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Audio Review: Danley Sound Labs TH Mini Subwoofer/SH-LPM Floor Monitor
As I have reported in these pages before, the mission statement of Danley Sound Labs is simply Proverbs 3:4—“To find favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.” And it’s a refreshing breath of air to discover that Danley’s Internet home page is graced with a “Verse of the Day” from the Bible. But this is not just an organization with spiritual ideals—they have some truly amazing products.
I have reviewed a number of Danley products over the years, and I have always been impressed. Whenever I’m asked to review a new Danley product, I’m enthusiastic to see what they’ve managed to accomplish. Tom Danley is an acoustical scientist with an impressive portfolio of accomplishments ranging from ground zero bombing simulation and active cancellation of jet engine noise to loudspeaker design for critical mastering applications, high-end home theater, and houses of worship. He’s a really smart guy who developed some truly innovative subwoofer designs that you very likely heard touring as early as the 1980s. His tapped-horn designs have become well known and well-liked the world over.
TH Mini Subwoofer
I handle live sound for the Bridge Covenant Church in Gilbert, Arizona. We’re a portable church that meets in the gymnasium of an elementary school, and this gave me an opportunity to spend some time with two new highly portable
Danley products—the TH Mini subwoofer and the SH-LPM floor monitor. Danley’s
subwoofers have never failed to impress me, so I was eager to see the tiny TH Mini.
It is indeed very small—24 inches by 22.5 inches by 15 inches, making it highly portable. I would submit that it is a sub that could be used in permanent applications, but it makes more sense for portable use, due to its small size.
Danley’s materials tout it as useful for houses of worship, corporate A/V, live music venues, discos, performing arts centers, and in multiples for bass
arrays. In particular, corporate A/V and portable deejay applications would vastly benefit from this subwoofer, in my estimation. The box is constructed of 13-ply, 18 mm Baltic birch and coated with polyurea—a nicely resilient covering for the box. Through the box’s substantial metal grille, one can see the subwoofer’s driver—a 12-inch-long excursion unit with a hefty-looking magnet.
Signal gets into the box via two NL4MP Speakon connectors. The total weight of the speaker is 76 pounds, which can be augmented a bit with the addition of an available built-in amplifier to make the speaker self-powered.
The published “operating frequency range” is 45 Hz – 200 Hz ±3 dB, down 10 dB at 41 Hz. In an age where marketing departments routinely exaggerate the facts in an attempt to increase sales, I’m impressed with Danley’s resistance to this temptation. I have seen my share of claims that 12-inch subwoofers can reproduce super-low frequencies, but usually there is some gimmick in place to pull this off, even if there’s a shred of truth to the claims. Not here—when Danley says 45 Hz, they mean it—and it’s honest bass. Sensitivity is rated at 101 dB SPL at 1M, ±1 dB from 50 Hz to 200 Hz (measured at 2.83V in a half-space). Maximum output is rated at 129 dB SPL continuous, 132 dB SPL peak. This is solid SPL for such a small box. Impedance is 8Ω (minimum 7Ω at 50 Hz,) and input power ratings are 700W continuous, 1400W program. Danley recommends a 24 dB/octave Butterworth at 40 Hz.
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John McJunkin is the CEO of Avalon Podcasting in Chandler, Arizona, which offers high quality podcast production and consultation services to a broad range of clients. He’s also the host of the Podcast Pro Tech & Tips Podcast at www.avalonpodcasting.com.
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