Century Baptist Church upgrades with EAW
Published: WORSHIP
WORLD: Century Baptist Church in Bismark, North Dakota, has upgraded its sound system with an EAW QX Series solution. The system replaces a mono loudspeaker cluster which was installed when the church added a 600-seat room to the main sanctuary in 2007.
The church leadership called upon the Bismarck offices of Tricorne Audio to assist with the design and installation of a new sound reinforcement system. ‘While working with Century Baptist we created an EASE model to illustrate both the issues with the current set-up as well as the improvements a new PA would provide,’ explained Dallas Anderson from Tricorne Audio. ‘We had used EAW’s QX Series before and they soon became a front-runner for the LCR configuration we recommended.’
The worship space is a rectangular shaped room that is wider than it is deep. It features a 10m ceiling and a set back stage with a slight thrust into the audience area. Padded pews, carpeting and sheetrock walls with minimal acoustic treatment complete the room.
‘After reviewing the EASE modelling we brought in the QX Series loudspeakers for a demonstration,’ recalled Mr Anderson. ‘They loved it. They said that they didn’t even realise how poor their existing system truly was until they listened to the QX loudspeakers.’
Mr Anderson specified two QX594i loudspeakers for the centre cluster and single QX596i enclosures for the left and right. Three EAW MK8196 loudspeakers were added for front fill. Two are located on the lip of stage right and left. The centre fill loudspeaker was hung with the centre cluster in order to keep the steps to the stage clear. Two EAW SBK250 subwoofers were placed side by side in the front left corner of the sanctuary allowing them to couple with the floor and walls to maximise their output. EAW UX3600 processors drive the system and provide EAW Focusing Greybox settings.
‘I don’t think there is a better sounding loudspeaker for applications like these than the QX,’ said Mr Anderson. ‘Many folks would put a line array in but with a room wider than deep? There is no benefit. These do an exceptional job.’
‘Our congregation noticed the change right away,’ said Ethan Johnson, pastor of worship arts
at Century Baptist Church. ‘We can now hear every instrument without the volume getting out of hand. Every piece, from voices to violins, is clear and full-sounding. Given the variety of our musical styles on Sunday morning, we are able to maximise the sound needs of each ensemble and deliver a clean, consistent audio experience to every worshipper. We have a church full of happy customers!’