In this review, we will be comparing Elysian 2 and RP-500M, two Passive Bookshelf speakers from Wharfedale and Klipsch. Let's have a brief look at the main features of Wharfedale Elysian 2 and Klipsch RP-500M first before getting into our more detailed comparison.
In the following sections, we will get into details in order to better understand how Wharfedale Elysian 2 and Klipsch RP-500M compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one of these loudspeakers is the better choice for you.
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Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Elysian 2 is a 3-way design whereas RP-500M is a 2-way speaker. 3-way designs utilize a midrange driver in addition to the tweeter and woofer on 2-way designs. Designing a crossover for a 3-way speaker is a complicated process and generally increases the overall cost of the speaker. Elysian 2 features a 27x90mm" AMT (Ribbon) Tweeter , a 6" Midrange and 1 x 8.5" Coated Fiberglass Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 360Hz and 2900Hz. On the other hand, RP-500M features a 1" Tractrix Horn Tweeter and 1 x 5.25" Cerametallic Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 1500Hz.
Frequency Response
Elysian 2 has a frequency range of 35-22k Hz whereas RP-500M has a frequency range of 48-25k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 35Hz, the Elysian 2 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the RP-500M's min frequency of 48Hz.
Below graphs depict how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average values of the Min and Max Frequencies of other speakers under Bookshelf class in our database.
Low Frequency
Bookshelf Speakers
High Frequency
Bookshelf Speakers
Impedance and Sensitivity
Elysian 2 is a 4 ohms speaker compared to RP-500M which has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms. These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Elysian 2 sensitivity is rated at 89 dB and RP-500M's is at 93 dB. This 4 dB difference makes Klipsch RP-500M a more sensitive speaker compared to Wharfedale Elysian 2, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Bookshelf Speakers
Power Range
Elysian 2 has a power range of 25-250 watts RMS whereas RP-500M has a power range of up to 75 watts.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Elysian 2 features Post posts which makes bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. RP-500M has a Single binding posts which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Wharfedale Elysian 2's Post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Klipsch RP-500M's Single binding posts terminals
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Elysian 2 has a bottom firing port whereas RP-500M has a rear firing ports. Wharfedale Elysian 2's bottom-firing port gives more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls compared to Klipsch RP-500M with its rear-firing port.
Physical Specs
Size of a speaker can sometimes become an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, We are going to compare Wharfedale Elysian 2's and Klipsch RP-500M's external dimensions. Wharfedale Elysian 2 has external dimensions of 700.0 x 334.0 x 462.0mm ( 27.5 x 13.1 x 18.1inch) whereas Klipsch RP-500M has external dimensions of 343.0 x 173.0 x 241.0mm ( 13.5 x 6.8 x 9.4inch) .
Wharfedale Elysian 2 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 161mm wider, 357mm taller and 221mm deeper than Klipsch RP-500M.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Wharfedale Elysian 2 and Klipsch RP-500M in scale.
Comparison image of Wharfedale Elysian 2 and Klipsch RP-500M Size and External Dimensions
