Danley Speakers and Subs Reinvent Grace Fellowship Church

For years, the congregants of Grace Fellowship Church in Florence, Kentucky endured the shortcomings of a sound reinforcement system. Finally, they consulted 30-year veteran house of worship systems designer Curt Taipale, who recently joined the team at K2 Audio, Boulder, Colorado. Taipale orchestrated substantial acoustical improvements and a complete overhaul of the sound reinforcement system, replacing it with a Danley-centered system.

"The old system really wasn't that old," said Taipale. "But for whatever reason, be it financial constraints or straight-up poor design, it lacked impact. The church officials described it as 'distant,' hardly the adjective you want for a front-and-center contemporary church service." Taipale identified two problems. First, the acoustics were "loose" with a two-second decay. Second, the loudspeakers were undersized and underpowered. Perhaps with the echoes of the process that led to that grossly inadequate system still haunting their memories, the officials of Grace Fellowship Church ceded control to Taipale completely. "They recognized that this was their one shot to get it right," he said. "They were very receptive to my advice."

The designer dealt first with the acoustics of the sanctuary. Per his direction, the church angled down the sidewalls by eight-degrees. That modest change improved things enough that church members commented on the increased clarity. A few weeks later, a well-considered combination of diffusers and absorbers arrived. Taipale directed their installation against the side walls and the back wall. Again, there was a noticeable improvement. "It was nice to go in increments," he said. "That way, everyone fully appreciated the contribution of each change." The sanctuary's new acoustics featured half the reverb time of the old, but a reflective ceiling still inspired congregational singing.

A few weeks after that, the new sound system arrived. Summit Integrated installed the system according to Taipale's design. Three Danley Sound Labs SH-50s comprise the front array in an exploded arc. Three more Danley SH-50s form a delay ring. Lab.gruppen C-series amplifiers power the system, and two Biamp Nexia processors provide input conditioning and modest speaker conditioning.

"I love the sonic character, the imaging, and the well-defined pattern control of the Danley SH-50," said Taipale. "It's true that there are a lot of great loudspeakers on the market, but there is something about the Danley sound that makes you sit up and take notice -- the clarity, the impact, the focus! Just like a painter might have a favorite brush, the Danley SH-50 is my favorite tool. It makes me look good." The pattern control of the SH-50, which extends down to 300Hz, keeps energy off the side walls and off the stage. As a result, the sound is more vibrant, and gain before feedback is higher.

Taipale wrestled with where to place the two Danley TH-115 subwoofers. "On the one hand, I could fly them," he said, "but there is a proscenium that hides a lighting pipe on the ceiling that I would have to work around. Also, the visual aesthetic of flown subs might not have been worthy of the sanctuary itself." He ended up using a bunker under the center stage thrust, exactly on the centerline. "I'm very pleased with the result. It's nice and tight, big and fat, and full and punchy."