- 1). Choose live sound reinforcement speakers if possible. Ordinary speakers are just made for use in living rooms, and they will not efficiently distribute sound to a church, particularly a large one. Live sound reinforcement speakers are designed for more commercial applications, and are a particularly good idea if you are using live music as part of your service.
- 2). Get low-wattage speakers if your church only supports a congregation of around 100. Two-channel amplification with wattage of under 200 is likely to be more than suitable. Look at the sensitivity specification of the speakers, which details the decibel level at one watt of electrical energy and at one meter's distance. Generally, any rating in the 90s is a common decibel level for this specification, but this much power won't be required in a small church. Look at the first number of the sensitivity specification to find the decibel rating. Look for one in the 80s to find something suitable for a small church.
- 3). Choose slightly higher-wattage speakers if you have a congregation of around 150. A five-channel system with a 200 watt sub-bass unit is suitable for this church size. Look at the sensitivity specification for a decibel rating in the high 80s up to around 90dB to find a suitable speaker for your church.
- 4). Try out a much larger system for congregations of up to 350 people. A 500-watt bass unit may be suitable for this size, with nine-channel amplification if possible. This can help spread the sound around the congregation more efficiently. If you have a 200- to 250-person congregation, a 400-watt speaker may be more suitable. Look for common loudspeaker sensitivity specifications in the 90s for the decibel rating.
- 5). Use up to two 500-watt loudspeakers if you have a congregation of up to 550 people. Use 13-channel amplification to efficiently distribute the sound around a very large church. If you choose a speaker set with a higher decibel rating in the sensitivity specification, be sure not to push the system to its limit during service. If a member of the congregation is sat close to speakers pumping out anything over 94dB for more than an hour, there is some danger of hearing damage.
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