The St. Louis suburb of Affton, Missouri is home to Seven Holy Founders Church, one of the four original North American monasteries of the Servite Order, whose roots date back to 11th century Florence.
The church is an impressive sight, a broad and stately eight-sided structure of brick and glass.
However, while the soaring 28-foot ceilings and ornate stained glass may be visually and spiritually inspiring, they create an acoustical environment that is less than ideal.
“They offer a traditional service, as well as a light contemporary one, and there’s a strong emphasis on sermons and spoken word,” said Tony Badamo of St. Louis-based Tech Electronics.
“The sanctuary is very large and angular, with a lot of hard surfaces, and intelligibility has been a long-standing issue for them.”
Having experimented with multiple systems over the years that only amplified the problem, the church’s elders turned to Tech Electronics, who designed a system based around a pair of Renkus-Heinz Iconyx IC16-R systems, mounted on either side of the proscenium.
“The Iconyx’s steerable beam control enabled us to dial in consistent coverage across the entire seating area while keeping the sound off the walls and other reflective surfaces,” said Badamo.
Aesthetics were another important consideration, and another area where Iconyx delivered. “They really wanted a minimalistic approach,” commented Badamo.
“They didn’t like the idea of a large cluster or line array. The Iconyx blends into the architecture so well, they’re practically invisible.”
“People are saying that for the first time in years, they can actually hear every word.”
