The mid-sized point-source loudspeaker—here defined as a 12- or 15-inch woofer plus a compression driver coupled to a horn—has been the backbone of church sound reinforcement since the heyday of the Altec A7. That's no surprise, because this combination is often the ideal solution for any number of church assignments, from main loudspeakers in small churches and portable churches to fill speakers in larger churches, as well as for use in youth rooms, larger classrooms, and—with some variants—as stage monitors.
If you're looking for this type of loudspeaker, I have good news and bad news.
The good news:
You easily have more than 100 good-to-excellent quality options to choose from.
The bad news:
You easily have more than 100 good-to-excellent quality options to choose from.
Deciding won’t be easy.
To get a handle on the myriad options, we’ll attempt a basic triage into three categories that roughly define common applications. First, we’ll look at passive loudspeakers, next at “basic powered” models that function only as part of a larger system, and finally at “all-in-one” models that can function as a stand-alone system, whether standing up beside the stage or lying horizontally on it.
Note that here we won’t be including any column arrays, small line arrays, or portables with built-in wheels, handles or battery packs. The loudspeaker series must include a model with a single 12- or 15-inch woofer and a horn-loaded high-frequency (HF) compression driver. Each group will include a cross-section of examples from manufacturers with widespread distribution and support in the United States, although with so many options out there, we can’t list them all.
Passive choices
Though powered loudspeakers are clearly the trend, passive designs still offer advantages. First, they don’t need to be fed AC power, which can be problematic in older churches or in portable church applications. All else being equal, they are a bit lighter and easier to handle, and you have flexibility in upgrading your amplifiers and external signal processing since it’s not a built-in package deal. And, if you already have serviceable amplifiers and processing, overall system costs will be lower.
Within this group, models general fall into either the budget portable category (usually with polypropylene/composite cabinets equipped with pole mounts) or the installation category with wood cabinets and fly points.
Choices among passive cabinets kick off with the Bag End TA5000, the “TA” referencing the proprietary “Time Aligned” design for coherent response between LF (15-inch) and HF (one-inch titanium diaphragm) sections. The Veris 2 Series from Community Professional Loudspeakers comprises dedicated installation speakers with high power handling, Ferrofluid-treated HF drivers, and fittings for flexible mounting and flying options. The dB Technologies Arena 15 loudspeaker, also flyable, features extended frequency response to 19 kHz (-3 dB) and maximum SPL of 129 dB.
Suitable for either portable or installed applications, the EAW VF Series loudspeakers provide both NL4 and terminal strip connections, as well as a rotatable 60 x 40 waveguide. The rugged Tour X Series cabinets from Electro-Voice incorporate low-distortion SMX woofers, steep-slope analog crossovers, and damage-resistant backbone grilles. A relative newcomer in premium loudspeaker manufacturing is Fulcrum Acoustics, offering in this category the FA15 complete with neodymium coaxial transducer (three-inch diaphragm titanium HF driver and 15-inch woofer), rotatable horn, and full assortment of pole- and bracket-mounting options. (A powered version utilizes a 2 x 1,050 W power amplifier module made by Powersoft.) JBL’s PRX 415 Series features snazzy good looks and robust performance in an exceptionally durable hardwood laminate cabinet that is nevertheless easy to handle at 46 pounds.
Peavey offers good quality for tight budgets in its PVX Series, with 2 3/8-inch voice coil woofers and 1.4-inch titanium HF drivers in a lightweight molded polypropylene housing. For churches ready to move up to the next level, QSC AcousticPerformance high-output installation loudspeakers incorporate three-inch diaphragm HF drivers, high-output woofers, mounting/flying points, NL4 and barrier strip connectors, and switchable bi-amp/internal crossover operation. Continuing in the premium category, Renkus-Heinz offers the full-featured CFX Series with proprietary Complex Conic horns (user rotatable), Neutrik Speak-on and barrier strip inputs, and the option to upgrade to self-powered by adding networkable RHAON-equipped (Renkus-Heinz Audio Operations Network) amplifier modules.
Tannoy has been making concentric loudspeakers since, well, forever, and the tradition continues in the new VX Series, which offers options for either symmetrical or asymmetrical waveguides for the 12- or 15-inch PowerDual drivers. (The powered VXP versions incorporate Lab.gruppen amplifier modules.) Vue Audiotechnik has made strong inroads into the upper-end market with its A Class models, all equipped with neodymium-magnet drivers, a rotatable horn, and switchable passive/bi-amp operation.
The WaveSeries from Worx Audio is unique in that it features a 75 x 75-degree wooden horn coupled to a one-inch compression driver; cabinets are available as either portable or installation versions. And finally, we have Yamaha’s time-tested Club V Series, with options for carpet or hard-shell finish and hardware for portable or flown applications.
Euro package deals
Two notable European-based, high-end loudspeaker makers occupy a middle ground between passive and internally powered designs. Essentially, they offer passive, bi-amped loudspeaker designs that (unless you break the rules) must be used with their own integrated amplifier/loudspeaker processor units. In our size/type category, we find the ARCS Series from L-Acoustics (a narrow dispersion arrayable cabinet) and the xS Series from d&b audiotechnik, that includes the 12S/12-S-D loudspeakers which offer, respectively, 75x50-degree and 110x55-degree rotatable horns coupled to the 1.4-inch exit compression driver.
Powered for systems/installation
The models in this group all incorporate internal amplification along with essential loudspeaker processing, either analog or DSP. They are designed to function in a complete system in conjunction with an external mixer and sometimes (in highly complex systems) external system drivers and processors. Back-panel control facilities will be limited to, in most cases, a level control and perhaps basic EQ contour switches. This is in contrast to the self-contained systems in the following category, which incorporate mic preamps and mixing facilities for use as stand-alone systems for either FOH systems or monitors. That said, some models occupy a fuzzy territory between the two. Also, the three powered variants noted above fall into this group.
Moving here in reverse alphabetical order, we start with Vue Audiotechnik’s h-Class, which offers the company’s exclusive beryllium HF diaphragm HF driver coupled to a choice of wide or narrow horns, and 2,400 watts of combined bi-amplified power reserves. The RCF Art-425-A MKII stands out with striking cabinet design integrating the 90- by 60-degree horn and housing 400 watts total of bi-amplified power, soft limiting and 129 dB peak SPL. Anchoring the budget category here is Peavey’s PV Series, which for a rock-bottom street price nevertheless provides 400 W of on-board power, XLR/¼-inch combo inputs attenuator, and EQ contour switch.
Taking a giant step to the ultra-high end, we find the UltraSeries from Meyer Sound, including the venerable UPA-1P, one of the first high-performance powered speakers and now a staple of Broadway sound designers. At a more modest price point we find the HD Series from Mackie, which has ample bi-amplified oomph (100 W for the highs, 500 W and 700 W for the lows on, respectively, the 12- and 15-inch woofers) along with a four-band variable contour EQ. JBL’s presence in the high-end powered category includes the VP7212, incorporating Crown power (1,100W total), DrivePack proprietary on-board DSP processing, and full compatibility with HiQ Net monitoring and control network.
The EV ETX Series is a new and relatively sophisticated entry, with 2,000 W of peak power for the full range models, extended frequency response to 20 kHz, and on-board DSP for EQ and limiting. The DVX-D15 from dB Technologies, with cabinet designed for either a FOH or monitor use, packs 1,400 W of peak power and claims enough oomph for use as a drum monitor. Finally, the modestly priced Audio Action Series from D.A.S. Audio claims 1,000 W of peak power with components power housed in rugged birch plywood cabinetry.
One box does it all
With these units, you can plug in a mic and have a stand-alone PA. Or you can use them with a mixer as in a FOH system, or set them on the floor as monitors. Many include on-board DSP with all kinds of tricks for compensating for bass loading as floor wedges, or for optimum compatibility with companion subwoofers. Some have composite cabinets (quality varies) while others are solid wood, and the features available vary widely, so we’re only scratching the surface here. A note of caution: Make sure you’re not trading basic performance and durability for features you may never use.
The Alto Truesonic is an entry-level lightweight package, with 800 W (12-inch woofer) or 1,000 W (15-inch woofer) of power plus two mic/line combo inputs, contour switch, and an option for Bluetooth connectivity. Behringer touts the low-noise performance of mic preamps on its low-priced Eurolive D Series, which also boasts 1.35-inch aluminum compression drivers, two-band EQ and integrated DSP. The Cerwin-Vega P1500 X claims 1,500 W of peak power, three input channels (2 mono mic/line + stereo) with mixing, and an XLR thru connector.
Also with entry-level pricing is the ZLX Series from Electro-Voice (EV), featuring a single-knob DSP selector with LED display, dual mic/line inputs and XL-M loop-thru out. JBL launched this entire category with EON, and now the sleek new EON 615 ups the ante with a unique patented waveguide and Bluetooth-controllable DSP. Mackie’s popular SRM line models offer feature electronic crossover with phase correction, four speaker modes, and 1,600 W total of bi-amped peak power.
PreSonus pulls out all the stops in its StudioLive AI Active systems, a three-way system (woofer plus a concentric mid- and high-frequency driver) packed with XMax preamps and massive DSP power for multi-mode operation, wired and wireless networking, and impeccable sonic alignment. Samson jockeys for position in the entry-level market with Auro, featuring the basics of mic and line inputs, two-band equalization, and built-in Optimax compressor/limiter. Focused on sound quality, the Turbosound Milan employs 1,100 W of peak power, Klark-Teknik DSP and a proprietary waveguide design for consistent, even sound off-axis.
Finally, nearing the end of the alphabet and our survey, we have Yamaha’s DSP-laden DSR Series, replete with D-Contour multi-band dynamic processing, FIR X-turning for optimized performance in the crossover band, and 24-bit discrete AD and DA converters.
Rest brain, activate ears
Whew! That’s a lot to digest, but I hope you at least get a feel for what type of point-source loudspeaker will best serve your
small-room applications. You’ll have to dig deeper for more details, and after you do that—give your brain a rest. Audition as many potential candidates as you can. Although specifications are a useful guide, often the character of a voice and the feel of a musical passage carry through in ways the raw numbers can’t define—that but your ears will recognize.
