The USS Constitution was the third frigate of six built in 1794 to help fight Barbary pirates and saw its most famous actions during the War of 1812, where it heroically defeated five British battleships.
Although it is usually berthed in the Boston Navy Yard and used for special events, free tours, and ceremonies, the ship went into dry dock in the summer of 2015 for three years of restoration, which included the addition of upgraded loudspeakers from Danley Sound Labs.
President George Washington himself named and commissioned the Constitution, and – despite the centuries between then and now – the Constitution is still an active-duty ship in the US Navy.
During the restoration, Audio Associates (Orleans, Massachusetts) took the opportunity to replace the Constitution’s aging loudspeakers (new versions of which are no longer manufactured in the United States) with nine new Danley Sound Labs GO-2-8CX loudspeakers, three to a mast. Like all Danley loudspeakers and subwoofers, the GO-2-8CXs are built in Georgia and North Carolina.
Audio Associates had installed the older speakers years ago, but time and the elements had compromised their functionality. In honor of the Constitution’s status as the oldest active vessel in the US Navy and its triumphant victories during the War of 1812, the company suggested a new, US-built loudspeaker make and model, as production of the previous make and model had moved overseas. The Navy agreed whole-heartedly, and Audio Associates installed the nine GO-2-8CXs – the first to have a white finish – during the summer of 2016.
The Danley GO-2-8CX uses a baffle-mounted eight-inch coaxial driver (the same driver used in the horn-loaded Danley SM-100 and other boxes), along with Danley’s patented Synergy crossover topology in a weather-resistant enclosure.
Despite its very low price tag, the Danley GO-2-8CX has a transparent fidelity, even dispersion within its beam width, and a flat phase response. The new loudspeakers will be used for all of the ship’s routine announcements and traditions, such as morning colors, and for the speeches of dignitaries. The GO-2-8CXs cover the ship itself and the dock. Importantly, their even phase response permits plenty of gain-before-feedback.
