With Pastor Mario Zunzunegui delivering impassioned services and a praise band working at high volume with abundant bass, the sound system at Los Pentecostales de Newport News would have been at home in many nightclubs, never mind a Pentecostal church serving the Hispanic community in Newport News, Virginia.

But when local production and integration firm Sound Ideas provided a Danley rig for an outdoor Covid-19 service, Pastor Mario and the 450-strong congregation saw new possibilities for clarity and impact. After a successful indoor demo, the church now has its own Danley system, comprising SM80F full-range loudspeakers, FLX12 monitors and DNA 20k4 Pro amplification with integrated DSP and model-specific presets..

Los Pentecostales de Newport’s initial MI-grade sound reinforcement system was upgraded significantly three years ago, Sound Ideas handling design and installation, and Winter Sound providing the equipment. Sound Ideas owner Paul Popadak subsequently remained involved with the church, maintaining the new system. When Pastor Mario learned that Popadak was helping other churches in the vicinity with outdoor services during Virginia’s Covid-19 lockdown, he invited him to do the same for Los Pentecostales.

‘Los Pentecostales de Newport News likes services loud with lots of bass,’ Popadak begins. ‘I had to explain to Pastor Mario that my stereo pair of Danley SM80 loudspeakers and four TH118 subwoofers were really about one-quarter of the system they had in the sanctuary – and we would be outdoors. I said to “maybe expect a little less”, but it turned out to be actually more. A lot more.

‘’Everyone was stunned by the coverage, the clarity, and the volume, and Pastor Mario was immediately interested in the possibility of upgrading to a Danley system indoors.’

Popadak worked with Danley Eastern Regional Sales Manager Jay Andrews to model the room and arrange a demo of the system he would eventually install. The SM80F uses the SM80 (the same box used at the outdoor service) as the full-range section of the SM80F and integrates two 15-inch LF drivers in Danley’s Tapped Horn configuration. ‘The demo blew away their entire rig, which was way bigger and, again, no slouch,’ Popadak reports. ‘The Danleys kept sound off the parallel surfaces of the sanctuary – a former bowling alley – and its phase-coherent, point-source performance was significantly more articulate than the previous system.’

‘I really liked the way Paul’s rig sounded outside, and everyone was looking forward to the demo inside,’ says Pastor Mario. ‘He and Jay fired it up, and I was speechless. It was very clear, and the bass was very even. I tell people now, once you hear a Danley system, you really cannot compare it to other speakers. I had a deposit check in Paul’s hand before the end of the demo.’

Again, Winter Sound again helped with the purchasing and logistics.

To provide clarity on stage, Popadak added a pair of FLX12 loudspeakers as monitors and powered them with existing amplifiers from the church’s previous system. ‘Our old system was really good, and we’re still using two of its subwoofers to supplement the Danley system,’ Pastor Mario says. ‘We are planning to sell the old system and use the money to buy two TH118 subwoofers and another amp – then our system will be complete and 100 per cent Danley.’

Los Pentecostales de Newport News celebrated the commissioning of the new sound system with a service devoted entirely to music.

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