Happy Independence Day from Danley Sound Labs!  For those of you in the United States, we hope you enjoy celebrating the gift of freedom we are blessed with here in our country.  Please read on to discover what is happening at Danley Sound Labs this summer.  If you have questions, suggestions or comments, feel free to send them to jeff@danleysoundlabs.com.

The DNA series amplifiers consist of three models: DNA 20K4 Pro, DNA 10K4 Pro, and DNA 5K4c. There is also a DSP processor available in the DNA series, the DNA SC48. All of the amplifiers feature four audio channels, are able to have channels 1 & 2 and 3 & 4 bridged to provide a very high output capacity two channel package. All of the amplifiers are two rack spaces and the DSP processor is one rack space. The amplifiers provide 3dB steps in total power capacity:

DNA 20K4 Pro provides 5000 Watts per channel at 2 Ohms
DNA 10K4 Pro provides 2500 Watts per channel at 2 Ohms
DNA 5K4c provides 1250 Watts per channel at 2 Ohms
 
The DNA SC48 DSP processor provides the same DSP processing that is in the DNA 20K4 and 10K4 Pro amplifiers, but in a 4 input by 8 output configuration instead of the 4x4 configuration of the amplifiers. It also allows use of 3rd party amplifiers with your Danley loudspeakers.
 
The DNA series products all use the PodWare software for communications and control. The DNA 20K4 and 10K4 Pro amplifiers and the DNA SC48 all connect via Ethernet for control whilst the DNA 5K4c amplifiers connect via USB.
 
On June 20, 2016 Danley Sound Labs released an updated version of PodWare (6.22.10). It is packaged and available for download on the Danley Sound Labs website. Included with this PodWare update is updated firmware for the DNA 20K4 and 10K4 Pro amplifiers (1.190). Be sure to update the firmware in the amplifiers when using the latest version of PodWare.
 
Next month we are going to look at some important differences between the DNA 20K4 and 10K4 Pro amplifiers and the DNA 5K4c amplifier.
 

Some people think a Danley system is only suitable for a large venue like a stadium or arena.  That idea is totally false, and here's proof:

Although it’s been open for a mere four years in the northern suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia, The Velvet Note has attracted national attention. Its intimate room seats only forty and was carefully designed by George Seldon to support music with stunning, well-balanced acoustics. The world’s top jazz artists now make The Velvet Note a staple in their tour schedules because the on-stage experience is so transcendent; Christian McBride, Marcus Printup, Diane Schuur and the late great Lou Soloff, among many other jazz luminaries, have graced The Velvet Note’s stage.

“Until recently, the only thing that wasn’t five stars about The Velvet Note was the PA system,” explained Bob Bakert, an Atlanta-based guitarist, vocalist, composer, and pro-audio veteran who regularly graces the venue’s stage. “I had heard Danley Sound Labs systems before, and I knew Danley’s fantastic phase-coherence and fidelity could elevate The Velvet Note’s PA system to the level of everything else in the venue.”

After consulting with Danley owner Mike Hedden, Bakert helped install two Danley SM-100 loudspeakers in a stereo configuration with a THmini subwoofer for low-end support. The room is only about twenty feet wide, so the stereo soundstage created by the SM-100s is more akin to a control room than a live venue. The THmini subwoofer is tucked back behind the piano, and Bakert purposely configured the system so that the subwoofer would not provide unnaturally loud bass. Rather, the subwoofer forms a balanced, low-end extension to the full-range boxes.

Tamara Fuller, The Velvet Note’s owner, said, “I want to give my guests the real deal – organic, real sound. The new Danley system has taken things further in that direction. It’s capable of conveying such subtleties; the granular specificity of each note and each instrument is so clear and beautiful. It’s like the difference between talking to someone on the phone and talking to them in person. There’s an intimacy of sound that makes it feel like there’s nothing between you and the music – like the music is reaching its arms around you for an embrace. Of course, I personally benefit the most since I’m there almost every single night!”

Doug Jones, director of Danley University, has long mused about the radical discord between his childhood in rural Congo in a Christian institution and his life’s work in professional audio: thirty years of it in the urban bustle of downtown Chicago at the decidedly-secular institution of Columbia College. But that discord recently resolved to harmony with the invitation to teach two weeks of intensive classes on technology and electrical engineering at the Bilingual Christian University of Congo. Given his background, Jones was not going into the endeavor as most Americans might, wide-eyed and culturally inexperienced.
 
Danley Sound Labs President and CEO Mike Hedden, who puts his money where his mouth is in matters of faith and service, endorsed Jones’ trip. The first class Jones developed was about the history of electromagnetism, with most of the emphasis on the lives of the scientists who discovered and articulated the science. “I though that by sharing the stories of these scientists, which in most cases amounted to a lifetime of struggle with zero guarantee of success, the students’ own struggles might be given a new perspective,” Jones said. “If these scientists could succeed, then, by implication, so could these students.” The second course explored electromagnetism in a hands-on lab, which helped connect the students’ impressive academic understanding of electromagnetism with its practical application.

Last time we thought about the concept of the ‘speed’ of a subwoofer.  We showed that the speed of a subwoofer is determined by the crossover frequency and the amplitude of the signal, and if a sub can reproduce the frequency at crossover, it is moving as fast as it needs to.  A 10-inch sub won't move faster than an 18-inch sub, at a given frequency and amplitude.  Moving faster means creating higher frequencies!

This time, I want to take a few moments to consider what a subwoofer should sound like.   It is always a bit tricky to describe with words what something sounds like.  Partially because there are so few words in our language to describe precisely how something sounds.  Still, let’s give it a try.  

First, remember that we are talking about a subwoofer, that is a speaker that is used to extend the low frequency range of a full range system, either to go lower in frequency or produce more volume in the low range.  A true subwoofer has a low pass filter on the signal that is driving it.  With Danley subs, we always tell you the highest crossover point that is recommended for a given box.  It is not a good idea to go above that point!  Generally, subwoofers are low passed at around 100 Hz, sometimes a bit higher, sometimes a bit lower.  For the sake of this discussion, let’s assume that we are using a crossover of 100 Hz.

So, try this.  If you have a digital audio workstation, load in your favorite rock song. Pick something with a good kick drum sound.  If you don't have a digital workstation, I recommend Audacity.  It is free and is easy to use.    Now using an Eq. tool, create a low pass filter at 100 Hz that has a slope of 18dB per octave.  Make sure that the filter keeps going.  In other words, make sure that 200Hz is -18dB, 400 Hz is -36dB, 800 Hz is –54dB, 1600Hz is -72dB etc.  Apply that filter to your music. I’ll bet that you can’t tell what the tune is anymore!  That is what a subwoofer should sound like.  So if someone tells you that their sub is awesome because it has great speed or definition or clarity or impulse response, well…. if it does, something is very wrong!  Unless they are talking about a Danley sub of course…..

This month’s spotlight is on Casey McWilliams of CM Sales in Michigan.  Casey has been with Danley Sound Labs for several years and has continued to strengthen the Danley brand in his territory.  He has employed a systematic approach to focus on each geographic region and partner with strong integrators, production houses and unique vertical markets to diversify his reach in Michigan. 
 
Another one of Casey’s strengths is his willingness to engage the end user and educate them as to how Danley offers a unique solution for their facility or business.  Often this is done by demoing the product or by personally meeting with prospective end-user clients and taking them to existing installs that feature our products.  
 
While the state of Michigan is not a very large territory, CM Sales continues to exceed expectations year after year by having multiple market segments covered in each geographic area.  As Casey will tell you, he wants to work with “people who get it”.