The Wharfedale Aura 1 sits at the heart of Wharfedale's acclaimed Aura range, drawing direct inspiration from the flagship ELYSIAN series in fit, finish and acoustic technology. It is a two-way bookshelf loudspeaker that punches well above its price point, delivering the kind of detail, energy and musical engagement typically associated with far more expensive designs. Sold as a matched pair in a rich Hi-Gloss Walnut finish, the Aura 1 makes an equally compelling visual and sonic statement in any listening room.
AMT High-Frequency Driver
At the core of the Aura 1's performance is Wharfedale's proprietary Air Motion Transformer (AMT) tweeter, a technology refined through the development of the ELYSIAN series. Unlike a conventional dome tweeter, the AMT's folded diaphragm operates within an extremely powerful magnetic field, squeezing air outwards rather than pushing it as a piston. The result is extraordinarily low distortion, scintillating transient speed and a high-frequency bandwidth that extends to 22kHz with effortless composure. The AMT measures 27 x 90mm and delivers a wide dispersion pattern for a generous, spacious soundstage.
Bass and Midrange Driver
The Aura 1's 5-inch (130mm) bass-midrange driver uses a proprietary woven glass fibre matrix cone, developed specifically to match the transient accuracy of the AMT. Rubber surrounds of high flexibility work alongside a low-distortion motor system featuring copper-clad pole pieces to control eddy currents and inductance. Each driver is mounted on a rigid die-cast aluminium chassis, secured with six high-tensile bolts to the cabinet for maximum rigidity and accurate transient response. Decorative rubber trim rings at each driver aperture also serve to damp resonance at the chassis-to-cabinet junction.
SLPP Bass Reflex Porting
Wharfedale's Slot Loaded Profiled Port (SLPP) design, traceable to the ideas of company founder Gilbert Briggs, channels the bass reflex output through a series of downward-facing slot ports built into the speaker's plinth. This arrangement disperses high-velocity port airflow at low pressure, reducing turbulence and extending clean bass response to 44Hz (-6dB), with a useful -3dB point of 48Hz. Cabinet volume is 16.5 litres, and nominal impedance is 6 ohms, making the Aura 1 compatible with a wide range of amplifiers rated between 25W and 100W.
Cabinet and Finish
The Aura 1 cabinet is constructed using PROS (Panel Resonance Optimisation System), a multi-layer approach combining differing wood types to push panel resonances well below audibility. Smooth curved edges serve both an aesthetic and acoustic purpose, dispersing the drive units' output into the room without unwanted reflections from sharp corners. In Hi-Gloss Walnut, the cabinet is finished in a warm, polished wood-effect lacquer that gives the Aura 1 a premium, furniture-grade presence akin to designs from the ELYSIAN series at significantly higher prices. A magnetically attached grille is included.
Crossover Network
The Aura 1's crossover network was developed under the supervision of Peter Comeau, IAG's Director of Acoustic Design, and refined over hundreds of hours of listening tests. A crossover frequency of 2.9kHz delivers a seamless handover between the glass fibre cone and the AMT, with only the highest-grade acoustically transparent components used throughout to preserve every nuance of the source material.
