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Revealing the Passion and Excitement of the Musical Performance
Wharfedale ELYSIAN is a new flagship loudspeaker series that pushes the boundaries of capability and performance
from a speaker at this price-point.
A genuine example of luxury audio, ELYSIAN offers indulgence in design, materials aesthetic and performance. A
thorough and no compromise approach has led Wharfedale engineers to create a benchmark in affordable,
audiophile-grade luxury loudspeakers. Cutting edge design and class-leading technology are combined to deliver
musical reproduction that will proudly challenge the world's finest loudspeakers.
ELYSIAN AMT
In the 1940s, Wharfedale's founder, Gilbert Briggs, developed the first two-way
speaker for domestic use, radical for its separate treble and bass drivers combined
via a crossover. Early treble units, such as Brigg's famous Super 3, resembled
small cones as the necessity for reproducing high frequencies demanded the use of
low-mass diaphragms. It was subsequently realised that the dome in the centre of
the cone was doing most of the work and this gave rise to the now ubiquitous dome
tweeter.
Dome treble units have dominated the hi-fi scene for decades, but they are not
necessarily the ideal way of reproducing the exact harmonics of the musical
waveform. In order to reduce moving mass, the dome has to be small and use
ultra-thin materials, both of which counteract its efficiency and accuracy.
The AMT (Air Motion Transformer) is 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. This imparts high
velocity to the air molecules near the diaphragm and is responsible for the
remarkable transient performance of this type of treble unit.
Not only is this an efficient way of moving air, it is also a highly accurate as the
diaphragm is under close control of the motor system at all times. The result is a
wide bandwidth transducer that achieves extremely low distortion and wonderful
musical detail, with scintillating speed and dynamic ability.
The development of this AMT unit was a key part of the ELYSIAN/EVO4 project.
The ELYSIAN AMT is larger and of higher specification than the one used in the
EVO4 Series, featuring an ultra-lightweight diaphragm material called PET and
an acoustically damped rear chamber that absorbs the back wave from the
diaphragm, delivering even more spell-bindingly clear and sweetly extended high
frequencies.
Designer's Notes
Above: Exploded diagram for ELYSIAN 's Air Motion Transformer treble unit
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