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Wharfedale Elysian R
Wharfedale has introduced the Elysian R series, a refreshed version of its flagship loudspeaker range. This is not an entirely new project, but rather a carefully considered evolution of speakers that already occupied a special place in the British brand's catalogue. The original Elysians showed that Wharfedale could move well beyond the world of very successful, sensibly priced loudspeakers for normal people and offer something on the edge of high-end audio - large, beautifully finished, technically ambitious designs that still did not pretend to be products with prices detached from reality. Now, under the direction of Peter Comeau, the engineering team has returned to the concept and refined almost every important area, including the drivers, crossovers, cabinets, finishes and construction details.
The letter "R" is not meant to signal a revolution, but refinement. That may sound less dramatic than the usual story about starting from a blank sheet of paper, but with successful loudspeaker ranges, this kind of move often makes more sense. Wharfedale did not have to reinvent the Elysians, because the foundations were already strong - the distinctive form, the AMT treble unit, the Slot-Loaded Profiled Port, solid cabinets and a sound built around ease, scale and musicality. In the Elysian R series, the manufacturer has focused on the areas that often make the biggest difference in expensive loudspeakers after longer use - cabinet panel behaviour, driver consistency, the signal path through the crossover and resonance control. Reading the materials, one gets the impression that this is not so much a new generation as the moment when the designers finally had time to improve everything they had wanted to improve from the beginning, without demolishing the whole house.
The range consists of five models - two floorstanders, two standmount speakers and a centre channel. The Elysian 4R remains the largest design in the family. It is a three-way bass-reflex floorstanding loudspeaker with two 22-cm woofers, a 15-cm midrange driver and a 27 x 90 mm AMT high-frequency unit. Wharfedale quotes sensitivity of 92 dB, frequency response of 30 Hz - 22 kHz within +/- 3 dB, bass extension to 24 Hz at -6 dB, nominal impedance of 4 Ω, minimum impedance of 3.2 Ω and recommended amplifier power of 15-250 W. Each speaker measures 118.8 cm high, 40.2 cm wide and 46.2 cm deep including terminals, and weighs 49.5 kg.
The smaller Elysian 3R is also a three-way floorstander, but uses two 18-cm woofers. It stands 105 cm tall, weighs 28.45 kg, reaches 44 Hz within +/- 3 dB and extends to 35 Hz at -6 dB, while its minimum impedance is 2.3 Ω. That last figure is worth noting. Although Wharfedale describes the speaker as compatible with 8-ohm amplifiers, this is clearly a loudspeaker that will appreciate electronics with a firm grip on lower impedances.
The two standmount models are interestingly separated, because the Elysian 2R is not simply a larger version of the Elysian 1R. It is a three-way monitor with a 22-cm woofer, a 15-cm midrange driver and the same 27 x 90 mm AMT treble unit used in the floorstanders. It is 70 cm high, 33.4 cm wide and 46.2 cm deep including terminals, weighs 30.5 kg and offers a frequency response of 35 Hz - 22 kHz within +/- 3 dB, with bass extension to 28 Hz. In other words, it is difficult to treat it as a normal bookshelf speaker. It is more like a full-size high-end monitor for someone who either does not want, or cannot accommodate, large floorstanders but still expects scale and serious low-end reach.
The Elysian 1R is the more conventional two-way standmount, with an 18-cm bass-midrange driver and a 27 x 90 mm AMT tweeter. It is 49 cm tall, weighs 15 kg and has a frequency response of 49 Hz - 22 kHz, with bass extension to 44 Hz. Completing the series is the Elysian CR, a three-way centre speaker with two 22-cm woofers, a 15-cm midrange driver and a smaller 27 x 45 mm AMT tweeter. At 83 cm wide and 30.2 kg, it is difficult to call it a mere home cinema accessory. This is a centre channel built with the sort of scale one would expect in a system based on Wharfedale's flagship loudspeakers.
The most important element across the range remains the Air Motion Transformer high-frequency driver. Wharfedale does not use a conventional dome here, but a pleated diaphragm that squeezes and expands air between its folds rather than moving like a piston. The aim is greater speed, lower distortion, wider bandwidth and a freer presentation of high frequencies. In the R series, the AMT has been further developed with an ultra-light PET diaphragm and an optimised damped rear chamber. It sounds technical, but the point is simple - the treble is meant to be more open, more resolving and less effortful. In expensive loudspeakers, the goal is not merely to deliver "more detail", but to prevent those details from jumping out of the music like a special effect.
The midrange and bass drivers have also been reworked. They use coated glass-fibre Matrix cones, selected for the balance between stiffness, mass and damping. The dedicated midrange driver adds an advanced motor system, phase plug, die-cast chassis and demodulation ring. In practice, this is meant to bring greater naturalness, wider dispersion and more accurate tonality. The woofers use the same cone material and are paired with optimised low-distortion motor systems.
Another important element is Wharfedale's Slot-Loaded Profiled Port. The bass-reflex port vents through a slot near the base of the cabinet, helping to equalise pressure between the inside of the enclosure and the room, improve bass extension, reduce turbulence and make the speakers less sensitive to placement. That last point may matter more than it first appears, because large Elysians are unlikely to end up in empty laboratories. They will live in real rooms, with sofas, walls, furniture and all the compromises that audiophiles know all too well.
The second pillar of the changes is the cabinet. All Elysian R models use the latest version of Wharfedale's PROS system, or Panel Resonance Optimisation System. This is a multi-layer cabinet construction using woods of different densities to increase stiffness and push panel resonances below the threshold of audibility. It is not the kind of detail that can be sold easily with one catchy slogan, but in practice it is hugely important. The less the cabinet adds of its own, the more the drivers and crossover can do their job.
The crossover has also been redesigned. Wharfedale has used new direct-path PCBs, low-DCR iron-silicon core inductors for the bass section, air-core inductors for the midrange and treble, "Super Audiophile" grade polypropylene capacitors, low-inductance resistors and LC-OFC wiring with PET insulation. It is easy to smile at the "Super Audiophile" wording, but behind the marketing flourish there is a sensible engineering aim - to shorten the signal path, improve integration across the frequency range and reduce losses in one of the most critical parts of any passive loudspeaker.
The look has changed as well. Elysian R keeps the luxurious, slightly sculptural character of the previous series, but introduces a more contemporary set of finishes. The range is available in Matte Black, Lunar Grey and Walnut High Gloss. The black and grey versions move away from traditional piano gloss towards a calmer matte elegance, while the walnut veneer retains the high-gloss treatment but is now combined with new matte black details. All versions use multi-layer lacquer finishes and are hand-polished, so this is not simply a change of colour palette. Wharfedale seems to understand that an Elysian is not only a device for listening to music, but also a large object that will stand in a living room. Equipment like this has to look good not only in a product photo, but also when you walk past it every day with a cup of coffee in your hand.
The Wharfedale Elysian R series is available now. Prices are €8,999/£6,999/$11,995 per pair for the Elysian 4R, €7,499/£5,999/$9,995 per pair for the Elysian 3R, €6,499/£4,999/$8,495 per pair for the Elysian 2R and €4,199/£3,499/$5,995 per pair for the Elysian 1R. The Elysian CR centre speaker is priced at €4,199/£3,499/$5,995. Info and photos by Wharfedale.
