Summary: 1 SOUND, an American loudspeaker manufacturer led by founder and CEO Lou Mannarino, earned Best of Show recognition at InfoComm 2026 for its Panorama Series and introduced the Sona 35 along with new exterior wood finishes for outdoor installations. We visited the company’s demo room to hear the technology firsthand and learn where these products could fit within commercial AV environments.
Our Booth Tour & Interview Series continues with 1 SOUND, an American loudspeaker manufacturer that earned Best of Show recognition at InfoComm 2026.
We spent time in the company’s audio demo room, listened to the Panorama 85, and talked with founder and CEO Lou Mannarino about the thinking behind 1 SOUND’s products.
What stood out was the company’s focus on two things that matter significantly in commercial AV: how a system sounds over an extended period of time and how well the equipment integrates into the architecture around it.
For conference rooms, classrooms, museums, terminals, hospitality spaces, and other environments where both performance and appearance matter, that combination is worth a closer look.
Who 1 SOUND Is
When we asked Lou how 1 SOUND started, he pointed to his career behind the console rather than a traditional product development roadmap.
“1 SOUND is an American made loudspeaker brand that I made after 40 years of mixing audio for many famous and not so famous people, and learning about things that were missing, or things that we can do better,” he told us.
Fifteen of those years were spent as an engineer with the New York Philharmonic.
That experience influences the way 1 SOUND approaches loudspeaker design. The conversation starts with what the listener experiences and works backward toward the specifications, rather than beginning with the specifications themselves.
Sound Quality That Holds People’s Attention
A recurring theme in our conversation was coherency and distortion.
Reducing distortion and improving coherency can make a system easier and more comfortable to listen to over time. That matters anywhere people need to remain engaged with speech, music, presentations, or other content.
“If we keep their ear fatigue less, they’ll stay longer,” Lou said.
For a venue operator, educator, presenter, or facility manager, that moves sound quality beyond personal preference. It becomes part of the overall experience of the space.
Loudspeakers That Belong in the Room
Performance was only part of the conversation.
Not every loudspeaker can or should be hidden. When equipment remains visible, 1 SOUND’s approach is to make it feel intentional within the architecture.
“Sometimes a loudspeaker needs a purpose. And if it has a purpose, that looks beautiful, it looks as if it’s integrated into the landscape of what the theme of the venue is,” Lou said.
That philosophy extends to the 1 SOUND Custom Shop, which offers custom colors and finishes across the product line.
Because the company manufactures domestically, Lou said many custom projects can be completed in approximately two weeks. That flexibility can also help when architects change colors or finishes late in a project.
Anyone who has worked on a design build project knows how valuable that flexibility can be.
At InfoComm, the display units were intentionally monochromatic, allowing attendees to focus on the products’ performance and form while still demonstrating what is possible through customization.
The Panorama Series: Best of Show at InfoComm 2026
InfoComm 2026 marked the official launch of the complete Panorama Series, including the Panorama 65, 75, and 85.
The series also earned Installation Magazine’s Best of Show award for Best Installation Loudspeaker.
The Panorama 85 was the centerpiece of the demo room and the model we heard firsthand.
Each Panorama is designed as a self contained system that produces a spatialized sound field from a single, discreet enclosure using 1 SOUND’s Mono+Stereo+Sub Technology. The technology creates a hybrid mid and sides sonic image while maintaining a consistent mono presence throughout the listening area.
For the listener, the goal is a greater sense of width and space without having the experience dominated by one channel simply because of where they are standing.
Across the Panorama Series, key features include:
- Full range performance with bass extension designed to eliminate the need for a separate subwoofer in many applications
- 120 degree horizontal by 70 degree vertical nominal coverage
- ADA compliant enclosures measuring approximately 4 inches deep when flush mounted with the included bracket
- Support for recessed installations with the baffle flush to the surface
- IP55 rated and saltwater resistant construction
- Active and Remote Powered versions
- Custom colors and finishes for indoor and outdoor applications
Accessories include a Tilt Bracket Kit for multiple down tilt angles and a Stand Kit for isolated, free standing deployment.
Panorama 65
The Panorama 65 offers bass response down to 40 Hz, bandwidth from 40 Hz to 18 kHz, and a maximum SPL of 118 dB at 1 meter with preset.
The Panorama 65A is designed to match the width of a 65 inch television, allowing it to function as a multichannel sound bar while maintaining a clean architectural appearance.
The Panorama 75A and Panorama 85A follow the same concept for 75 inch and 85 inch displays, giving designers options for different room and display sizes.
Panorama 85
The Panorama 85 extends bass response down to 31 Hz and delivers a maximum SPL of 112 dB, with the same 120 degree by 70 degree coverage pattern as the rest of the series.
This was the model we heard inside 1 SOUND’s InfoComm demo room, where its ability to create a broad listening experience from a single enclosure was particularly noticeable.
Panorama Active
The Active model includes analog inputs, HDMI eARC, and network connectivity supporting AES67 and Milan/AVB, making it particularly relevant for modern networked AV environments.
Across the series, Panorama can serve as a multichannel television sound bar, a standalone listening system, or part of a larger distributed audio design.
For integrators, that flexibility creates possibilities in conference rooms, classrooms, museums, hospitality environments, and other spaces where conventional loudspeaker placement may compete with the architectural design.
The Sona 35: High Performance in a Slim Package
1 SOUND also introduced the Sona 35 at InfoComm, displaying it in both horizontal and vertical configurations.
The Sona 35 is a full range, 3 way architectural point source loudspeaker designed for distributed audio. Its single channel design uses three 5 inch drivers and two 5 inch passive radiators, extending bass response to 58 Hz. Maximum SPL is 120 dB at 1 meter with preset, with 85 degree conical directivity.
What makes those specifications particularly interesting for commercial environments is the form factor.
The Sona 35 is ADA compliant and extends only 4 inches from the wall or ceiling with its included recessed mounting bracket. It can be installed horizontally or vertically, recessed into a wall, or aimed using the optional Tilt Bracket.
Like the Panorama Series, the Sona 35 is IP55 rated and saltwater resistant, with custom colors and finishes available for indoor and outdoor applications.
Two versions are available. The S35i install version uses a screw terminal connector, while the S35m marine version includes a marine grade cable gland and cable.
Potential applications include hospitality spaces, cruise ships, performance venues, residential theaters, conference rooms, and other distributed audio environments.
New Exterior Wood Finishes
1 SOUND also announced exterior wood finishes for its loudspeakers, developed specifically for permanent outdoor installations.
For courtyards, plazas, rooftop spaces, outdoor hospitality areas, and exhibits, the option gives designers another way to integrate loudspeakers into environments where a traditional black enclosure could distract from the architecture.
That is especially relevant on projects where AV, architecture, and interior or landscape design need to work together rather than being treated as separate systems.
Recognition Beyond the Show Floor
The company’s InfoComm recognition extended beyond its new products.
Five projects featuring 1 SOUND audio systems were shortlisted for Mondo DR Awards across the House of Worship, Bar, Retail & Leisure, Parks & Attractions, and Restaurant categories.
The Niagara Takes Flight exhibit, which incorporates a 1 SOUND audio system, won the Parks & Attractions category.
Where 1 SOUND Could Fit in Your Space
The common thread across the products we saw at InfoComm is straightforward: high performance audio packaged for spaces where architecture matters.
From an integration perspective, that combination creates interesting possibilities across many of the environments NCS works in, including:
- Corporate conference rooms and boardrooms where speech clarity is critical
- Higher education lecture halls and K 12 learning environments
- Museums and visitor centers where technology should support the exhibit without distracting from it
- Airports, terminals, and public buildings with challenging acoustical environments
- Hotel lobbies and event spaces where sound contributes to the guest experience
- Outdoor and waterfront environments where weather and saltwater resistance are important
The right loudspeaker still depends on the room, acoustics, coverage requirements, mounting conditions, aesthetics, and the larger AV system. But products that give designers more flexibility in balancing those requirements can open up options that traditional loudspeaker designs may not.
You can explore the full product line, Custom Shop, and completed installations at 1-sound.com, or read 1 SOUND’s own InfoComm 2026 recap.
Talk Through Your Project with NCS
The best audio systems are considered early in the design process, when acoustics, coverage, equipment placement, architecture, and infrastructure can all be planned together.
If your facility needs high performance audio without compromising the design of the space, the NCS AV team can help evaluate the application and develop a system around your performance requirements, environment, and budget.
Considering 1 SOUND loudspeakers for an upcoming project? Contact NCS to start the conversation.
Follow along as we continue our Booth Tour & Interview Series from InfoComm 2026.
