Engineering and Design Innovations Allow Wharfedale Elysian 1 Bookshelf Speakers To Offer Sonic Performance Worthy of Models Twice Their Size

Wharfedale’s Elysian 1 bookshelf speakers deliver sonic dynamics worthy of a tower speaker, but they emanate from a surprisingly compact cabinet that’s easy to position. Innovative engineering techniques and a proprietary AMT high-frequency driver allow the Elysian 1 to offer performance that is unparalleled for a speaker of this size, style, and price class.

Incorporating a proven concept found in the award-winning Elysian 4 and Elysian 2 models, Elysian 1 features a specially engineered AMT HF driver. It provides a radically different way of moving air, using a large, pleated, lightweight diaphragm driven across its surface by rows of strategically placed metallic strips immersed in a strong magnetic field. The pleats in the diaphragm contract and expand under the influence of the musical drive, squeezing the air between them to form the desired waveform. Featuring an ultra-lightweight diaphragm material called PET and an acoustically damped rear chamber, the Elysian AMT stands out against comparable high-frequency units by delivering even more spellbindingly clear and sweetly extended high frequencies.

Operating in a two-way configuration, Elysian 1 is also fitted with a custom, glass-fiber matrix cone bass unit. Terminated with a highly flexible rubber surround and driven by a specially developed low-distortion motor system, the 7-inch (180mm) bass units are capable of reaching down below 49Hz, revealing the full body and impact of percussion and wind instruments with detail and depth that other standmount speaker options just cannot reach.

Of particular note is the phase consistency across the driver output, permitting a wide range of seating positions for listeners. Plus, only the highest-grade, acoustically transparent components are used throughout the crossover network, ensuring all the musical detail is heard with nothing is held back.

Beautifully finished, the Elysian speaker cabinets are designed to enhance the acoustic output of the drivers and provide a piece of furniture of which the owner can be proud. Handcrafted veneers are enhanced by true piano finish lacquers, hand-polished to six levels of depth. 

"Everything about the external 'performance' is already clear: Like other models of the flagship line from Wharfedale, the compact novelty looks like a finished interior decoration, and the piano lacquer finish and hand polishing turn it into a work of art."
—Dimitri Sokolov, Tech Week

Magnificent Bass Tones

The performance of Elysian 1 is enhanced with an advanced version of Wharfedale's signature slot-loaded port. Christened SLPP (Slot-Loaded Profiled Port), it 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 equalize 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. In addition, because the air is dispersed uniformly in the room, the speakers are less fussy about placement.

In combination, the bass units and SLPP bass reflex system provide the massive foundation upon which the rest of the musical performance sits; this lets you feel, as well as hear, the full impact of thunderous low-frequency information. High overall system sensitivity allows any amplifier you choose to reveal the full dynamic range of the music fed to it, without strain or limitation.

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.