Introduction
Every house of worship has a strict budget and a AV or sound system is an expense that we all need to minimise. However, once a quality system is installed it doesn’t need to be updated for many years so is a worthwhile investment. This article gives some guidance on how to set your budget.
Size
Size is very important when determining the type of system to install. If you have a small venue then you don’t need to spend much to get a good system. However, if you have a large venue with multiple halls and rooms the system you need will be considerably more complex.
Small
A small house of worship may have just 1 hall and space for a maximum of 100 people. This would only need a couple of wall mounted speakers, a 1-2 channel amplifier, mixer and some microphones with appropriate cables. Budget up to £2000 excluding installation.
Medium
A medium house of worship may have a couple of rooms or halls and may have space for 100 – 500 people. This would need 2 or more channels and appropriate amplifier, a mixer, 4 or more speakers and some microphones with appropriate cables. Budget around £2000-£10,000 excluding installation.
Large
A Large house of worship will have one or more large halls, space for 500+ people, multiple rooms and areas, routing of sound and video and appropriate control. This would probably be a digital system using sound processors to handle the routing and control systems and would need a substantial budget. Budgets can vary but be prepared for anything from £10,000 – £100,000+ excluding installation.