As the only “audio guru” in my subdivision, I regularly field a variety of questions ranging from product reviews on brand-name table radios to “are these guys ripping me off?”
When I interface with the architectural design community, I get the same questions in addition to one more: “How much will the cost be for a sound system for this particular space?”
Most often, the conversation focuses on church venues, and as this information is not yet available from construction pricing guides, the answer of “it depends” doesn’t satisfy the architects’ burning need for immediate fulfillment.
With a lot of help from many friends over the years, I’ve synthesized a method that might cast some light on the subject and make it a bit easier to determine qualified answers.
So here’s my reply to the question, and note that while I’m addressing the church angle, this can be applied to a wide range of venues and applications requiring sound reinforcement: “For new construction and a traditional service, a working number of $70 per seat is a good place to start.”
“Contemporary services in a larger space could easily be two to three times that price.”
Now, many in the audio community have scoffed that typical sound system installation projects are too complex to reduce to a hard number – “after all, it depends.” Admittedly, the methodology I’m going to lay out here is still evolving, but it’s a start.
Example: a church space with seating for 800 for traditional services, a working budget of $56,000 would not be unreasonable in a design; a system for a space that seats 1,800 for contemporary services would be north of $250,000.
Wouldn’t sound contractors be delighted to have budgets benchmarked at these levels?
In the real world, we know that sound reinforcement systems are typically installed for 50 percent or less of these numbers.
Why? Impractical budgets based on incomplete information and unrealistic expectations.
So when a contractor says to a customer, “We’ll work with you,” it’s really code for, “Your budget is totally unrealistic, but I won’t let you give your money to my competitor.”
Do these lower-budget systems fit any definition of “complete?” To be kind, yes. But the truth is that many of the equipment choices, functions and infrastructure are compromised.
It’s not uncommon today for venues to turn to leasing sound systems once the building is complete because the funding to have a professional caliber system designed and installed is not available.
