Use your feet as well as your ears. You’ll start out standing right in front of the loudspeaker, but most of the audience will not be sitting there – they spread out far and wide.

You need to hear how the sound changes as you move to the side, above and below, close up and far away. Ask your contractor how much of the space the system is intended to cover, then walk that space as you listen.

Listen to your collaborators. Most people can easily recognize a “good” loudspeaker system. Natural, undistorted sound makes a distinctive impression on which you and the other members of your building committee can agree.

Focus on the voice. The spoken word should be reproduced as naturally as possible to accurately convey full content and emotion.

Choose carefully and don’t be afraid to voice your opinion when selecting loudspeakers. If you don’t like what you’re hearing during the demonstration process, resist the temptation to settle for second-best, and keep trying.

Eventually you, your peers and your contractor/consultant will agree on the right solution for your church’s specialized needs.

Sage Counsel
Many manufacturers also offer very good technical services and support departments, a valuable resource as you sort through the possibilities. Numerous manufacturers provided us with great input in the course of preparing this article, and we present a few of their comments here.

“Use the knowledge of a good consultant or design/build firm whose reputation is known in the community,” advises Kent Morris, an audio consultant for Peavey Electronics. “Manufacturer websites can also be solid resources for information on what type of loudspeakers are available, what advantages they bring and how you can specify the best system for the venue and application.”

Stéphane Ecalle, director of marketing at L-Acoustics, adds, “Every church is unique, and so is its sound design approach. Gather information from other users, consult local integrators who can service you rapidly, and consult a serious integrator with references.”

The final word goes to Peter Child, applications engineer at Martin Audio: “Visual appearance, frequency response, coverage angles, power handling and cost are all factors that are considered during the selection of loudspeakers, though for the client, cost is usually high up the list.

“With loudspeakers (as with most other things) you only get what you pay for, and high quality, performance and reliability do not come cheap.”

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