Wow ... the Polk LSiM703 as bettered in England by the Monitor Audio RX6 as Polk is American and needs different stuff. Far Eastern works well with Monitor Audio as its drivers were made there. Polk has a ring radiator tweeter so would work with the QUAD 405-2 custom engineered to work with Spendor SP1. We have to be careful to match speakers to the electronics. -Best amplifier for Ribbon Tweeters?

After listening to these basically non-stop for the past few days, here’s my thoughts. First, the Monitor Audio Silver 300 7g’s that I recently got will sadly be going back, because the Auras aren’t going anywhere. I certainly haven’t owned as many speakers as Steve, but I have owned or borrowed Magnepan LRS, Magnepan 1.7, LSiM703, Kef r7, MA Silver 300 7g, MA Silve 200 6g, Evo 4.2, Polk r600, and now Aura 2, so I have a few comparison points. I live in a townhome and mainly listen at low to medium volumes. I have had real trouble finding speakers that can deliver the full audio experience at low volumes…so many speakers don’t really come alive until they are cranked. The Aura’s do low volume listening amazingly well! Even at low volumes, they have a way of transferring energy that just feels very commanding and natural. The bass is very present but extremely clean and controlled which to me is important to not drown the treble and midrange at low volumes. I actually have them eq’d down a bit on the bottom end. The treble is detailed like my MA 300’s but even smoother. Really thrilled with them so far, which is not usually my response with new speakers. That huge AMT tweeter really is amazing. Also I wanted to mention that being in my living room, I get tired of having a tiny sweet spot where if you tilt your head one way it feels like the sound is unbalanced/out of phase. These do not seem to be anywhere near as directional as most of my other speakers which makes them a great fit for a more general purpose room that isn't strictly a listening room with a single center seat. Anyway, just my experience with my equipment, in my room, with my ears, and my music.

Mine (the walnut version) are somewhere between Crutchfield and home in a 105 lbs. box. Will be connected to marantz model 30 and pretty big upgrade from 6gen monitor audio silver series 100s. Can’t wait

@@markbayer1665 You mean the Aura 4 are coming from Crutchfield in a lorry on some US highway? Well we're happy for you but Marantz you know? The Model 30 you know? It's not a Wharfedale suited amplifier, in England it was use KEF, it Europe Dali, but in the US they use Fleetwood Deville but where are you?

@@keplermissionwhy do you assume it’s the Aura 4? The Aura 2 come together in a single box and at nearly 50lbs each, that makes it one heavy box.

The Evo 4.1's are still a very strong choice in 2 way, slightly smaller bookshelf. They are a bit cheaper, but have a very similar look and specs to the the Aura's and to my own ear, similar sound signature. Maybe what was said in the video is true, the Aura's may be more like the Elysian's had been, but the Evo's are still hard to beat for the price point. Worth a listen, especially if you can get them from a place with a good return policy

The way Wharfedale implement the AMT tweeter is amazing compared to a lot of others. Not that others are bad, but Wharfedale seem to understand them better than most. It is good to see the colour toned down somewhat

😂😂 So true!

Lol

It is just your own opinion. If the manufacture is so bad, they would not sell any speakers and close their doors by now.

I know... and THEY ARE GREAT!!! In his defense they SEND him the speakers. He doesn't choose em

@dilbyjones In your dream, might be, but “they” did not send any speakers to Danny. Mostly just his KZfaq customers. All he does is just adjusting the frequency response which you can do easily with DSP any way.

No Gel-core but Sand-core 😄 That's wild, nice info! 👌

I thought the Wharfdale SFB (sand filled baffle) was a product of the late 50s, early 60s.

@@narabdela I sold them on the retail floor when I started in '70. A good friend DYI'd speakers with a dual, hollow layer construction and fill them with sand. Had to empty the sand to move them.

My first speakers, had a plastic tweeter in purple color, spoiled my ears for the rest of my life. Sand filled cabinets

Secret sauce? wow. No Wharfedale always used a cone mid so marketing is watching. The dome mid is an Australian ATC thing, both use far eastern sounding amplifiers. The customer decides.

@@keplermission Opinions are hard, aren't they..

@@stonefree1911 Well Steve reckons the dome mid is not in the audiophile category and you know we see it in Home Theater Wharfedale tower speakers where wide dispersion of certain hissing effects used in movies is most appreciated but you know for music from records and stuff, Steve reckons the cone driver is best.

. The design difficulty with both both models is incorporating the Tweeter. It has such a high crossover point that, by necessity, the end product is really a 2 1/2-way loudspeaker in reverse. At 4.5kHz (and I'll bet a really sloped curve), the mid-range has to go way up there to meet the AMT/Ribbon. Thus it's taking both drivers to cover the HF range & consequently the mid can't cover the lower mid so the woofer has to get crossed way high for a 3-way. So it's a 3-way covering a 2 1/2-way range. Dome or cone? I'll argue a compression driver with horn would better cover the mid-range in this case & bring some life to a very mild "sauce". Reggae, Funk & Brass 🔈🔉🔊

You don’t have to “trade”, just buy both

Let us know if you give it a demo vs the Elysians

Thanks!

A lot of the Hi Fi shops in the UK give you a 5 or 6 year warranty on speakers including this one.

Nice I grew up in the sixties listening to my dads Decca system playing through Wharfedale W2s

Whom started that ridiculous arrangement? (edit) In fact, the further away the gear from loudspeakers (given; balanced cables) the less vibrations & microphonics have effect. And, it always looks like a Yard Sale.

Yep. I have a bunch of modern (ish) amps from 12.5 Watts a side to 215 Watts, so we will see what works. However recently I picked up a couple of 1970s JVC receivers, which do about 25 Watts each, so I will see how they fare. Interestingly. I fixed up a 1970s Aiwa cassette recently. It sounded awful in my system, but great with those 1970s pieces. Must be synergy.

Yes!

In 1958 Wharfedale was sold by Gilbert Briggs to Rank and they made the 1980s Mk. 1, 2, 3 Diamonds that were just awesome with harman/kardon PM650 and the AR Revival turntable. Steve sold boat loads of Diamonds because they were just so impressive, the deep bass would blow you away with no subwoofer, the cones used to move a long way. But the PM650 wasn't a cheap amplifier, it was upmarket, it was middle-class.

SS5 or 6

Las Aura están a otro nivel. No hace falta ni sub. Tiene una extensión de graves de 33 hz.

I have a pair of Solano’s and they’re really nice.

@@abacar6134 Been curious about the Solano since it came out. Mystified why it doesn't get more attention in the US. Innovative tech, appealing design and form factor, and competitive price. Can only assume Elac doesn't promote it here. Seems odd, unless the sound isn't inspiring, but the EU reviews seem quite positive. Would like to see more about it.

@@coachafella yeah for some reason they don’t get much attention. They are on sale right now at a killer price.

I bought my first cd system in 1987, with a pair of Heybrook HB1. I still have and use that pair of HB1, repaired/replaced the dried out foam surrounds of the woofers a couple of years ago. The Heybrooks were designed by Peter Comeau, who was also the founder/owner of Heybrook. Later Peter started to design/develop loudspeakers for all kinds of British brands - and still does - most of them currently owned by International Audio Group (IAG), like Wharfedale, Mission, Quad and Castle. It's a nice idea that more than 40 years after one's first HB1 you can still buy a pair of modern loudspeakers by the same, still active, designer.

@@Wuppie62 Wilmslow Audio WA HB1 speakers.This company does a kit or fully builds replicas for the HB1 it's £1600.00 and repairs them.

@@patricaomas8750 Thanks for the info. Like I said, I still have and use my original HB1s. 1600 pound sterling for a pair of replicas? That's pretty steep..You can buy a new pair of Wharfedale Linton 85th with matching stands (or Evo 4.4) and nice cables for that.. 😅 Apples, oranges.

Think they use better materials, also have you seen that Top Gear episode with the Etype everything was made to modern specs and was individually made with no production line runs it was £300,000 you're totally correct so can't see them making large runs. However, it also highlights my original point about people looking back at the costs decades ago.

Many older speakers still kick ass even today, However all speakers are room dependant, some are better than others . For my needs sealed enclosure fits the bill . The Scm 11s are more than enough speaker for me, along with my Dali Menuet se . My journey stops in speakers now, and I have so many to part ways with, including the Evo 4.2s . What a time it is for anything audio right now . Thanks for the review Steve .

Guaranteed that the Brystons will be twice as expensive. Bryston speakers are basically Axiom audio speakers taken to the next level. I think they are still overpriced. They apparently have new speakers coming out...but they are taking forever to roll them out.

@@savagemako17 Actually, the Bryston Mini T 3 ways are around $2500 and the Mini A 3 ways are $1665. Both at Moon Audio. So within the price range comparison 👍🏼

Hello Riccitone. The Bryston mini T 3 ways are $2500 FOR ONE. Depending on the finish, some are closer to $3000 for one. The mini A speaker is indeed $1665 for the pair, but again depending on the finish, that can go up as well. Moon audio says they carry the Mini A and it is in stock, but they are not. Most everything has to be ordered. Bryston supposedly has some new small bookshelf speakers coming out as of the end of the summer of 2023, but no one is carrying them yet and many of the pictures on their web site aren't even posted. It just says "coming soon". I'm not holding my breath for that. It has been coming soon for a long time.@@riccitone

@@savagemako17 Ah…my mistake! The ad said sold as a pair, but I’d missed the other info saying price per each. Hopefully the new one will come out some day soon. However, I’m not in anticipation either.

No.

I have a 5" in my Quad S2, with a good sub you absolutely get enough bass in a small-mid sized room. I'm considering the Aura 1 for upgrade and I'm not worried about the bass, more curious about how it would sound with a bigger driver. Just wanted to through this out there.

@@filipviljamaasvensson Yeah, but what I want is a 2-way that doesn't need a sub. Trying to keep things simple.

@@williamdirks5805maybe try dynaudio if you don’t want to use a sub and like a ‘dark’ kinda sound

Wharfedale had raised the price of theirs to $1400. I have my pair on two of my kitchen chairs, currently. Hoping for some used SS-5 or SS-6s to come up. The main problem for the user is finding stands that have a wide enough base to accept the Aura, and that can support 45 lbs. You might wonder wouldn't it be a better idea to just get the Aura 3s. I agree.

@@dan-qe1tbThe speakers are now 1399 Euro in the EU (some kind of sale). The stands: 999 Euro. Total: 2399 Euro. Aura 3: 2199 Euro (also on sale).

@@cremersalex sure would like to hear how the Aura 2s compare to the 3s. Single 6.5" base driver vs two 5" ones,

Cool, keep watching, it'll get there eventually.

Best speaker for the money klipsch rp600 They still have some first edition on Amazon half price!! FYI on Steve’s best 10 speakers of all time list

@@davidlepoidevin4239 Thanks for your reply i will look into them.

Sometimes but not always. For smaller to medium rooms the bass can sometimes just be too much with the floorstander’s extra bass woofer(s) and added cabinet volume. It can feel really unbalanced. I am already eq-ing out some bass in my larger bookshelf speakers. I don’t want to spend more money just to eq away the additional driver. The extra money I spend on stands can hopefully be reused for the next set of bookshelves. Of course and if you have a big room or have nulls where you need the extra bass then yeah I totally agree get the floorstander. I think people make the argument for bookshelf speakers as just some kind of space savers, which like you alluded to, doesn’t really make much sense.

All that doesnt make it one bit inferior to the evos.

@@-MarkWinston- If you're building a decent home cinema you want a big center.

That is an awful album, people wont admit it now because its new and possibly their last but in a few years youll see people realise just how forgettable it is.

I would like to know how they compare...

Lol. Buy a decent audio system and come back.

@@stijnvanderlooy5311 Lol I've got a better than decent audio system that's why I can hear how awful the production is.

But, but why?

You contradicted yourself. If you don't own any speakers, especially the ones talked about in the video, then why do you post here? "Because you say so" doesn't prove that it's a bad design or overpriced. Is your negative attitude just because you can't afford to spend thousands of dollars a year on audio equipment? Myself and many peers can.