The entire life out of a room! 

I've been meaning to write this for some time, but just been proscratinating.  Anywho......

A couple of weeks ago I finally made it over to Chris Robinson's house to not only see his newly renovated kitchen/family room (the latter of which also doubles as the HT room), but to also listen to his system and, more importantly, the mighty Danley.  The short version is WOW!!!!!!!!!!  To be honest, it had been some time since I had visited with Chris, so in an effort to catch up, I probably yapped too much and listened too little.  Still, I feel I heard enough to know that the Danley sure lives up to everything one hears/says about it.

First - the photos Chris posted about his renovation don't do justice to the rooms.  The kitchen is awesome with great appliances and a nice layout.  And the cabinetry - oh my.....the cabinetry.  They are so nice in not only fit & finish, but also in quality.  Chris & his wife should be very proud of the end product (even though it might have been a bit of an ordeal at times).

Ok...so what about the sound Tom???  This is an audio forum - not Kitchen & Bath Today.

The sound....jeez, how do you describe the sound of a pair of KHorns with a Belle center that hasn't been said before??  It has been some time since I've heard KHorns, but in no time, the memories of the first time I heard them came back.  Such a wonderful sound - the kind of sound that makes you sigh.  Know what I mean??  And the Belle....man - what an awesome speaker for center channel duty.  Movie dialog was so rich and so clear.....it made me wanna throw my Heresy center channel out the window.  Chris has the luxury of having his KHorns spaced apart quite a bit and their placement and that Belle made for a HUGE front sound stage for movies.  Just simply an amazing sound.  Chris still has some tweaking to do - especially since he's using a pair of Heresy's for surrounds which will be replaced by Cornwalls, but he's well on his way to a great HT.  And when you consider that his HT has to share duties with being a family room - I'd say his project is very successful.

And the Danley??  Well....Chris didn't knock any pictures off the wall or cause any structural damage, but the music we listened to, and movie scenes that we watched, demonstrated two things to me: 1) that the Danley has the ability to play nice and blend in with your system and 2) it is a sleeping giant.  At one point Chris killed the sub and it was tough to realize it wasn't there.  Which shouldn't surprise me since the KHorns have such good bottom end.  But with the Danley back on, the bass was fuller and a bit more pronounced.  All-in-all, a great sound with the music tracks we listened to.  To my ears, it blended with the KHorns in a way that enhanced the sound of the KHorns.  And then the movie scenes with cannon shots - HOLY CRAP!!!! It was as if the Danley sensed that it was suppose to show you what it was REALLY like to be near a 10 pounder when the powder was lit off.  The only word that comes to mind is POWER, raw power.  The scary part was that Chris indicated that the Danley wasn't working that hard.  I'm serious - the thing scares me.  LOL.....Chris said that when he was doing the setup of the Danley with the Velodyne SMS, that there were times that the grille cloth in front of the sub (the Danley is inside his wall unit cabinetry) was flapping back & forth probably over 2 inches!!  Just truly an amazing sub.

Thanks Chris.  Hope to see you guys again soon.

Tom 

Nice, I had seen the pictures and it looked very nice, they would have to be pleased with the way it turned out, it looks great.

That's funny about the sub, I do not want to hear it, can't afford it !.

Bet it will scare many people while watching movies. I would love to see the faces of people who have no idea what a real HT sounds, much less what that sub could do.

Tom,

Good to see the Danley is one serious animal. Impressive what Mr Danley can do using a single 12" woofer !  So going by your report I can guess it can more than keep up in a large room and high output with Klipsch's mighty and large K Horns! Impressive

dtel,

I did not want to read overly positive cxomments as I will hace to acomodate the monster.

 OK TheEAR, you can't fool us you know you want / NEED one, and you know it's on that list of things you have to have !

I'm surprised you haven't caused an avalanche up there in the frozen north with all subs you have !

I think I have figured it out you want all those subs so when you get OLD and can't hear anymore you can still listen / FEEL the music, kind of like listening in braille, can't hear it but can feel it.

dtel,

Yes yes who would not want a mean subsonic machine like the DANLEY DTS-20? Only minor problem I have as it stands,I have bested 120dB at listening position at 20Hz. Awesinspiring when listening to pipe organs or some quality electronica with very deep bass. Many,read most have no idea what it is to have such potent and limitless subsonic might at your command. Each time I sit in my listening chair in either room,and listen...you leave the room and are transported.

For now I have my JL subs and the Gotham comming,to fill my craving.Danley will have to come before the Velo DD15 and 18 I want to get.It sure is a tremendous value.

Yup. It is kinda fun isn't it! That may be the only sub I would honestly put with the bigger Heritage products. Nothing like a big horn sub with big horn speakers!
Now, if I could only convince Danley to build me a bigger version...

TheSoundBroker:

Now, if I could only convince Danley to build me a bigger version...

Seriously - I would be all over that, even if it means selling my parents' cars  

DrWho:

So how long until you get a pair Tom?

For the very reason that dtel said, I am very, very sorry that I have heard that damn thing.  For my brain now says, "Yeah....you could spend some time, acquire multiple big-as* drivers, buy a serious plate amp or some such, and build a refrigerator size enclosure and come close to the Danley.  But why bother when Danley has done all the work for you and more?"

Something I failed to mention is that IMHO what makes the Danley truly special is that not only is it a superb sub for movies, but it also has the ability to graciously play a supporting role to the KHorns when listening to Steely Dan or any other delicate music.  Personally, I think Tom Danley should rename it the Dr. Jeckyll / Mr. Hyde sub. 

Yep - shoulda never listened to the thing. 

Tom 

Tom, thanks for the nice write up.  I've been flat out busy and missed this thread altogether.

It is always nice having Tom over.  He is such a gentleman.  Our 7 year-old, Jack, just ooogled his Yamaha touring cycle to death.  He thought the helmet, riding boots, gloves and jacket were just too cool.  When Tom left, Jack went scouring his room and reappeared, garbed in his Darth Vader helmet, snow boots, snow gloves and black jacket.  He jumped on his BMX and went off to that place little boys' imaginations' take them.

We're enjoying the room immensely.  The Danley does blend in effortlessly and is wonderful for music.  Sometimes you forget it's even there.  However, there are some movies where it just jumps out and grabs you by the throat.  Last weekend I threw on "Contact" with Jodie Foster.  The scene where the pod rotors are rev'ing up and then the pod drops into a worm-hole ... well, that was impressive.

Last night we watched Mr and Mrs Smith ... When the house blew, you really need to duck.  And, as Tom alludes, the Belle center is just a champion in its own right.  It's the workhorse in an HT setup.  For those who have the room and resources to get one new or used, I would highly recommend it.  It does things that a smaller center just can't.  The size of the sound is really impressive.  I got mine for the bargain price of $625.  It needed new grill cloth but that was just about it.

Honestly, with regard to the Danley, the beast is large, it is not inexpensive, but there are so many mounting options for the box, it has a tiny footprint standing on end and it is seductive.  If I had to do it again, I would.  Those of you with Klipsch, SVS and other fine subs, be happy with what you have.  As The Ear says, 20Hz at 120db is just flat out crazy wonderful.  No need to upgrade from THAT. 

 The highest I listen to music or movies is maybe 100db in peaks, but 80-90db is just fine for my old ears.  At those levels, the Danley just idles.  If guilty of anything, I overspec'ed the sub.  But for once in my life, I just wanted to hear what "the best" was.  Klipschorns, Belle and a Tower of Fear are very close to that pinnacle.

Best wishes to you all in 2007.

Chris