GAINESVILLE, GEORGIA: Tom Danley, namesake of Danley Sound Labs, is among the world’s most respected – and idiosyncratic – acousticians. Although he has been obsessed with understanding and creating lifelike sound reproduction since he was a child, Danley also worked for fifteen years at Intersonics, a NASA contractor and rival to Jet Propulsion Laboratory. There, he generated sixteen patents for acoustical devices that found their way into research rockets, zero-gravity airplane flights, and space shuttle payloads. Those experiences expanded Danley’s conceptual toolkit and inspired him to invent unconventional solutions for lifelike sound reproduction, his first and enduring love. Today, Danley and his team of world-class engineers deploy patented Synergy Horn and Tapped Horn technologies to create point-source, horn-loaded loudspeakers and subwoofers with unrivaled fidelity, phase-coherence, frequency response, and pattern control. Already well known for making best-in-class solutions in the house of worship, sports stadium, live sound, and club markets, Danley Sound Labs is thrilled to launch its new Cinema Line of loudspeakers, subwoofers, and DSP-enabled multi-channel amplifiers at CinemaCon in Las Vegas April 1-4 at Booth 2807A.
“Tom’s unique designs are far superior to conventional loudspeaker designs,” explained Skip Welch, national accounts manager with Danley Sound Labs and the point person in charge of the new Cinema Line. “And here’s why: The Synergy Horn and Tapped Horn patents allow Danley to build horns with numerous drivers that combine to create a single, phase-coherent source that performs uniform output across the entire frequency spectrum. The multiple drivers give Danley boxes incredible output, and the patented acoustical summing creates ultra-low distortion that does not appreciably increase with volume. These boxes are made for movies.”
Since Danley loudspeakers and subwoofers meet so many of the previously-unobtainable benchmarks for idealized sound reinforcement, numerous theaters and cineplexes adopted them years ago. These include Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry’s five-story IMAX theater, Detroit’s Emagine Novi’s giant screen (the largest in Michigan), and Atlanta’s LanierWorld’s outdoor theater, among many others. “Our new Cinema Line shares the same fundamentals of our existing product line. However, in the process of working with the engineers, designers, and installers on projects for cinema, we came to understand the unique needs of the market and we have incorporated those needs into our new cinema line.
Danley’s new Cinema Line loudspeakers start with the CJ-1894 and CSH-1196, which are capable of reproducing reference-monitor fidelity at up to 142 and 136dB SPL continuous output, respectively. These are the big guns (the CJ-1894’s sibling electrifies 100,000-seat sports stadiums!). Intermediate loudspeakers include the CSH-996 and CSH-496, which would be useful in a range of applications from large to small theaters, depending on the output needs of the channels they’re used for. Finally, the (relatively) smaller (but still quite beefy) CS-100S and CS-8CX are ideal for smaller theaters or surround sound channels at up to 120 and 115dB SPL, respectively. In fact, the CS-100S is built with a twenty-degree down angle for simple surround sound installation.
Danley’s new Cinema Line subwoofers start with the monstrous CBC-418, capable of thundering 148dB SPL of continuous, directed low-frequency energy in even the largest of theaters. Massive low-frequency output is only worthwhile if the system is capable of doing so with accuracy and with low distortion levels – these are the hallmarks of all Danley subwoofers. “Conventional subwoofers from other manufacturers introduce large amounts of distortion, way more than anyone would tolerate in a full-range box,” Welch remarked. “But that low-end distortion is what everyone is used to. So, it’s been said that you can’t really understand how good un-distorted low-end sounds until you’ve heard a Danley subwoofer. It’s a whole new way to enjoy impactful low end!” At 142dB SPL continuous, the intermediate CBC-218 approaches the output of its larger sibling, and the (relatively) smaller (but still quite beefy) CTH-118XL and CTH-50 subwoofers fit the bill from large to small theaters depending on requirements.
Although the spotlight appropriately falls on Danley’s now-legendary loudspeaker and subwoofer solutions, Danley’s state-of-the-art multi-channel amplifiers with integrated DSP play an indispensable supporting role. All of the units feature precise 96kHz processing and presets for all of the Cinema Line loudspeakers and subwoofers. These are excellent starting points for comprehensive system commissioning, although installers routinely report that little or no additional tweaks were needed beyond the presets. To accommodate different system sizes and output requirements, Danley manufactures the DNA 20k4PRO (four channels, 20,000 total Watts), the DNA 10k4PRO (four channels, 10,000 total Watts), the DNA 10k8c (eight channels, 10,000 total Watts), and the DNA 3k8c (eight channels, 3200 total Watts). All of the units feature comprehensive loudspeaker and circuit protection, as well as analog, AES, and Dante connectivity.
ABOUT DANLEY SOUND LABS Danley Sound Labs is the exclusive home of Tom Danley, one of the most innovative loudspeaker designers in the industry today and recognized worldwide as a pioneer for "outside the box" thinking in professional audio technology.