Subwoofer Innovation
Tapped Horn Technology
The Tapped Horn is Tom Danley’s patented subwoofer design that harnesses energy from both the front and rear of the driver, coherently combining them within a single folded enclosure for output levels and low-frequency extension that defy the cabinet’s physical size. Where conventional subwoofer design discards the rear wave or treats it as a problem, the Tapped Horn puts it to work effectively doubling the driver’s useful output. As we say at Danley, it allows subwoofers to be “low, little, and LOUD.”
The result is a subwoofer family that produces deep, linear, distortion-free bass from enclosures that are dramatically smaller and lighter than comparably performing alternatives. And now, this same technology is available as part of the Exodus modular speaker system.
The result is a subwoofer family that produces deep, linear, distortion-free bass from enclosures that are dramatically smaller and lighter than comparably performing alternatives. And now, this same technology is available as part of the Exodus modular speaker system.
Key Features
The Tapped Horn (TH) family represents the pinnacle of horn-loaded subwoofer engineering combining efficiency, extension, and linearity in a form factor that changes what’s possible in installed and touring applications.
Coherent Front and Rear Wave Summation
In a conventional horn subwoofer, the driver’s rear wave is absorbed or vented away. It’s lost energy. The Tapped Horn routes both radiations through a careful design summing them coherently doubling the driver’s output contribution. This makes the Tapped Horn incredibly efficient which is not possible with conventional subwoofer technology.
More Output, Smaller Cabinet
A single Danley Tapped Horn subwoofer routinely delivers output comparable to two conventional dual-driver configurations at a fraction of the physical footprint. For instance, the X118 matches the output of two conventional 2×18 inch front-loaded subwoofers in a single enclosure. Fewer boxes. Less rigging. The same room-shaking low end.
Deep Extension with Exceptional Linearity
Tapped Horn subwoofers are optimized for performance at the low end of their range where most subwoofers begin to lose efficiency. The TH family maintains high sensitivity and exceptional linearity through its passband, producing bass that isn’t just loud, but accurate and controlled.
Arraying Without Penalty
Because the Tapped Horn’s acoustic source behaves as a single point, multiple units can be arrayed without lobing and interference patterns that plague conventional subwoofer stacks. The radiation is controlled, predictable, and coherent from cabinet to cabinet.
Built for Extremes
Tom Danley’s path to the Tapped Horn ran through some of the most demanding acoustic environments imaginable: ground zero bombing simulations, military sonic applications, and large-scale live sound. The Tapped Horn is not optimized for lab conditions but for real world where thermal stress, high excursion, and sustained high-output are required.
Low End that Doesn’t Lie
Tapped Horn subwoofers are described consistently the same way: deep, clean, and honest low-end. There is no one-note bloat, no port chuffing, no harmonic distortion pretending to be extension. This cabinet delivers articulate, controlled low frequency reproduction that serves music rather than overwhelms it and its without needing to add it afterward with DSP.
Ready to Join the Exodus?
Danley’s next era is here. Contact Danley today to learn how you can add highly-intelligible, high-fidelity audio to your facility.
