Meyer Files: Self-Powered Speakers Installed In Two Large Texas Sanctuaries

(Editor’s Note: This article contains a new PSW Install Section feature. By clicking on the product model name, you’ll automatically link to that product’s specific data page on the manufacturer’s web site.)

Just weeks before the scheduled opening of the new 2,000-seat worship center at Pearland Baptist Church (near Houston, TX), the original sound contractor on the project bowed out, leaving a potentially problematic situation.

However, HHP Acoustics of Houston stepped in, recommending Meyer Sound self-powered loudspeakers to provide all house sound reinforcement coverage.

Pearland Baptist Church

"Because of the tight deadline, it was to our advantage to specify the Meyer self-powered loudspeakers," explains Bill Scheurmann of HFP Acoustics. "With all the amplifiers and cables needed for a project this size, you have a huge time element. But with self-powered speakers, the equation changes in your favor."

The completed house loudspeaker system in the worship center includes five Meyer CQ-1 wide coverage loudspeakers, five CQ-2 narrow coverage loudspeakers, and a single PSW-6 cardioid subwoofer.

"Basically, we crammed three months of installation into two weeks. The Meyer speakers took a lot of worry out of the process. We had all ten of them up in a matter of four hours," adds installation supervisor Neal Hosier.

This fast-track installation in no way compromised performance, according to the church's new Music Minister, Mark Christian. "The system we have here is second to none. The best compliment I can give it as a musician and a music leader is that I did not have to think about it at all. It made my job so much easier. That first day, I just stood there, overwhelmed by the sound."

Meanwhile, at Denton Bible Church, a fast-growing non-denominational congregation in Denton, Texas, a recent system upgrade for its 2000-seat sanctuary also included Meyer self-powered loudspeakers.

"We put in the (original) system for them when the building was completed in 1992," says Tom Fowlston of Texas-based AV Pro. "Back then the music was piano and a few vocalists. Today they call it a contemporary praise service, but as far as the system is concerned, it's straight ahead rock 'n' roll."

The church brought in an independent consultant, Jim Burnett, who developed plans to augment the current system with additional conventionally powered full-range speakers and subwoofers. When AV Pro came on board and began to work on a final system configuration and installation, initial cost estimates were over budget.

Denton Bible Church

"The conventional approach raised a lot of problems with adding more amp racks, more power circuits and constructing a place to put them," recalls Fowlston. "That's when we suggested looking into using Meyer self-powered cabinets instead."

At that point, Burnett modified his design by substituting equivalent Meyer cabinets. They re-crunched the numbers and the Meyer solution came out substantially under the original figures.

To minimize the cost of loudspeakers, existing conventional cabinets were retained but moved to the back on delay lines to cover the rear seating and balcony areas. The new main loudspeaker clusters, flown, now include four Meyer CQ-2 loudspeakers, with a pair of 650P subwoofers below for the low end.

To provide signal to the Meyer cabinets and the existing amp rack, AV Pro augmented Denton Bible's matrix system, expanding capacity from 10 x 12 to a 24 x 24 matrix. The additional outputs are set up to feed church corridors, the cry room, video monitors and three hearing-impaired systems-one for the main sanctuary and two for adjacent buildings. Chris Chandler of AV Pro supervised the system installation and performed the matrix programming.