If you've made it to this article, you are most likely in the market for the best church sound systems. While it may be easier to explain the best church speakers, there are a few things you'll want to take into consideration first. The best sound system for your church is one that truly fits your church's layout and a number of other aspects.
Church Sound System Factors
When you are building the perfect sound system for your church, you'll want to know the following situations.
Is the church sound system going to be permanently installed or portable?
The church layout is constantly changing. So whether you rent out the school's auditorium every week or you own a 50,000 square foot building. The sound system will look much different depending on the building you are in. If you only are in your church one day per week, we'd recommend some portable, lightweight speakers. If you are in a building that you own though, you will usually be more open to heavier speakers that are mounted to the ceiling.
What is the shape of your church?
The position of your church's speakers is extremely vital to the size and acoustics of the room. Skinny rooms with high ceilings will typically sound different in a wide room with low ceilings.
What is your budget?
Just because a sound system is expensive, it does not necessarily mean that it will fit and sound right in your church. Below, we have included the ideal sound systems for whatever church layout and budget you have.
What is your church's worship style?
It's important to know whether you want to go with a more classic Worship style with bells and acoustic instruments or a more rock style of worship with modern instruments.
Church Sound System Components
When you're ready to build out your church's sound system, you'll want to deliver your pastor's message clearly, enhance the choir and worship band's instruments, and be able to deliver pitched-perfect sound altogether.
In order to build the perfect sound system for your church, we'd highly recommend the following components.
Best Mixer For Church Sound Systems
The mixer is an important component of your church's sound system. In fact, the entire sound system revolves around the mixer you get. The mixer provides your audio inputs, audio outputs, routing, Microphone amplification and much more. Below we have included some of our favorite mixers for churches around the world.
1. QSC TouchMix-30 Pro 32-Channel Digital Mixer
- QSC TouchMix-30 Pro 32-Channel Digital Mixer with Touchscreen - IEC Power Cord - QSC 3 Year Limited Warranty (1 + 2 Year with Registration) - QSC Rack Mount Kit- 2x 20' Heavy Duty 7mm Rubber XLR Microphone Cable
- Display: 10" (254mm) diagonal, 1024 x 600 pixel, color TFT, capacitive multi-touch sensing
- Input: 24x Mic/Line, 20 XLR, 4 Combo XLR-1/4" / 6.35mm6x Line, balanced, 1/4" / 6.35mm TRS + 1x Top panel 1/8" / 3.5mm stereo2x Stereo USB / MP3 playbackTalkback: 1x XLR (48 V available)
The QSC TouchMix-30 is an ideal digital mixer for churches. This mixer combines a multi-track recorder and DAW interface into an easy to use a live mixer. From many reviews online, people tend to love working with this mixer because of how easy it is to use and how quickly people can learn how to use it.
The QSC TouchMix-30 Pro 32-Channel offers a 10-inch multi-touch touchscreen, 32 mixing channels, 24 Mic/Line, 6 Line, Stereo USB, 16 outputs, 120 live instruments, and microphone resets, and is capable of recording 32 tracks directly to an external hard drive.
Pros:
- Compact
- Easy to get started
- Great UI
- Auto feedback
- Room tuning
Cons:
- Touch screen can take some getting use
- iPad control UI channel selection
2. Yamaha MGP32X 32 Channel Mixing Console
- 24 Mic Inputs with 48V Phantom Power and HPF per Channel
- 32 Line Inputs (24 mono and 4 stereo)
- 6 AUX Sends + 2 FX Sends
The Yamaha MGP32X is a big mixer that is ideal for churches. It's ideal for churches because it is one of the best mixers on the market. The analog mixing console features iOS compatibility, two-hybrid stereo channels, leveler, and stereo imager functions. This is one of the best mixers for a church sound system.
Pros:
- Well laid-out
- Quiet
- Minimal training needed
- Excellent console
Cons:
- Slightly limited routing
- Channel EQ isn't very flexible
3. Behringer X32 Mixer
- 25-total-bus Digital Mixer with 32 Gain-Programmable Mic Preamps
- 25 Motized Faders
- Virtual FX Rack
When the Behringer X32 was released, it has changed the game by rethinking the digital mixer. The fluid workflow has a fully interactive user interface. The X32 is more flexible, offers 50 onboard FX plugins, motorized faders, channel strips, 7″ main display, LCD scribble strips and much more.
Pros:
- Intuitive layout
- Great built-in effects
- Amazing sound
Cons:
- No HDMI video output to hook up to a big screen
4. PreSonus StudioLive 32S 32-channel Digital Mixer
- 16 channel inputs (8 mono and 4 stereo channel inputs with 60 mm faders (12 faders)
- 12 Class A XMAX solid-state mic preamplifiers (12 channels + talkback)
- 4 auxiliary buses (pre/post-fader send) and 2 internal FX buses
The PreSonus StudioLive is a complete powerhouse. The 32-channel digital mixer uses a dual-core FLEX DSP engine with enough power to drive 286 simultaneous processors. With this mixer, you can expect three options for multitrack recording, clean XMAX preamps for sound reinforcement and recording, and advanced processing for EQ, compression, and effects.
Pros:
- Easy setup
- Intuitive layout
- Great integration with Studio1
Cons:
- Not as many online reviews as other models and mixers listed
Best Speakers For Church Sound Systems
The next component you will want to look at is creating the sound system with the speakers. Are you in the market for powered speakers or un-powered speakers? Portable speakers or permanent speakers? Below we have included some of our favorite church speakers.
1. PreSonus ULT15 2-Way 15″ Active Loudspeaker
- 15-inch custom low-frequency driver with 2.5-inch voice coil
- WorxAudio-designed, rotatable, waveguide Pivot X110 horn for precise coverage
- Ultra-wide 110˚ horizontal dispersion and tight 50˚ vertical dispersion for longer throw
The PreSonus ULT15 features the “Ultra Long Throw” design which ensures that everyone in the audience can be reached. The wide 110-degree horizontal dispersion helps avoid sonic dips and can be used as a main speaker, stage Monitor, fill speaker, or portable PA.
Pros:
- Well-constructed
- Many prefer over JBL and QSC speakers
- Mounts horizontally or vertically
Cons:
- The speaker is known to be heavier than other speakers
2. QSC K10.2 Active PA Loudspeaker & QSC KW181 Active Subwoofer
- Best in class audio performance
- 2000 Watt Class-D amplifier module
- Factory Presets and savable/recallable Scenes for commonly-used applications
- 1000-watt powered subwoofer (2 x 500-watt Class D amplifiers)
- 1000 watts continuous output, 2000 watts peak. Frequency Response (minus 6 dB) : 40 Hz to 112 Hz
- 18-inch woofer
When you need pure power and reliability, the QSC PA speaker and a subwoofer is a great combination. QSC offers a 3-year warranty and offers 1,000 watts of power to help power this incredible system.
Pros:
- Great warranty
- Well made
Cons:
- More padding needed
3. RCF ART 715-A Mk4 Digital Active Loudspeaker & RCF SUB 705-AS II Active PA Subwoofer
The RCF active loudspeaker and active PA subwoofer setup is a great solution for mid to large size churches. The speaker combination features professional sound levels, 1,400 watts of 2-way peak power and a phenomenal sound all around.
4. Yamaha DXR15 Active PA Speaker & Yamaha DXS18 Active Subwoofer
- 15" cast frame woofer with neodynium magnet for light weight
- 2" HF Driver with 90 X 60 CD Horn
- Advanced DSP provides great sound and control
- High-Efficiency 1020W Class-D Amplifiers
- The high-output woofer features a 4" voice coil magnet and delivers powerful, well-defined, low-frequency bass with minimal distortion
- The DXS Series has a band-pass design that produces extremely high SPL by drastically reducing the distortion.
Best Microphones For Church Sound Systems
Microphones are an essential component of your church service. Whether someone is reading the bulletin, the pastor is delivering his message or the guitarist is singing, microphones are an essential part of the overall church sound system. Below we have compiled some of the best handheld and wireless microphones for your church services.
1. Audio-Technica Wireless Microphones and Transmitters (ATW1322)
- Digital 24-bit/48 kHz wireless operation for ultimate sound quality and dependable performance
- Operates in the 2.4 GHz range – completely FREE from TV interference
- Receiver units can be docked in the chassis or mounted Remotely (up to 328 feet away) via Ethernet cable for added versatility
2. Sennheiser EW 100 G4-845-S
- Rugged all-inline wireless system for singers and presenters
- Transmission range: up to 100 meters/ 300 feet
- Easy and flexible wireless synchronization between transmitter and receiver via infrared
3. Shure QLXD24/B87A
- Includes BETA 87A, QLXD4, microphone clip, power supply, 2 AA batteries, battery contact cover, two 1/2 wave antennas, 2 BNC cables, zipper bag, 2 BNC bulkhead adapters, rackmount kit, and user guide
- With an interchangeable BETA87A microphone cartridge, the QLXD2/BETA87A Handheld Wireless Microphone Transmitter is ideal for wireless vocals in presentation spaces, music venues, and houses of worship
- Half-rack QLXD4 Digital Wireless Receiver quickly finds open frequencies and deploys them to transmitters via the one-touch sync function
4. Shure GLXD14/SM35 Wireless Headset Mic
- Includes GLXD4 receiver, GLXD1 body pack transmitter, SM35 headset microphone, power supply, clothing clip, windscreens, rechargeable battery, and user guide.
- Operate up to 4 compatible systems in typical setting, up to 8 maximum under ideal conditions
- Best-in-class intelligent lithium-ion battery rechargeability allows up to 16 hours of continuous use and greatly reduces the cost of ownership
Best Monitors For Church Sound Systems
Last, but not least, presenters and performers need to hear themselves. Stage monitors are an essential part of the church sound system. Below we have written up some of the best monitors for churches.
1. Galaxy Audio PA6BT Hot Spot Monitor Speaker with Bluetooth
- 170 Watts
- Freq. Response 80Hz - 18kHz
- Two way speaker system: 6.5" Neodymium high power woofer; 1.5" High efficiency tweeter
2. JBL JRX212 Portable 12″ 2-way Sound Reinforcement Loudspeaker System
- Progressive Transition high frequency waveguide provides superior coverage control, reduced distortion, and smoother frequency response
- The rugged, acoustically superior enclosure uses advanced adhesives and mechanical fastener technology for extreme durability and improved low-frequency performance
- High-voltage capacitors and inductors with massive cores and heavy gauge wire enable the crossover network to handle high power without saturating
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