Wharfdale's best speakers evolve into a new form – and they're some of the best looking on the market

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Quick Summary

Wharfdale has just launched an updated version of its best speakers.

The Elysian R range features tasteful changes inside and out.

In the world of high-end speakers , Wharfdale is a name with a lot of heritage and history. Now, the brand has given its best range of speakers – the Elysian series – an update.

The new range is dubbed the Elysian R series, and is described as an evolution more than a revolution, taking the popular format and making slight tweaks to improve on the form. The range consists of five speakers, including stand mount options, floor standing options and a centre channel unit.

So, what improvements are there over the original? Well, lots of smaller improvement can be found under the hood. The brand talks about refinements in crossover execution, improved cabinet behaviour and better driver performance.

The latter comes courtesy of enhanced AMT high-frequency drivers, which are said to offer greater resolution and transient accuracy. There's also refined glass fibre matrix bass and midrange drivers, which offer improvements to the clarity and control on offer.

Beyond the technical improvements, the design has also been reworked. For the original series, the black, white and walnut finishes were all topped with a gloss piano lacquer.

For the new R series, the finishes lose the gloss in favour of the more fashionable matte designs of the modern day. Users will have a choice of matte black or matte grey, while the walnut sections keep their gloss but are paired with refined, matte black trims and detailing.

All of the finishes are hand-polished, adding a level of class to proceedings. It's worthwhile, too, as the end product looks simply fantastic.

Priced from £3,499 (approx. €4,050 / US$4,690 / AU$6,670) per pair for the Elysian 1R and Elysian CR models, and topping out at £6,999 (approx. €8,100 / US$9,400 / AU$13,350) for the Elysian 4R models, these certainly aren't cheap. However, in the grand scheme of high-end hi-fi speakers, they're also not dreadfully priced, either.