Audio Plus Selects JBL Loudspeakers For Even, Controlled Sound Throughout The Community Pentecostal Church

After a thorough investigation of the layout and worship services at Community Pentecostal Church in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, A/V design company Audio Plus Sound Solutions Inc. upgraded the church’s audio system with JBL loudspeakers, chosen for their ability to deliver solid clarity and strong acoustic gain. Electing to install three clusters of PD series loudspeakers, Audio Plus was able to cover an additional 20 percent of the seating area for the 1,000-person congregation, providing the church with a sound system that was both versatile and extremely powerful.

Before the Community Pentecostal Church hired Audio Plus for the upgrade, its system was falling apart, according to System Engineer Brian Davis. The original component JBL loudspeaker system was still operating but it didn’t cover the entire audience or offer reasonable intelligibility because of design oversights, and the concrete at the center of the room made implementing new communication technology very difficult. What’s more, the older acoustic repairs didn’t leave the room performing well enough for good speech intelligibility or music clarity.
 
For the first step of the renovation, Audio Plus measured the church with both SIA Acoustic Tools and had David Yake of Yake Engineering Systems measure with TEF programs to find out what acoustical engineering was necessary, and also interviewed the administration to find out the exact purpose and requirements of the system. They found that the primary focus was speech intelligibility, but there was also a need for music clarity and performance.

“We took the time to break everything down and figure out what the need was for gain control, how the system was going to be used, and who was going to use it,” Davis said. “We felt confident using the Harman products because it gave the church the ability to host any event with confidence and also gave them tremendous ease of use.”

Upgrading the system meant a complete revamp of the entire layout: the speakers, the amplifiers, even the acoustic design. Audio Plus installed three clusters of PD series loudspeakers--each consisting of a PD5212/95 over a PD5200/95--and a small pie-shaped area in the middle using PD5212/43 and PD5212/64.  The main loudspeaker system was completed with the installation of the JBL ASB6128V subwoofer. Additional Harman Products include Crown CTs and XTi amplifiers, BSS London BLU-16 processors, and JBL MRX512M floor monitors.

“We’ve used the PD series before in other hostile acoustic environments because of its control,” Davis said. “It has wonderful horizontal and vertical control, and the fidelity and non-aggressive horn make it a pleasant loudspeaker that can handle anything you need.”

Audio Plus was founded in 1992 in Lindsay, Ontario, Canada. Located in the heart of Ontario, the company’s main work was live sound production for Christian events such as Women Aglow, regional Promise Keeper conferences, concerts, and other evangelical outreaches. In 1996, the company started focusing on permanent sound system installations, a natural extension to live church audio needs. Since then, Audio Plus has successfully designed and installed sound, video and acoustic systems in churches across Ontario, Western Quebec and in New York State. When necessary, acoustical design principles were used to solve existing acoustical problems. The company has provided stage sound, and video and lighting productions for both the National Convention and Fellowship Baptist annual business meetings.

JBL is a unit of Harman International Industries, Incorporated (www.harman.com). Harman International Industries, Incorporated designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of audio and infotainment products for the automotive, consumer and professional markets. Harman International maintains a strong presence in the Americas, Europe and Asia, and employs more than 11,000 people worldwide. The Harman International family of brands includes AKG®, Becker®, BSS®, Crown®, dbx®, DigiTech®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, Mark Levinson®, Revel®, Soundcraft® and Studer®. Harman International’s stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “NYSE: HAR.”