In this review, we will be comparing Elysian 2 and R-41M, two Passive Bookshelf speakers from Wharfedale and Klipsch. Let's have a brief look at the main features of Wharfedale Elysian 2 and Klipsch R-41M 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 R-41M 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 R-41M 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, R-41M features a 1" Tractrix Horn Tweeter and 1 x 4" Copper-spun IMG Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 1730Hz.
Frequency Response
Elysian 2 has a frequency range of 35-22k Hz whereas R-41M has a frequency range of 68-21k 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 R-41M's min frequency of 68Hz.
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 R-41M 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 R-41M's is at 90 dB. This 1 dB difference makes Klipsch R-41M 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 R-41M has a power range of 50 watts.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Elysian 2 features Post posts which makes bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. R-41M has a Single Gold Plated Binding Posts which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Wharfedale Elysian 2's Post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Klipsch R-41M's Single Gold Plated Binding Posts terminals
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Elysian 2 has a bottom firing port whereas R-41M 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 R-41M 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 R-41M'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 R-41M has external dimensions of 287.0 x 146.0 x 200.0mm ( 11.2 x 5.7 x 7.8inch) .
Wharfedale Elysian 2 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 188mm wider, 413mm taller and 262mm deeper than Klipsch R-41M.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Wharfedale Elysian 2 and Klipsch R-41M in scale.
Comparison image of Wharfedale Elysian 2 and Klipsch R-41M Size and External Dimensions
