Wharfedale is one of the oldest British manufacturers of high-end loudspeakers and over the past decade we’ve seen a successful focus on more affordable products that continue to sell well in almost every market. The brand has offered more expensive loudspeakers like the Linton Heritage, Evo, and flagship ELYSIAN series — but they always utilize the technology in their most expensive products in brand new lineups like the Wharfedale AURA models.
Let’s take a look at these models that were first shown at High-End Munich 2023.
Aura Features
Cabinet Design
The cabinets for the AURA speakers are lacquered and polished to provide a beautiful furniture look with smooth curves that can be integrated into almost any home decor similar to the higher-priced ELYSIAN series speakers.
In addition to being visually pleasing, the cabinet design also helps to disperse the acoustic output of the drive units into the room without undesirable reflections.
AURA speakers are available in Black, White, and Walnut natural wood veneer finishes.
AURA AMT
AURA speakers are equipped with Wharfedale’s AMT (Air Motion Transformer) tweeters.
An AMT provides a higher volume of air to be moved than with a conventional soft dome tweeter. The diaphragm is folded and carries conductive elements immersed in a strong magnetic field. This provides an efficient way of moving air resulting in a wide bandwidth transducer with extremely low distortion and reproducing extraordinary musical detail via speed and dynamic ability.
AURA Cones
The AURA midrange and bass speakers use a proprietary woven glass fibre matrix diaphragm for the cones in combination with 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 system is mounted on a die-cast aluminum chassis, fixed to the cabinet with six high-tensile bolts. This helps to maintain the rigidity and provide an accurate transient response. The rubber trim rings surrounding each chassis are not just decorative but limit unwanted resonance at the junction of the aluminum chassis and wood cabinet.
AURA Crossover
Peter Comeau, IAG’s Director of Acoustic Design, has created the sophisticated crossover design to ensure a seamless blend between the drive units. As with all Wharfedale series, only the highest grade, acoustically transparent components are used throughout the crossover network, ensuring all the musical detail is heard.
SLPP
Wharfedale’s SLPP (Slot Loaded Profiled Port) bass reflex design was developed from the original idea of Gilbert Briggs, the entrepreneur who set up and ran Wharfedale from 1932 to 1964. For the AURA series, the high-pressure, high-velocity airflow from a downward-facing port is matched to the low air pressure in the room by distributing the airflow through a series of slot ports in the cabinet. This reduces unwanted turbulence from the port and improves the efficiency of the bass reflex system.
The following comparison table provides more detailed specifications for each speaker in the AURA series.
Speaker Model AURA 4 AURA 3 AURA 2 AURA 1 AURA CS AURA C Speaker Type 3-Way Floorstanding 3-Way Floorstanding 3-way Bookshelf 2-way Bookshelf 2-way Center 2-way Center Enclosure Type Bass Reflex Bass Reflex Bass Reflex Bass Reflex Bass Reflex Bass Reflex Bass Driver (Woofer) 2 x 6.5″ (150mm) Black Glass Fibre Matrix Cone 2 x 5″ (130mm) Black Glass Fibre Matrix Cone 1 x 6.5″ (150mm) Black Glass Fibre Matrix Cone 1 x 5″ (130mm) Black Glass Fibre Matrix Cone 2 x 5″ (130mm) Black Glass Fibre Matrix Cone 2 x 6.5″ (150mm) Black Glass Fibre Matrix Cone Midrange Driver 1 x 4″ (100mm) Black Glass Fibre Matrix Cone 1 x 4″ (100mm) Black Glass Fibre Matrix Cone 1 x 4″ (100mm) Black Glass Fibre Matrix Cone Treble Driver (Tweeter) 27 x 90mm AMT 27 x 90mm AMT 27 x 90mm AMT 27 x 90mm AMT 27 x 90mm AMT 27 x 90mm AMT Sensitivity (2.83V @ 1M) 89dB 88dB 88dB 86dB 88dB 89 dB Recommended Amplifier Power 30 to 200 watts 25 to 150 watts 25 to 150 watts 25-100 watts 25 to 150 watts 25-200 watts Peak SPL 107dB 104dB 103dB 103dB 105dB 107dB Nominal Impedance 4Ω (8Ω Compatible) 6Ω (8Ω Compatible) 6Ω (8Ω Compatible) 6Ω (8Ω Compatible) 6Ω (8Ω Compatible) 4Ω (8Ω Compatible) Minimum Impedance 3.1Ω 3.1Ω 3.5Ω 4.1Ω 3.8Ω 3.6Ω Frequency Response (+/-3dB) 37Hz ~ 22kHz 39Hz ~ 22kHz 42Hz ~ 22kHz 48Hz ~ 22kHz 56Hz ~ 22kHz 48Hz ~ 22kHz Bass Extension (-6dB) 26Hz 28Hz 33Hz 44Hz 45Hz 40kHz Crossover Points 475Hz, 3.3kHz 460Hz, 3.3kHz 520Hz, 4.5kHz 2.9kHz 2.4kHz 1.9kHz Dimensions (HWD) 43.58 x 11.22 x 14.173 inches 40.827 x 9.685 x 13.779 inches 22.05 x 11.26 x 15.83 inches 14.41 x 9.69 x 13.86 inches 9.92 x 24.21 x 13.86 inches 11.93 x 26.3 x 13.86 inches Net Weight 54 lbs 50.7 lbs 45 lbs 27.5 lbs 41 lbs 60 lbs
Availability and Pricing
The Wharfedale AURA speaker line is through authorized UK and US Dealers and Global Distributors at the following prices.
- Aura 1: £1499 / US $1999 / AU $3499 (pair)
- Aura 2: £1999 / US $2499 / AU $4499 (pair)
- Aura 3: £2999 / US $3999 / AU $6499 (pair)
- Aura 4: £3999 / US $4999 / AU $8999 (pair)
- Aura CS: £1099 /US $1499 / AU $2499 (each)
- Aura C: £1299 / US $1799 / AU $2999 (each)
Optional Stands (sold in pairs)
- Stand for Aura 1: £899 / US $1199 / AU $1749
- Stand for Aura 2: £999 /US $1299 / AU $2249
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BobPM
October 9, 2023 at 7:31 pm
Stands seem a little pricy, but otherwise love the look and specs.
Ian White
October 9, 2023 at 11:29 pm
Bob,
They are supposed to fall in-between the Evo range and Linton/Elysium. Having not heard them yet…impossible to know how they compare to the Evo which I happen to think are excellent loudspeakers. I own 2 pairs of Wharfedale Diamond Series loudspeakers and if these are substantially better for only 3 times the price…this might be a huge bargain.
Best,
Ian White