Wharfedale expanded its flagship Elysian line of loudspeakers with the addition of a more compact floorstanding speaker.
The Elysian 3 is the fourth pair of speakers in the range and packages the three-way, four-driver design from the Elysian 4 in a more compact unit.
With dimensions of 105 x 26 x 29cm (HxWxD), the Elysian 3 is approximately 11% shorter than Elysian 4 but a third less wide and a third less deep. It retains the same combination of driver, crossover and cabinet engineering common to the Elysian series.
A 27 x 90mm AMT (Air Motion Transformer) treble driver combines with a 150mm midrange unit and two 180mm bass drivers.
Wharfedale developed a large, high spec AMT unit specifically for the Elysian series, harnessing the radically different way of moving air to produce high-frequency sound.
To match the sensitivity and accuracy of the AMT treble unit, Wharfedale developed bass and midrange diaphragms formed from a woven glass fibre matrix. These cones provide low mass and high strength, with the addition of a high-plasticity coating to control acoustic behaviour.
The Elysian 3’s 150mm midrange driver is identical to that found in the Elysian 4 and Elysian 2. A pair of 180mm bass drivers incorporate glass fibre matrix cones to match the midrange unit, terminated with a highly flexible rubber surround and driven by a specially developed low-distortion motor system.
The bass drivers are loaded by an advanced version of Wharfedale’s SLPP (Slot-Loaded Profiled Port), which ensures that the rear output of the bass units is not wasted. Instead, the lowest frequency energy is vented to a slot at the base of the speaker, specially profiled to equalise the high internal pressure to the low pressure in the room. This reduces the distortion that is typical of bass reflex systems and increases the port’s efficiency.
Wharfedale says the drivers’ output is combined via a sophisticated crossover network, fine-tuned over hundreds of hours of listening tests to ensure a seamless blend between the drive units.
The company highlights the phase consistency across the driver output that permits a wide range of seating positions and encourages the power response to be highly linear throughout the listening room. High grade, acoustically transparent components are used throughout the crossover network, ensuring all the musical detail is heard with nothing held back.
The Elysian 3’s cabinet is designed to enhance the acoustic output of the drivers and provide an aesthetically pleasing piece of furniture.
Handcrafted veneers are enhanced by true piano finish lacquers, hand-polished to six levels of depth.
Beneath the veneer is a sandwich of woods of differing density, designed to reduce panel resonance to below audibility. Named PROS (Panel Resonance Optimisation System), this multi-layer construction also inhibits the leakage of unwanted sound energy from inside the cabinet, which would otherwise interfere with the forward output of the drive units.
The Wharfedale Elysian 3 is available from July in a choice of black, white or walnut at an RRP of £5,999 per pair.