1 SOUND: A Company Committed to Quality and Craftsmanship

Editorial Courtesy of Commercial Integrator Magazine - Author: Taylor Morgan & Dan Ferrisi

1 SOUND is an American loudspeaker manufacturer grounded in a 40-year family heritage of audio passion, as well as an abiding commitment to audio innovation and quality craftsmanship. Certainly, 1 SOUND an American company, but it’s also more than that: Its dedication to domestic excellence means its products are “Made in the U.S.A.” However, like a master chef, 1 SOUND sources the finest audio “ingredients” from across the country and Europe, as well. This approach to audio engineering ensures outstanding durability and sound quality.

1 SOUND: Creating Something Missing in the Integrator Sphere

According to founder and audio designer Lou Mannarino, “The goal of 1 SOUND is to make things that don’t already exist. [We wanted to create] something that was missing in the integrator sphere prior.”

Lou has a rich history in audio design; his experience encompasses being a musician, an installer and a live audio engineer, just to name a few highlights. This perspective and breadth of knowledge enable him to identify gaps in the industry, prompting him to routinely ask whether an existing problem is pervasive and vexing enough to warrant the creation of a tool to solve it.

Although Lou’s insight and perspective is a huge guiding force for 1 SOUND, the company also prides itself on its customer relationships and customer guidance. “We work hands-on with our customers,” Julia Mannarino, director of creative & marketing, declares. “Oftentimes, they request products.” Indeed, many of 1 SOUND’s products arose from a customer bringing a need to light. This underscores 1 SOUND’s desire to build strong relationships, which, in turn, allow it to adapt quickly to unique project demands and tailor custom experiences. Moreover, it underlines that 1 SOUND is not chasing trends or fads; rather, Lou and his team want to fill existing gaps in audio engineering to create something genuinely new.

1 SOUND Level Series: A New Take on Point Source

A prime example of this is 1 SOUND’s Level Series, a mounted loudspeaker designed to deliver refined sound from a small and low-profile design. Lou explains that he created the design with Andrea Bocelli in mind. “The speaker had to be [very specific in its dimensions] and cardioid in its behavior,” he explains, “so that people in the first row behind the monitor speaker wouldn’t get polluted with all this off-axis sound.” He emphasizes that, in a theater, you need to hear the same sound from every point.

As does every genuine innovator, Lou followed an iterative process. “I made a horn lens that replicated what my glasses do, and I called it a progressive horn,” he explains. “It does one thing when you’re standing near it and another when you’re far away.” Lou continues, “I also created a new driver that kept the crossover point out of the tessitura of the voice, so it sounded very smooth in the near field.”

Lou continues, “Once I made it, I realized that, if I rotate the horn, I can put it on a wall or ceiling — use the wall as a boundary like I’m using the floor as a boundary. And now, I have this significantly sounding thing that’s only [5 to 8 inches] off the wall, but it gives the energy of a big speaker because it’s using its boundaries.” With pride, Lou declares, “If you’re underneath it on a wall, it sounds soft and wide. If you’re further back, it throws like a big speaker.”

As with all great inventions, uses of 1 SOUND products extend well beyond the original vision during the inventing process. “Our loudspeakers are inspired by museums, opera [and] concert halls,” Lou says. “And so, you’ll see us in theaters and different venues.” However, 1 SOUND is equally at home in, and well suited to, clubs, restaurants, hotels and other hospitality venues. Pretty much the only vertical the company does not serve, at this point, is touring.

Customization is Key

The 1 SOUND Custom Shop allows customers to create fully customized audio aesthetics for any occasion or venue. The Custom Shop, according to Julia, started “because we saw a disconnect from when projects were designed [to when] the audio got put in. So, it was changing, and there were cuts being made that didn’t align with what the architect wanted…what the audio designer wanted…what the customer wanted.” She continues, “So, the goal of this was to have everyone communicate and have it be intentionally designed across all the platforms.”

Whether the client is a luxury hotel lobby, a high-end nightclub, a themed casino or a performance hall, the 1 SOUND Custom Shop ensures that each system not only complements its environment aesthetically but also meets the same level of excellence acoustically. This hands-on approach enables an extraordinary level of flexibility and personalization — benefits rarely enjoyed in professional-grade audio manufacturing. Clients can choose from a vast spectrum of finishes, textures, grill materials and custom logos.

As Lou puts it, “The Custom Shop enables us to say, ‘Hey, we can paint this in a different color,” because the 1 SOUND Custom Shop is handcrafting it. This means customization is accessible to everyone. “You tell us where you’re using the loudspeaker, and then we make it as best we can for that application,” Lou declares.

Customization also encourages product longevity, as the products can be constantly given a new look. “We encourage the longevity of our products,” Julia underscores. “We’ll give you a new grill or face of the speaker, so it can have a fresh life.” As she puts it, “You don’t have to spend a half a million dollars on buying a new audio system.” Instead, clients can have an onsite cosmetic reset for a few thousand dollars, giving venues a revamped look and giving the audio components a second life.

Sounding Out and Filling the Holes in the Industry

Ultimately, 1 SOUND is not just about designing great speakers and audio components; really, the Mannarinos are on a mission to redefine how to solve modern audio problems. While many manufacturers chase trends and settle for doing “me too,” 1 SOUND and its engineers look to fill critical gaps in the industry and innovate solutions to customers’ most vexing problems. Through extensive research and widespread sourcing, 1 SOUND has positioned itself as a premier designer of custom audio solutions tailored to meet the needs of clients worldwide.

Moreover, 1 SOUND’s focus on being American made demonstrates Lou, Julia and the team’s dedication to giving back to the American economy, even as they prioritize sourcing of the best materials from all over the world. In that sense, the company is global, with reach into multiple countries, but every single product undergoes rigorous quality testing by a small group: a policy (and a promise) virtually unheard of in the technology industry today.

What Makes 1 SOUND Different and Special

The last piece of the puzzle for what makes 1 SOUND different and special? It only sells to trusted integrator partners. “We don’t sell to third-party retailers,” Lou declares. “We have a deep respect for the architects, consultants and integrators who represent us, and we will lose work because we will not sell things to people who aren’t qualified to sell our products.” That doesn’t mean that 1 SOUND is expensive; it just means the company is careful, choosing to protect and further burnish its outstanding reputation.

1 SOUND offers quality craftsmanship and innovation — qualities that, taken together, enhance the audio industry as a whole.