Parkers Chapel Free Will Baptist church, located in Greenville, North Carolina, has been a spiritual leader throughout the greater Greenville community for more than 150 years.
The church has a vibrant worship program consisting of several ministries designed to address the wide range of interests represented within its diversified congregation.
In an effort to improve the audio quality in its sanctuary, the church recently upgraded its loudspeaker system with a WorxAudio Technologies sound reinforcement system.
Greenville, NC-based Hi-Tech Electronics, a design / build firm with a focus on the installation market and a concentration on houses of worship, was selected to handle the deployment of the church’s new sound system.
The Parkers Chapel sanctuary measures 100 feet long by 90 feet wide, with exposed wood beams that compliemtn its cathedral type A frame ceiling.
“Acoustics are generally quite good, but as the room is nearly as wide as it is long, gaining consistent sound coverage throughout the area was a challenge,” David Williams, owner of Hi-Tech explained. “Services are traditional in nature and music plays a vital role in their services. They regularly have a good sized choir and an accompanying instrumental ensemble perform in support of the services.
“As a result, having a sound reinforcement system capable of providing a high level of speech intelligibility and strong music reproduction characteristics was deemed critical.”
To address these concerns, Williams and his crew deployed a 7-element WorxAudio X1i-P loudspeaker cluster. The new system is centrally positioned over the front edge of the stage / pulpit area facing into the length of the room.
The WorxAudio X1i-P is a self-powered, 2-way, high efficiency, ultra compact loudspeaker system that incorporates a 1-inch exit high frequency compression driver and dual 8-inch cone transducers for the low frequencies. The loudspeaker cluster was suspended using WorxAudio’s TrueAim®; Grid.
“The WorxAudio X1i has a very broad, 160-degree horizontal dispersion pattern and this was precisely what was required in order for the sound to cover the extreme sides of the sanctuary,” explains Williams. “The previous sound system lacked this ability and, as a result, many people simply couldn’t hear clearly.”
Mounted at the rear of the center loudspeaker cluster, Williams installed another X1i passive loudspeaker. This enclosure is not visible from the congregation’s perspective. Instead, this loudspeaker is angled down at the area where the choir is located and serves as the monitor system.
This particular loudspeaker is powered by WorxAudio’s PXD8080 power amplifier, which provides 800 x 800 watts.
“When I install WorxAudio loudspeakers,” states Williams, “I know the company will have my back should I encounter any technical issues. The company has always been very responsive and routinely assists with items such as loudspeaker modeling and other technical issues that might arise.”
The Parkers Chapel project was installed during April and placed into service in early May. Since that time, church personnel have been extremely complimentary.
“We were all blown away with the WorxAudio system,” says Rev. Sam Harris, the church’s Minister of Music. “The new system has a totally ‘transparent’ sound. You don’t notice the system, you just notice the music and the message! You do not hear the system, you hear the service.
“I have been in church music ministry since 1988 and this is the best system I have ever heard—not only in a church, but anywhere. The ability to cover every seat in the auditorium—including the balcony—with one center array is amazing. Everyone loves it!”
“The WorxAudio sound system has greatly enhanced our service and time of worship,” concurs Rev. Gene Williams, the Senior Pastor. “The new sound system is a great tool to minister to our people with, as we give them a message from the Lord. I have been very pleased with its performance. I would recommend WorxAudio to anyone.”
