Community Professional Loudspeakers is an American manufacturer of

loudspeaker A loudspeaker (commonly referred to as a speaker or speaker driver) is an electroacoustic transducer that converts an electrical audio signal into a corresponding sound. A ''speaker system'', also often simply referred to as a "speaker" or " ...

s and sound reinforcement equipment. The company has been located in the

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

area since its inception in 1968, and has occupied its present location in

Chester, Pennsylvania Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located within the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area, it is the only city in Delaware County and had a population of 32,605 as of the 2020 census. Incorporated in 1682, Chester is ...

since 1981. A majority share of Community was acquired by Audioprof Group International (AGI) of

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

, Belgium, in October 2015. AGI already owned Apart Audio of Belgium. Both Community and Apart Audio were acquired in July 2019 by Biamp of

Beaverton, Oregon Beaverton is a city in Washington County, in the U.S. state of Oregon with a small portion bordering Portland in the Tualatin Valley. The city is among the main cities that make up the Portland metropolitan area. Its population was 97,494 at the ...

Background

Bruce Howze founded the company in 1968, which was first named Community Light and Sound. The company originally started in the Philadelphia area, and now occupies a 100,000 square foot space in Chester, Pennsylvania. Community established itself as the first company to utilize

fiberglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass cloth ...

to create large yet lightweight loudspeaker horns and enclosures. In 1970, it introduced its first notable live sound reinforcement loudspeaker product, the LMF, a fiberglass midrange horn. The company next developed the Leviathan fiberglass composite bass horn, which

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

used in his 1971 tour. Several top musical groups from that era used Leviathans as well, such as the

Eagles Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...

Linda Ronstadt Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is a retired American singer who performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin. She has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three American ...

, and

Earth, Wind & Fire Earth, Wind & Fire (EW&F or EWF) is an American band whose music spans the genres of jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, big band, Latin, and Afro pop. They are among the best-selling bands of all time, with sales of over 90 million re ...

. In the mid-1970s, Community became one of the first companies to meticulously test and document the performance of both its own loudspeakers and competitors’ loudspeakers. Community based its test measurement philosophy on the underlying principles of “free field” and “far field,” believing that far more dependable and relevant data can be obtained by testing loudspeakers at measurement distances that correspond to actual listening distances. Since its founding, Community has pursued pioneering loudspeaker technologies. In 2010, the United States Patent and Trademark Office granted the company a patent for Carbon Ring Cone Technology. Steve Johnson joined Community in 2013 as president. In 2015, Community was acquired by Audioprof Group International of Belgium, which also owns Apart Audio. Howze continued with Community. The brand has a global presence with its products being for live performance and permanent installation in houses of worship, schools, and other venues. Community Professional is also well known for its weather-resistant loudspeaker designs, which are installed in major sports stadia and arenas throughout the world. This same quality makes the company's loudspeakers a valuable component in emergency notification systems, such as the one used by the Tidal Information System in Venice, Italy.

References

{{Reflist Loudspeaker manufacturers Audio equipment manufacturers of the United States