The Aura series is the third loudspeaker range to emanate from Wharfedale’s Elysian development project.
The Aura Series is like the 2 EVO4 range in that it consists of two standmount models, and two floorstanders plus two centre speakers for home cinema systems. The driver configurations are similar too, the smaller standmount is a two-way model, while the larger standmount and both floorstanders are three-way designs, with dedicated midrange units accompanying the AMT treble driver that features throughout.
Unlike conventional dome tweeters, or other forms of ribbon and planar diaphragms, the Wharfedale Air Motion Transformer (AMT) high-frequency transducer does not move forwards and backwards like a piston. This means it is not constrained by the mass of its diaphragm, with the attendant blurring of transient response. Instead, the diaphragm is folded and carries conductive elements immersed in an immensely strong magnetic field. When the music signal from the amplifier traverses the diaphragm, the folds constrict and expand – this has the effect of squeezing the air between the folds, rapidly altering its pressure to accurately transmit the equivalent pressure wave received by the microphones in the recording studio.
For the Elysian Series, 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 AMT treble driver delivers extended high frequencies, matched with the main drivers’ woven glass fibre cones.
The Aura Series drive units are descended directly from the Elysian drivers, with cones made from a coated woven glass fibre material terminated by high flexibility rubber surrounds. The voice coils driving the cones are immersed in high-flux magnetic fields, with eddy currents and inductance controlled by copper-clad pole pieces. The motor systems are mounted on die-cast aluminium chassis, each fixed to the cabinet by six bolts.
The smaller of the speakers, the two-way Aura 1, combines the AMT treble driver with a 130m mid/bass unit, while the larger three-way Aura 2 separates bass and midrange with 150mm and 100mm drivers respectively. The two floorstanders use the same 100mm midrange unit as the Aura 2, coupling this with twin bass drivers – 130mm units in the Aura 3 and 150mm units in the Aura 4.