The loudspeaker brand Wharfedale will be ninety years old next year, so it is fair to speak of a traditional manufacturer. The box forge is not only rich in years, but also in creativity: there are currently two newcomers to the Flagship line Elysian, a compact two-way model called Wharfedale Elysian 1 and the Wharfedale Elysian Center, which makes the top series suitable for home cinema.
Wharfedale Elysian 1 – high-end compact
To date, the Elysian line comprised two three-way models, the Elysian 2 and Elysian 4 – the latter a floorstanding loudspeaker and a veritable chunk at just under 56 kilograms per unit. This is also the case with the “compact” Elysian 2: It is 70 centimeters high and 35 kilograms in weight.
The new Wharfedale Elysian 1 looks more commercially available for a compact box, although it also comes with respectable dimensions of 49 x 26 x 28.5 centimeters (HxWxD) and a weight of a good 15 kilograms. As mentioned, the Elysian 1 is a two-way construction, in which a specially developed woofer with a 7-inch fiberglass matrix membrane is combined with an in-house one Air Motion Transformer makes music.
The new Wharfedale Elysian 1 is available in three versions, including piano lacquer black as shown here
Thanks to the “highly effective drive” of the woofer and the so-called Slot-Loaded-Profiled-Port bass reflex construction – a special downfire solution that is supposed to minimize flow noise – a powerful bass reproduction down to 49 Hertz (-3 dB) can be achieved, which is otherwise hardly possible with conventional passive compact loudspeakers of this size, according to the German distributor IAD in the press release .
The shape of the loudspeaker housing not only contributes to the high-quality appearance of the Wharfedale Elysian 1, but also offers acoustic advantages: Parallel walls are avoided, so that standing waves inside and thus housing resonances are reduced – this ensures an even more natural, relaxed sound impression. The surfaces of all Elysian speakers have a four-layer piano lacquer and are optionally available in white, black or walnut.
Wharfedale also has its own Speaker stand on: Thanks to the matching piano lacquer finish, their base plate takes up the design of the Elysian loudspeakers, while adjustable spikes ensure efficient decoupling.
The matching stands for Wharfedale Elysian 1 cost 590 euros a pair
The four pillars are made of particularly hard stainless steel and should therefore ensure an immovable stand even at the highest volume levels and “bloodcurdling bass thunderstorms”.
Price per pair Wharfedale Elysian 1: 3,690 euros (speaker stand: 590 euros)
Wharfedale Elysian Center
The Elysian Center, which is also new, comes with two 8.5-inch bass drivers, a 6-inch midrange driver and the Air Motion Transformer, which is standard for the series – so the chassis equipment is the same as in the top model Elysian 4.
The fairly full-blown center speaker (83 x 32 x 34 cm, WxHxD; 30.2 kg) has a lower cut-off frequency of 35 Hertz (-3 dB) and can optionally also be ordered with a suitable stand (see picture above).
Unit price Wharfedale Elysian Center: 3,990 euros (speaker stand: 690 euros)
