Selecting the installed loudspeakers for your worship space, sanctuary, or auditorium is one of the most important—and often most difficult—decisions you'll face as a leader of a church tech team. You really want to get it right the first time. Once those loudspeakers are in place, changing your mind will be an expensive and time-consuming proposition.
Granted, some of what we'll discuss here also applies to portable church applications, where it's far easier to swap out your main loudspeakers from one week to the next. But for the most part, we'll focus here on permanent installations that—we would hope—will be in place for a decade or more.
Before proceeding further, here's critical advice that applies regardless of loudspeaker type, size or brand: If you have to trim the budget, avoid trimming on the loudspeakers if at all possible. Console makers don't want me to say this, but you can always come back in a year or two and patch in a new mixing console with relative ease. Not so with your main loudspeaker system.
First, the fundamentals
In the following round-table discussion, we'll assume you're already aware of common fundamentals that apply across the board. First, you will need loudspeakers capable of sufficient acoustic output to deliver sound to the back of the room, and with dispersion patterns needed to cover all the seating areas while avoiding reflective surfaces as much as possible. And, for music reproduction, the loudspeaker systems must cover most of the audible frequency range, from about 30 Hz up to at least 12 kHz, and preferably beyond. But all that, of course, still leaves the field wide open as far as choices among types, styles, makes and models.
To guide you through the final steps, CPM has solicited guidance from three veterans in loudspeaker selection. Shaun Miller is director of production arts at Northview Church in Carmel, Ind. Vince Lepore is manager of technical services at St. Luke's United Methodist Church as well as an instructor at Full Sail University, both in Orlando, Fla. And Thaddeus Leopoulos is senior project consultant for HFP Acoustical in Houston, the 2013 Solomon Award winner for “Best Tech Consultant or Contractor.” Also, as we proceed, I'll toss in my own perspectives as a seasoned tech guy specializing in smaller churches.
What to consider
The first question on the table: What criteria are important in selecting loudspeakers for worship?
“I evaluate frequency response, pattern control, self-powered vs. passive, sensitivity and maximum continuous output for any new design,” reports Leopoulos. “Cost per box is not an immediate consideration. I've found that premium loudspeakers typically have more consistent pattern control, and actual performance closely matches computer predictions. That means often I can use fewer boxes to cover the same audience area.”
For Miller, clarity is paramount. “I look for a box that sounds good without processing,” he says. “I have heard so many demos where the unprocessed signal is so midrange heavy it just clouds up the sound.”
Lepore hones in on the same point. “When we recently chose a new system, the most important criterion was speech clarity and intelligibility. That being said, as the system would also be used for high-energy contemporary worship music, it needed to have headroom and punch as well.”
The long-term relationship with the manufacturer also bears weight. “We were also looking for a product from a reputable manufacturer that would provide support on the back end,” says Lepore. “I also look at a company's track record,” Miller adds. “How well do they support the end user? How long do their products typically last?”
Just listen … carefully
In your own evaluations, what do you listen for in a loudspeaker auditioning session? What do you bring as source?
If you have to trim the budget, avoid trimming on the loudspeakers if at all possible.
“Again, I'll listen primarily for clarity and coverage,” says Miller. “I use a series of noise files to detect frequency drops and comb filtering. My No. 1 music file is Sting's ‘Fields of Gold' but I also use some spoken word material to make sure that comes through clearly.”
Leopoulos first checks for frequency response, analyzing off-axis consistency in particular. “If it looks good on paper, I'll listen for harshness in female vocals, like Alison Krauss or Diana Krall. Or I'll use trumpet tracks by Wynton Marsalis. This is subjective, but it can be revealing.”
My consistent music test for nearly 20 years has been Alison Krauss's gospel CD with the Cox Family, “I Know Who Holds Tomorrow.” It's a purist, open recording (hats off to engineer Gary Paczosa) with tough tests for loudspeakers: female vocals, acoustic piano, and acoustic guitar with delicate ambience. Compressed male vocals and fuzzed electric guitar are much more forgiving.
A shootout for the staff?
Should you arrange a comparison test of two or more system, and invite the pastors and music team in for a listen? It can be helpful, but our advisors raise some cautions.
“We had a shootout at our facility with two manufacturers' systems,” recalls Lepore. “The system integrator hung them side by side and, since the room has rather poor acoustics, being able to hear them in that environment was critical. We invited key members of church leadership. Many brought their favorite music tracks, and we had our executive pastor speaking through both on a headset mic. I gave very little guidance going into the test, and I kept the pricing a secret up front. I didn't want the cost factor to color people's judgments. I simply wanted them to choose the one they thought sounded the best.”
Miller endorses a similar approach. “At my church we have an entire staff dedicated to production, so our senior pastor and other leaders trust us to make the call. But in smaller churches, with a layperson as tech director, I would think pastoral staff and the worship leader need to be fully involved. But as far as coaching, I would want them to go in as unbiased as possible.”
Leopoulos has a slightly different take from his consultant's perspective. “Comparative listening tests are really useful only when you can limit the variables, particularly loudspeaker type and equalization. And it should be in the same venue. That way, you know the loudspeaker is responsible for the differences. It can help a designer prove a point—that the system really will work in that venue. Otherwise, though, you have to be cautious of ascertaining absolute performance of loudspeakers under these conditions.”
Line array or point source?
In a nutshell, our panel agrees here: “It all depends…. ”
Says Miller: “I feel that often installers are too quick to jump on the line array bandwagon. You have to look at the room you're covering. For example, a line array won't be effective in a shallow, wide room.”
“Line arrays maintain better vertical control in the lower frequencies, depending on length, which can excite less of the room, particularly on stage,” notes Leopoulos. “Also, a line array can provide excellent imaging, as the audience hears strong sources near the stage as opposed to many sources covering discrete parts of the room. On the other hand, point-source loudspeakers are very agile in their deployment and can easily cover hard-to-reach areas with full range performance. Also, line arrays typically have wide horizontal patterns, 90 degrees or more, so they may not work well if they have to be placed close to reflective side walls.”
Lepore found uses for both technologies at his church. “Our contemporary worship space is the perfect size and shape for a line array. We needed controlled coverage on the vertical axis to keep energy off the back wall, but we also benefited from the wide and even horizontal coverage.”
But the traditional sanctuary is another matter, he continues. “That space is shaped like a cross, and it's not suited to line arrays. When we renovate that system, we'll probably use a distributed point-source array.”
Aesthetics are often as important as acoustics in dictating a solution. “Looks will definitely be an issue in the traditional sanctuary renovation,” says Lepore. “We couldn't have long arrays hanging there, even if they were technically viable. And we'll certainly be looking at companies that can supply the cabinets with custom color-matched cabinets. Only a few offer that option.”
My own church faced that dilemma when our original sanctuary, housed in a structure dating back to 1893, was renovated in 2008. Several acoustically preferable proposals were rejected as impinging on the historic look. The accepted solution, a “flying V” of slender column arrays color-matched to the ceiling, works in conjunction with low frequency units tucked away down by the chancel. It's a bit shy in the low-midrange, but sometimes you have to do the best you can despite the compromises.
All in the box?
Rarely seen in church installations just a decade ago, active (self-powered) loudspeakers are claiming an ever-larger share of the market. But are they right for your church?
“I used to be opposed to powered speakers,” confesses Miller, “but I have since grown to love the technology to the point where I don't use passive speakers anymore. Reliability has come a long way, and they just make sense in so many installs. Of course, it's important to have remote monitoring, and I live by it. If the system is on, my computer is on, too.”
From Leopoulos' perspective, performance advantages often confront logistical realities. “Passive loudspeakers can be preferable if it's not feasible to run 120 V AC to every loudspeaker. That's often the case with architecturally sensitive retrofits. On the other hand, powered loudspeakers save on rack space, and I've found the higher quality models to be very durable.”
Lepore also adopts a balanced approach. “I personally like powered boxes and I see a lot of benefits there,” he says, “even though in the end we opted for a passive system. The way our facility's electrical was set up, it would have cost a lot more to reconfigure for a powered system.”
Today's newest and best
So, according to our panel, what new technologies are influencing the loudspeaker selection process?
“I'd have to say self-powered systems,” says Miller. “With processing built into the speakers, it's amazing how one speaker can become useful in many applications. Also, I think the new generation of compact line arrays has made this technology accessible and aesthetically pleasing for more churches.”
Leopoulos takes a different tack from his designer's perspective. “Consistency of acoustical performance across a brand has been a big step forward. More manufacturers are paying attention to this, which makes for more predictable designs, faster commissioning, and improved overall system performance.”
Parting advice
Those are some of the fine points for consideration from our panel. In the end, however, you still need to pay attention to the basics. Research thoroughly. Listen to as many systems as you can—preferably in churches like yours. Ask tough questions. And, when budget comes to crunch time, front-load the loudspeakers as much as you possibly can.
