In this review, we will be comparing Elysian 4 and XR100, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Wharfedale and McIntosh. Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Wharfedale Elysian 4 and McIntosh XR100 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
Wharfedale Elysian 4 Key Specs
- 3-way Design
- 27x90mm" AMT (Ribbon) Tweeter
- 6" Midrange
- 2 x 8.5" Coated Fiberglass Woofer
- 30-22k Hz Frequency Response
- 92 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 4ohms
- Power Range:15-250watts
- Weight:49.60kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 1188.0" x 15-13/16" x 18-3/16"( 1188.0 x 402.0 x 462.0mm )
McIntosh XR100 Key Specs
- 4-way Design
- 2" dome (x2) Tweeter
- 0.75" Super Tweeter
- 2.0" Midrange
- 4 x 6.0" Polypropylene Woofer
- 2.0" Midrange
- 30-45k Hz Frequency Response
- 87 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 8ohms
- Power Range:75-600watts
- Weight:31.14kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 1266.0" x 11-5/8" x 17"( 1266.0 x 296.0 x 432.0mm )
What size room are the Wharfedale Elysian 4 and McIntosh XR100 speakers good for?
The size of the room in which you are planning to use these loudspeakers is an important decision factor. Here we have compared their suitability to various sizes of environments considering their size and max power parameters:
| Listening Environment* |
Wharfedale Elysian 4 |
McIntosh XR100 |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Are you nuts? |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Average |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Average |
Good |
(* Approximate Room sizes: Small < 100sq. ft / 9 m2, Mid-size: 100-220 sq. ft / 9-20 m2, Large 220-400 sq. ft / 20-36 m2, Very Large: > 400 sq. ft / 36 m2.
Average Floor Height: 9" / 2.7m. Typical room sizes differ from country to country, and the actual listening experience changes depending on floor height, room shape, surface materials, listening position, speaker locations, etc.)
In the following sections, we will get into more detail in order to better understand how the Wharfedale Elysian 4 and McIntosh XR100 compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one of these loudspeakers is the better choice for you.
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through my links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Elysian 4 is a 3-way design whereas the XR100 is a 4-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.
| Driver |
Wharfedale Elysian 4 |
McIntosh XR100 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
4-way
|
|
Super Tweeter
|
- |
0.75-inch |
|
Tweeter
|
27x90mm-inch
|
2-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 6-inch |
8 x 2.0-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 8.5-inch
|
4 x 6.0-inch
|
Elysian 4 features a 27x90mm" AMT (Ribbon) Tweeter , a 6" Midrange and 2 x 8.5" Coated Fiberglass Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 340Hz and 3100Hz. On the other hand, the XR100 features a 2" titanium tweeter with neodymium-iron-boron alloy magnet dome (x2) Tweeter , a 0.75" Supertweeter , a 2.0" Midrange and 4 x 6.0" Polypropylene Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 300Hz, 2000kHZ and 8000kHZ.
Frequency Response
Elysian 4 has a frequency range of 30-22k Hz whereas XR100 has a frequency range of 30-45k Hz.
Below graphs depict how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average values of the Min and Max Frequencies of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
High Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
None of these speakers achieves full range experience which is commonly agreed as 20Hz-20kHz. In order to achieve lower lows / deeper bass, we recommend you pair these with a subwoofer. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
Elysian 4 is a 4 ohms speaker compared to the XR100 which has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms. Lower impedance speakers, especially the ones that are rated at 4 ohms may put more pressure on the amplifier unit especially when played at high volume levels, so make sure the amp you pair with the Elysian 4 can provide this impedance level.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Elysian 4 sensitivity is rated at 92 dB and the XR100's is rated at 87 dB. This 5 dB difference makes the Wharfedale Elysian 4 a more sensitive speaker compared to McIntosh XR100, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing Speakers
Power Range
Power
range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. While using an amplifier within this range ensures the nominal performance , inputting a power that is higher than the max wattage can result in a damaged speaker.
Elysian 4 can handle a max power of 600 watts RMS from the amp the whereas Elysian 4 has a max power handling value of 250 watts RMS , 350 watts less than the XR100.
Keep in mind that a higher max power handling value doesn't necessarily make that a louder speaker
compared to a lower max handling speaker. Loudness or the sound level is also impacted by parameters
such as Impedance, sensitivity and system efficiencies.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Both Elysian 4 and XR100 features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.
McIntosh XR100's Binding post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Elysian 4 has a bottom firing port whereas XR100 has a rear firing ports. Wharfedale Elysian 4's bottom-firing port gives more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls compared to McIntosh XR100 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 4's and McIntosh XR100's external dimensions. Wharfedale Elysian 4 has external dimensions of 1188.0 x 402.0 x 462.0mm ( 46-3/4 x 15-13/16 x 18-3/16inch) whereas McIntosh XR100 has external dimensions of 1266.0 x 296.0 x 432.0mm ( 49-13/16 x 11-5/8 x 17inch) .
McIntosh XR100 is 106mm narrower and 30mm less deeper than Wharfedale Elysian 4 but it is also 78mm taller.
Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited.
The base surface area of the Wharfedale Elysian 4 is approximately 1857.2cm2 / 287.9inch2 and base area of the McIntosh XR100 is approximately 1278.7cm2 / 198.2inch2. The Elysian 4 requires 45% more surface area than the XR100 which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.
Weight Comparison The weight of a loudspeaker can become an important factor if you need to move and reposition the unit often. Weight of a speaker can also "sometimes" be an indicator of the rigidity of the enclosure and the quality of the internal components used. The Wharfedale Elysian 4 weighs 49.60kg / 109.1lbs and the McIntosh XR100 weighs 31.14kg / 68.5lbs. This makes the Elysian 4 59% heavier than the XR100.
Here is a comparison of how Elysian 4 and XR100's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Floor-standing class.
Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers
What's in the Box of Wharfedale Elysian 4?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of Elysian 4:
Floorstanding loudspeakerGrille2 Terminal-jumpers (pre-installed)4 Spike feetUser Manual
What's in the Box of McIntosh XR100?
Here are the items that come with the XR100:
Floorstanding loudspeakerGrille4 Feet4 Glides4 Tiptoes4 ScrewsOwners Manual