Wharfedale Elysian CR Centre Speaker
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Features
| Manufacturer | Wharfedale Speakers |
|---|---|
| Warranty The length of time your product is protected by warranty | 3 Years |
Tech Specs
Model
- Model: ELYSIAN CR
Design
- Configuration: 3-way centre speaker
- Enclosure type:
- Bass reflex
- 2 × rear ports
Drivers
- Treble driver: 27 × 45 mm AMT (Air Motion Transformer)
- Midrange driver: 150 mm glass fibre matrix cone
- Bass driver: 220 mm glass fibre matrix cone ×2
Performance
- Sensitivity: 91 dB (2.83 V @ 1 m)
- Recommended amplifier power: 25–250 W
- Nominal impedance:
- 4 Ω
- 8 Ω compatible
- Minimum impedance: 3.5 Ω
- Frequency response (±3 dB): 35 Hz–22 kHz
- Bass extension (-6 dB): 27 Hz
- Crossover frequencies:
- 360 Hz
- 2.9 kHz
Dimensions
- Height × Width × Depth: 320 × 830 × 340 mm
Description
The Wharfedale Elysian CR Centre Speaker brings the engineering excellence of Wharfedale’s flagship Elysian R Series to high-performance home cinema systems. Designed to deliver dialogue, vocals, and centre-stage effects with exceptional clarity, scale, and realism, the Elysian CR is far more than a supporting speaker.
It is a fully developed three-way centre channel created to match the tonal character, refinement, and dynamic ability of the wider Elysian R range. Developed by Wharfedale’s award-winning engineering team under Peter Comeau, it benefits from the same disciplined refinement applied across the second-generation Elysian models.
From its advanced driver technologies and revised crossover to its luxurious cabinet construction, the Elysian CR is designed to anchor a premium multichannel system with effortless authority, natural detail, and outstanding musical and cinematic involvement.
The Elysian R Range and the CR’s Role
The Elysian R Series includes five models, each designed to bring Wharfedale’s flagship performance to different stereo and home cinema applications. The range begins with the compact Elysian 1R standmount, followed by the larger three-way Elysian 2R standmount, the floorstanding Elysian 3R and Elysian 4R, and the dedicated Elysian CR centre speaker.
While the 1R, 2R, 3R, and 4R serve as premium left and right channel options, the Wharfedale Elysian CR Centre Speaker is purpose-built for the centre channel in high-end surround sound systems. Its role is crucial, as the centre speaker carries much of the dialogue, vocal focus, and on-screen action.
Designed to integrate seamlessly with the rest of the range, the CR allows a complete Elysian R home cinema system to deliver coherent, immersive, and tonally consistent sound.
Enhanced AMT Treble for Open Detail
At the heart of the Wharfedale Elysian CR Centre Speaker’s high-frequency performance is Wharfedale’s enhanced Air Motion Transformer treble unit. This advanced driver uses a pleated diaphragm rather than a conventional dome, moving air with exceptional speed and precision.
For the Elysian R Series, the AMT has been further refined with an ultra-lightweight PET diaphragm, enlarged high-specification design, and an acoustically damped rear chamber. These upgrades allow the CR to reproduce high-frequency detail with greater openness, lower distortion, and faster transient response.
Dialogue gains improved articulation, effects sound more spacious, and music retains a natural sense of air and finesse. Whether reproducing the subtle ambience of a film soundtrack or the shimmer of orchestral strings, the AMT driver delivers smooth, extended, and highly revealing treble without sounding harsh or fatiguing.
Natural Midrange for Clear Dialogue
A centre speaker must reproduce voices with convincing clarity, and the Wharfedale Elysian CR Centre Speaker is engineered precisely for that purpose. Its dedicated midrange driver uses a proprietary woven glass fibre matrix cone, refined for the R Series to offer outstanding realism and tonal accuracy.
The low-mass, high-strength cone is supported by an advanced motor system, high-plasticity acoustic coating, low-damping surround, heavy die-cast chassis, aluminium demodulation ring, and a custom phase plug for wide dispersion and linear response.
These refinements allow the Elysian CR to present dialogue with lifelike presence, ensuring speech remains clear, natural, and firmly locked to the screen. Vocals and instruments are reproduced with texture and body, helping film soundtracks, concerts, and multichannel music sound cohesive, expressive, and emotionally engaging.
Controlled Bass and Seamless System Integration
The Wharfedale Elysian CR Centre Speaker is designed to deliver more than vocal clarity; it also provides the weight and authority required for a convincing cinematic experience.
Its refined glass fibre matrix bass drivers and low-distortion motor systems provide clean, controlled low-frequency output, allowing the centre channel to reproduce male voices, orchestral weight, and on-screen impact with confidence. Wharfedale’s expertise in driver integration ensures that bass, midrange, and treble operate as a seamless whole, rather than separate elements.
This creates a stable and convincing front soundstage when partnered with Elysian R left and right speakers. The CR is also available with an optional dedicated stand made from hardened carbon steel, designed to optimise height, positioning, and acoustic performance within a serious home cinema environment.
Precision Crossover Engineering
The crossover network inside the Wharfedale Elysian CR Centre Speaker has been carefully revised as part of the Elysian R upgrade programme.
Premium components are selected for transparency and consistency, including low-DCR high-silicon-iron-cored coils for bass control, air-core coils for midrange and treble, Super Audiophile polypropylene capacitors, and low-inductance resistors. The crossover is mounted on newly designed direct-path circuit boards to keep signal routes short and preserve musical detail.
In three-way Elysian R models, the network is split across separate PCBs to minimise interference between bass and higher-frequency sections. High-purity LC-OFC copper wiring in PET insulation connects the boards to the drive units. This meticulous engineering helps the Elysian CR deliver excellent phase integration, stable imaging, and smooth tonal continuity across the front soundstage.
Luxury Cabinet Construction and Finish
The Wharfedale Elysian CR Centre Speaker combines premium acoustic engineering with the furniture-grade craftsmanship expected from Wharfedale’s flagship range. Its cabinet uses the latest evolution of Wharfedale’s Panel Resonance Optimisation System, combining multi-layer woods of differing density with strategic bracing developed through advanced computer modelling.
This construction reduces panel resonance below audibility and prevents internal cabinet energy from interfering with the drivers’ forward output. The Elysian R Series also introduces updated finishes, including deeply layered matt black and matt grey, alongside high-gloss piano lacquer walnut veneer with refined matt black detailing.
Each cabinet is lavishly finished and hand-polished for a luxurious appearance. Supplied with high-quality jumper cables and white handling gloves, the Elysian CR is built to deliver both striking visual presence and exceptional centre-channel performance.