As KD Sound started doing larger shows, we decided to upgrade our speaker system. After a bit of research and a trip to see them in action, we decided to purchase a system from Danley Sound Labs.
The tops are SH46s. These speakers are loud (up to 141db) and incredibly clear. They have a 40 degree wide and 60 degree tall pattern. This gives me the flexibility of using one speaker for a narrow room, or putting three together like in the picture to get a 120 degree pattern for wider rooms.
The pattern control on the SH46s (and most all of Danley products) is a big deal to me. For much of the frequency range, the pattern is exactly what they say it is. That means I’m not throwing extra sound on walls or having extra sound leak out the back where it can interfere with what that band is hearing from the monitors. The sound doesn’t leak into the mics nearly as much so there is less feedback.
The Subs are TH118XLs. These also get loud (140db max) and go low (-4db is 34hz, -10db is 26). They are tapped horns, and seem to have a decent amount directivity, meaning most of the sound is going to the audience, not the stage.
This is all rounded out with Danley DNA20k4 amplifiers. These amps are each 4 channels of up to 5000 watts of sound. But probably more importantly, they have the presets for the Danley speakers, including some pretty sophisticated limiters to protect the gear. These amps have analog and AES inputs, which allows me to connect the sound boards digitally, saving on an DA/AD conversion.
The system all put together sounds amazing. I have heard parts of songs that I’ve never heard before. My gain before feedback definitely improved. I’ve done a crowd of 3000 people outdoors where I’m feeling the bass roughly 120 feet back with headroom to spare. I’ve received compliments from audiences that the sound was cleaner and clearer than my previous setup. The Danley community is very helpful, and the people who design their products are available to talk to directly. For anyone serious about sound quality, their products are hard to beat.