advice re sound system for small church needed

The trick behind any sound reinforcement is that it isn't obvious there is sound reinforcement.

If you get a decent system most include a wireless transmitter for devices to be given to the hearing impared.

Sound systems are important for any venue (particularly churches) and should be given adequate resources. Poorly funded systems often turn out poor production and do more to hurt the church than help.

 

One of the important reasons to install a PA is so that the speaker doesn't have to speak so loudly and usually can speak in lower pitch which is easier to understand.

Check sweetwater.com. They are great.
If you don't plan to spend at least 5 or 6 hundred you might be throwing away money.

As the last poster said, the point is so that you don't ever really notice the sound reinforcement.

 

Hey, are you just wanting a single mic for the pulpit?
If so then you can probably do a good job for little money. Plan on $100 or so for the mic. Use a powered PA speaker and you might be fine with a single, though they are usually sold in pairs.
then you just need an inexpensive mic preamp. no need for a mixer.

 

Get a preacher, like a couple I've had, who normally turned off the mike, as about the first thing they did before speaking. They weren't "yelling" or "ranting and raving", but I assure you they did not need it, and probably not even in larger building than you meet in. In fact, one of our former pastors, who used to record a message, if he so chose, with only a small portable, self-contained unit (with no external mike), sitting on the side of the podium, upon returning some years later, to hold a week-long 'revival' meeting, commented on the 'nice' improvements made, such as new carpets, cushions on the seats, the windows replaced with new leaded, 'stained glass' windows (the old wooden windows dated from 1850, when our auditorium was built, and were simply beyond any reasonable repair and extremely impractible to replace and re-do) and lastly said, and "the wonderful new sound system",and as the current pastor was preparing to pin on his lapel the 'mike', said, "Now you can turn it off; I don't need it! And I don't need that thing."

He was right! He didn't need it; the audience didn't need for him to wear it for any amplification; but he still needed to (and did) wear it, considering that was the only way for the 'sound man', at that time, to record the messages on tape, for our 'shut-ins', who were members and wanted to hear the tapes.

In other words, a really "loud-mouthed preacher" would be the least costly way of all. :laugh: :laugh:

BTW, even those "harder of hearing" had no problem, when he preached. Ever! Without any mike! :thumbs:

Ed

 

I would check this out. We use a similar system at out church except ours in modular and cost a little over $1000.
This has a built in mixer so it should work out great for you.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/XPL300/

 

Check out the Bose L1 system at the Bose website. I'm pretty sure it's www.bose.com This is what we use and I'm very happy with it. The great thing about the Bose system is how it fills the room up with sound. It is very non-directional. Our previous system would cut the ears off of the ones sitting at the front while the ones in the back still struggled to hear. No so with the Bose system. Volume is the same throughout the room. Also, because of the design, you can set the system behind the stage, eliminating the need for monitors. The cost would be around $2,500, but well worth it. Most cheap sound systems are going to sound a lot like cheap sound systems. And a sound system can't make your church service any better, but a bad one sure can make it worse.

 

I don't know if hearing-aids in the States are similar to ours, but here, most have a "T" setting (T for Telephone), that users turn to when using the phone. This switches off the aid's microphone, and switches on a small pickup coil instead. This can also be used in public buildings fitted with an induction loop system. This means that the hearing-aid will then pick up only what is received via the loop system. Just using a hearing-aid switched to its "normal" position, all the background sounds are magnified (chairs scraping, people coughing, traffic noise, etc.), making it difficult for the hard-of-hearing person to concentrate on the sermon (or whatever). So the suggestion that those with hearing problems should simply be encouraged to use their hearing-aids may be an over-simplification. An induction loop system is very useful to those using hearing aids.

 

if you're SBC, check with your state convention. They usually have someone who can be quite helpful when it comes to helping you know what you need. That's half the battle anyhow.

 

Two items:

1. Handout earphones/headsets -- would you want someone elses earwax in your ear. :laugh: Many do not care for the idea even if you promise to clean them in some manner.

2. In one church that seated maybe 250 we had a very nice sound system and the old folks could not hear - so this may not be your answer.

What we found that worked very nicely was to take an amplifier and run a line to a row of pews and we installed a cheap car radio speaker/grill about evert five foot (less if needed) on the row, then adjusted it so the old folks could hear.

It was slightly noticeable in the next row back, but not to distraction of others.

The level was fairly low - just a little boost for those that needed it.

 

Our church is small and we bought a powered mixer(Behringer)new with 12 channels and 2 yamaha club series speakers(used) with a 12inch speaker and horns. We spent about $900 and it sounds way better than the old peaveys the church had before. We set them on speaker poles and they are high enough and out wide so the the front inner row doesn't get blasted. We did buy a good condenser and that made a huge difference.
Clarity is real important. There are many powered mixers that are inexpensive like Peavey, Yamaha, etc.. and you can later use them for outside events etc. since they are easily moveable and would still be usable if you ever upgrade to a bigger system.

 

That's where a loop system (see Post 10 on this thread) scores. No hygiene problems, and the loop makes a difference only for those using hearing-aids, so there is no change in the decibels for others. (Of course, such loop systems can be used in conjunction with a standard PA system that does raise the decibel level, via loudspeakers, for everyone).