FROM STADIUMS TO SMALLER VENUES DANLEY DELIVERS INCREDIBLE FIDELITY AND PATTERN CONTROL

Founded in 2005, Danley Sound Labs immediately started improving sound reinforcement for houses of worship with patented Synergy Horn loudspeaker technology and patented Tapped Horn subwoofer technology. Danley systems are widely known to have exemplary pattern control, flat coverage within the beam width, crystalline fidelity, and honest, musical low end. Tom Danley and his team of engineers then leveraged those technologies to create massive loudspeakers and subwoofers, like the Jericho Horn and the TH-812 “Rock Monster,” that are writing a new chapter in the history of stadium sound reinforcement. However, it’s worth remembering that the same acoustical principles that spurred the house of worship and stadium revolutions (and that are currently revolutionizing the club scene with Danley’s offshoot, Pure Groove) offer tremendous benefits in smaller acoustical spaces as well, such as those at Hanscom Middle School (Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts) and Eastham Public Library (Cape Cod, Massachusetts).

 

Hanscom Middle School serves the children of military families in fourth through eighth grades on Hanscom Air Force Base, and their brand new building required four separate areas of sound reinforcement, each with its own unique challenges. Audio/video integration firm CCS New England, of Nashua, New Hampshire, designed and installed the new sound systems, relying on Danley Sound Labs loudspeakers and subwoofers to deliver intelligibility in reverberant spaces and pristine fidelity in critical listening spaces. Danley not only delivered the boxes in a timely fashion, but also provided boxes with custom colors to match each room’s interior paint.

 

The first space is a large, central common room with a cool, but asymmetrical and oddly-shaped stage. CCS installed two Danley SH-69 loudspeakers behind the stage, sonically supported by a flown Danley TH-118 subwoofer. The odd stage and other constraints in the room dictated the unusual loudspeaker placement. However, Danley’s excellent pattern control minimizes room reflections, which works to enhance intelligibility. Danley’s unique phase coherence leads to reliable, stable performance without feedback, despite the fact that the “house” loudspeakers are behind the microphones. The second space is a basketball-court sized gymnasium, complete with all the acoustical charms of a traditional gymnasium. Again, CCS relied on Danley’s exceptional pattern control to tame intelligence-killing reflections. This time, five Danley SM-96 loudspeakers paired with a Danley TH-115 subwoofer turns the trick.

 

The third and fourth spaces at Hanscom Middle School are completely different music rooms, used for practice and critical listening. There, CCS specified stereo pairs of Danley SM-100 Cinema loudspeakers. This is a massive step up from the systems given to most music rooms, which are typically low-quality, conventional designs. In contrast, the SM-100 Cinemas give Hanscom’s music teachers the kind of enveloping detail that will draw students in and allow them to discover the nuances that they need to pay attention to in their own performances.  Importantly, Danley’s even coverage within the beam width ensures that students far off axis have the same great experience as those students in the “sweet spot.”

 

The situation at Eastham Public Library was closer to those of the music rooms at the middle school, where fidelity and impact were paramount. The library completed construction on a new building that includes a 150-seat media room for movie screenings, presentations, and small musical performances. It has no stage and can be broken into two smaller rooms. A/V integration firm Audio Associates, of Orleans, Massachusetts, installed two Danley SM-100 Cinema loudspeakers for the main stereo playback, supported by a Danley CS-30 subwoofer. When the room is subdivided, the main system handles the slightly larger half, while two Danley SH-Mini loudspeakers handle the smaller half.

 

The fidelity and sheer visceral impact of the Danley system has evoked much praise from residents of Eastham and the musicians who have performed in the space. The Danley CS-30 produces incredible output down to 30Hz, which is especially useful for community-building movie presentations. The Danley SM-100 Cinemas offer detail and imaging that only dedicated audiophiles experience on a regular basis. In sum, all of these smaller spaces are well served by Danley’s patented designs, and at a price-point that is fiercely competitive.