hold LPs cost an extra $495/pr. The Leak Stereo 230 integrated is just $1,695, and the Leak CDT transport is just $895. With a decent loom of cables, that’s still less than $5K total. I thought the sound was lively, engaging and fun! (I will point out that the ubiquitous Hifi Rose streamer more than doubles the cost of this system, so there might be a ringer in the mix.)

I really walked into the room to hear the more ambitious Wharfedale Elysian 1 monitors ($4,995/pr) because I know the higher-end Wharfedale monitors can be excellent for the money. The Elysians are the monitors on the ends.) While I didn’t get any seat time with the Elysians, I wasn’t disappointed with the Just Audio room in any way–the sound of the Leak electronics and the Lintons was that good.

I did a little digging on Just Audio. It turns out they’re a new/used/vintage sort of hi-fi store right in Maryland with some legendary brands such as Mission, Yamaha, KLH, Onkyo, Audiolab–the kind of brands that I was interested twenty or thirty years ago. I think I might need to check out while I’m at the next Capital Audiofest. Maybe I’ll get another chance with the Elysian 1s!

If you would like to hear even more coverage from FLAX 2023, check out our recap report and highlights from our audiophile-oriented show The Occasional Podcast. You can stream the episode direct from the embed below, or from your favorite podcast platform including iTunes, Android, Google, Deezer, Spotify, iHeartRadio and more.