THORNSZ
Member
what do you think is good for a church? we currently have a pair of Yamaha C115V as the main speakers right now and we're planning on replacing them with some passive good ones. Any suggestions? include a good Subwoofer too! thanks
Good PA brands and models for a church
- Thread starterTHORNSZ
- Start date
What is wrong with the C115Vs you have (which by the way are a passive or unpowered speaker) and why are you replacing them?
Selecting speakers generally requires considering the space, your needs and goals, the budget, the rest of the system and existing equipment, etc. - none of which are identified. I recall that your church does not want to pay anyone to do this but getting someone qualified to help you put together an overall plan could actually save them money, much less provide more value from what you do spend.
Selecting speakers generally requires considering the space, your needs and goals, the budget, the rest of the system and existing equipment, etc. - none of which are identified. I recall that your church does not want to pay anyone to do this but getting someone qualified to help you put together an overall plan could actually save them money, much less provide more value from what you do spend.
DuckJordan
Touring IATSE Member
What is your budget?
Size of the space?
What amps do you currently have? and are you looking at replacing those as well?
Who is gunna be working with them and can they eq a room properly?
Is this a perminant install or is it struck after every service?
There is alot that goes into designing a system, and to ecco what duck said its amazing what some tuning can do.
I personally have 6 of the C115v's in my band rig and think that they are a decent cabinet.
Size of the space?
What amps do you currently have? and are you looking at replacing those as well?
Who is gunna be working with them and can they eq a room properly?
Is this a perminant install or is it struck after every service?
There is alot that goes into designing a system, and to ecco what duck said its amazing what some tuning can do.
I personally have 6 of the C115v's in my band rig and think that they are a decent cabinet.
techieman33
Well-Known Member
Again, what about the C115V do you find inadequate? What would you consider "more good sounding"? Just trying to get an understanding of what you are looking for or hoping to achieve.
I won't say you can't use the C115V as a floor monitor but it is an awkward form factor for that use. I also wonder if you need large floor monitors or if they might even potentially be detrimental.
I agree with the other comments, the results are not just about the gear used but also greatly dependent on how it is used. The physical 'stuff' is basically one-third of the equation. Properly applied and implemented equipment will usually also provide better results regardless of the quality of the gear itself. And a skilled operator can often get the most out of less than ideal equipment while an unskilled one may get lesser results from better gear. Too many experiences going into venues looking for new products to fix their problems only to find the problem is not the equipment itself but how it is implemented and/or operated.
Somewhat related to that, I noted you are apparently looking for someone to help lead your audio team. From experience, I suggest you hold off on any decisions until after that person is hired. It's apparently already too late on the mixer but whoever you get involved, and especially once they get to know your church and the situation better, may have ideas or personal preferences that should be considered.
Just to help us understand the situation better, are you building a new space or renovating an existing space? Are you working with a budget or trying to define one? What is your role in the proposed changes and in the church?
THORNSZ
Member
i think you guys are right. I never considered that too. thanks for pointing that out. But for now, we're about to purchase the X32 and all the stuff necessary for it like the S16, P16-I,D,M. we just wanna get rid of the amps on stage. That should be good for now, regardless of the space we have and i'm pretty much sure that we can use them on our upcoming new building
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I agree with what everyone has said so far... (RE Getting someone to look at your space and choose speakers to best be used in that space)
For what you were initiall asking though, there are several "high end" options for you to choose from. Meyer, L'accoustics, Nexo, Danley, D&B, EV, EAW should be some names that are on the top of your list. They offer alot of scaled options for your NEW venue...
I would hesitate to make any purchase until you either move into your new space, or have an idea of what equipment is being installed there. Forgive me, but you don't seem to be highly informed about every aspect of the situation, or it at least seems to come off that way in your posts. It seems that you are just eager to add equipment without thinking long term .
But do you know if a console is speced for the new space? If so, it might make sense to tough it out on your old console for another year before moving to the new space. It's questions like these that need to be brought up when ever purchasing equipment is considered. Unless of course you have money to spare and can afford to buy lots of extra equipment that might not get used when you transfer.
Only you and your church can decide if it makes sense to make any changes or purchases now rather than to wait until you move to the new facility but if that move is definite and especially if some related planning is in progress then I suggest considering how anything you do now supports what is being planned for the new facility and the long term vision for the church.
If it has not already been done then it would probably be beneficial to put together a Master Plan for the technology in the new facility, focusing first on the desired functionality and use of the technology and letting that define the technology required to support what is defined. Once that is done you can then look at anything you consider now in terms of not just addressing your immediate needs but also how it fits into the long term plans and goals.
I know this situation all too well. I've been down this road a number of times, pretty much each time on the other side coming in and cleaning up the mess that other people made. It's a very frustrating experience for everyone involved when they realize that they shelled out money for a system that just doesn't work. Please, take our advice before you guys get too far down this path.
First, if at all possible, find someone who has designed house of worship sound systems previously. If you need to pay them, do it, but get some help, preferably someone who will physically go look at your space. House of worship sound systems are just so different than others that what people think they know from running a bar, gigging in a band, running theater or a tour, or building their home theater, it just doesn't apply.
You need someone to design a system and train you on it because, understand this, a good sound engineer can make mediocre gear sound great, and someone without training can make a 100k system sound horrible.
If you don't take that advice, at least do the following:
1. post a list of all your current gear
2. post a list of what you want to acquire and/or replace
3. post pictures of your current space, and plans of your new space
4. for the next 5 sundays go to different churches that you want to be like and research their systems and talk to their tech and non-tech people how what they like/hate and post it here so we can help you put a system together that doesn't horribly suck.
Just as a side note, this weekend I get to go consign several pieces of gear that our church acquired without forethought and essentially wasted their money on. Last night, I hung a bunch of LED lights, 6 of them that are almost worthless for anything other than straight blue/green/red and too dim for anything other than accents. They spent a bunch on them several years ago, but I couldn't sell them now for the price of a par can. I'd rather have the par cans.
When you spend other people's money, especially in a church, you have a moral responsibility to not screw it up.
First, if at all possible, find someone who has designed house of worship sound systems previously. If you need to pay them, do it, but get some help, preferably someone who will physically go look at your space. House of worship sound systems are just so different than others that what people think they know from running a bar, gigging in a band, running theater or a tour, or building their home theater, it just doesn't apply.
You need someone to design a system and train you on it because, understand this, a good sound engineer can make mediocre gear sound great, and someone without training can make a 100k system sound horrible.
If you don't take that advice, at least do the following:
1. post a list of all your current gear
2. post a list of what you want to acquire and/or replace
3. post pictures of your current space, and plans of your new space
4. for the next 5 sundays go to different churches that you want to be like and research their systems and talk to their tech and non-tech people how what they like/hate and post it here so we can help you put a system together that doesn't horribly suck.
Just as a side note, this weekend I get to go consign several pieces of gear that our church acquired without forethought and essentially wasted their money on. Last night, I hung a bunch of LED lights, 6 of them that are almost worthless for anything other than straight blue/green/red and too dim for anything other than accents. They spent a bunch on them several years ago, but I couldn't sell them now for the price of a par can. I'd rather have the par cans.
When you spend other people's money, especially in a church, you have a moral responsibility to not screw it up.
I don't know if you have seen this, but I think it is worth a look. (PDF warning)
http://audiosystemsgroup.com/3Times.pdf
I would also suggest you take a look at Prosoundweb.com in the church forums, spend a few days browsing the posts.
Then spend some time tire kicking at various stores, both MI and pro. Be warned that the "pros" at your local Banjo Center might actually know less than you do.
You might also consider that instead of a 2-way plus subs, that a 3-way plus subs is a better fit.
http://audiosystemsgroup.com/3Times.pdf
I would also suggest you take a look at Prosoundweb.com in the church forums, spend a few days browsing the posts.
Then spend some time tire kicking at various stores, both MI and pro. Be warned that the "pros" at your local Banjo Center might actually know less than you do.
You might also consider that instead of a 2-way plus subs, that a 3-way plus subs is a better fit.
neotrotsky
Member
As someone who has designed worship hall sound systems before, I cannot help but to enforce what everyone has said here: Don't buy kit until you know what is causing what you have now to seem lacking. I noticed the first thing on the purchase list is the Behringer X32, and you seem quite keen on it. Do you know why your group needs it? What advantage does it quantitively give you over the console you have now? What board are you using at the moment? The X32 is quite a bit of cash for a church, and I've encountered several churches who were insistent on a board like that but ended up being quite well suited with something like a PreSonus for a fraction of the cost. The same with speakers: better to know *why* you need new speakers instead of insisting that, since the sound isn't up to par, it's a problem with the equipment and the solution is to buy more.
I love getting new gear just as much as anyone...but to disregard the above advice is just bad stewardship .
There are many good brands from A-Z for church audio systems. Which one is right or you? Well that can't possibly be answered without a professional consultation with your decision makers, architects, technical crew, etc to find out what you truly need, what you already have.
To do anything less is a waste of your time (and ours) and money. Can't really say it any other way.
I hope whatever you end up with works for you. I know it can be frustrating working with church boards and budgets.
Jared
There are many good brands from A-Z for church audio systems. Which one is right or you? Well that can't possibly be answered without a professional consultation with your decision makers, architects, technical crew, etc to find out what you truly need, what you already have.
To do anything less is a waste of your time (and ours) and money. Can't really say it any other way.
I hope whatever you end up with works for you. I know it can be frustrating working with church boards and budgets.
Jared
TimmyP1955
Well-Known Member
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