Sound Solution for A House of Worship
Case Study
SOUND SOLUTIONS FOR A HOUSE OF WORSHIP
Project: St John’s, Glastonbury
Installer: Gordon Morris
Overview
Gordon Morris were approached by the Friends of St John’s, Glastonbury to find a solution to improve speech clarity within their church. They had an old, existing TOA installation but felt it was no longer delivering clear audio during services. Several members of the congregation had been finding it hard to hear what was being said so it was decided to invest in a new audio system. The specification was that it had to deliver clear intelligible speech throughout the space whilst also meeting the building faculty requirements.
The existing TOA System, found by the Gordon Morris team, consisted of column speakers that were over 30 years old. Although they had a very long life it was felt that they had served their purpose and had reached the point where they were no longer delivering the best audio, particularly in such a large and acoustically challenging environment.
Challenges and Solutions
Large churches naturally present acoustic challenges due to high ceilings, reflective surfaces and long reverberation times. The congregation included people with hearing difficulties, so achieving excellent speech intelligibility was particularly important. Another challenge was the requirement to minimise drilling and new fixings due to faculty restrictions.
The team selected the SR-H3S line array loudspeakers as they deliver very sharp, focused sound, which performs well in difficult acoustic environments.
The wall tilt brackets also allowed them to reuse existing fixing points while positioning the speakers at the correct angle.
Thanks to the simple bracket design allowing the engineers to reuse existing holes, the installation was relatively straightforward. The were able to complete the entire installation in under a day and a half during normal working hours without causing disruption. Even during the initial testing phase, the improvement in sound clarity was immediately noticeable. They have already had plenty of positive comments from users of the church.
Maintaining Quality for the Future
Looking to the future the church already has a hearing loop system installed, which is maintained and serviced annually by the Gordon Morris team. During these service visits they will also check the new sound system to ensure it continues to operate at optimal performance. They have provided training to two members of the church after installation and created a bespoke user manual so the system can be operated confidently and effectively ensuring many more years of great TOA sound in the building.
“Many members of the congregation have remarked how clear the sound is now. We have also received comments from people who view services online stating the sound is much clearer now”
The Friends of St John’s Church, Glastonbury
“We have worked with the church before maintaining their hearing loop system, so it was nice to be able to assist with finding a solution for improving the sound quality in this beautiful building.”
William May
Audio Technical Engineer, Gordon Morris
"It is always great to hear from our installers about how they are finding solutions to bring modern technology into ancient buildings. The sleek design of these speakers is ideal to complement the surroundings of the church whilst enhancing the audio experience for the congregation.”
Ian Bridgewater
Managing Director & Technical Director, TOA Corporation (UK) Ltd
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