Church Sound Systems and AV Installations
Sound systems, hearing loops, projection, streaming and lighting for churches, chapels and historic buildings.
We design and install sound and AV systems for churches, chapels and other places of worship across London, East Sussex, Kent, Surrey and the wider South East.
Our work includes church sound systems, microphones, hearing loops, projection, displays, streaming, lighting and control.
Church buildings need careful planning. Acoustics can be difficult, equipment often needs to have very little visual impact, and listed churches may need approval before work can begin. We are used to working with parishes, church architects, DAC advisers and main contractors from the early stages of a project.
Much of our church work comes through parishes, church architects and contractors who already know us.
Church sound and AV across London and the South East
We are based in East Sussex and work with churches and places of worship across London, Kent, Surrey and the wider South East.
Projects range from improving an existing sound system through to complete AV installations covering sound, hearing assistance, screens, streaming and lighting.
We work with parish churches, chapels, listed buildings and other places of worship, as well as church architects and contractors carrying out wider refurbishment work.
Sound systems designed for church buildings
We design sound systems for churches, chapels, synagogues, mosques and other places of worship.
Every building is different. The size and shape of the room, the materials used, the seating layout and the way services are run all affect how the system needs to be designed.
Speech clarity is usually one of the main priorities. In buildings with hard surfaces, high ceilings or a lot of reverberation, simply increasing the volume can make speech louder without making it easier to understand.
We look at loudspeaker positions, coverage, microphones and control around the building and how it is used. Depending on the space, that may mean column loudspeakers, steerable arrays or a distributed system positioned around the congregation.
Microphones are planned in the same way, whether they are being used at a lectern, pulpit, altar, prayer area, by clergy, speakers, choirs or musicians.
Where the building is used for different types of services, events or community activities, we can also programme simple settings so the system is straightforward for regular users to operate.
Improving an existing church sound system
An older system does not automatically need replacing.
We survey the loudspeakers, amplifiers, microphones, processing, controls and existing cabling before recommending what needs to change.
Sometimes the equipment is still suitable and the problem is poor setup, loudspeaker positioning or microphone choice. In other buildings, the system no longer provides the clarity or coverage the church needs.
Where appropriate, we can also measure speech intelligibility at different positions around the seating area rather than judging the result from one part of the building.
If existing equipment can sensibly be retained, we will use it.
Hearing loops and assistive listening
We design, install and test hearing loop systems for churches and places of worship
A loop needs to be designed around the building. Steelwork, reinforcement and other metal within the structure can affect the magnetic field and the coverage it provides.
We test completed loops rather than assuming they work because the equipment is switched on.
Our hearing loop service covers new installations as well as testing and upgrading existing systems.
Where the loop forms part of a wider church sound system, we plan the microphone feeds, equipment and cabling together.
Projection and displays
We install projection and display systems for churches that use screens during services, presentations and other events.
The right system depends on the building, viewing positions, ambient light and how visible the equipment can be when it is not in use.
In some churches, a single screen works well. Others are better suited to several smaller displays or a projection system that can be retracted when it is not required.
For listed and historic interiors, we also consider sightlines, fixing positions and the visual effect of the equipment before anything is specified.
Our wider commercial AV installations cover displays, projection, control and the infrastructure behind them.
Streaming church services
We can provide cameras, camera positions and audio feeds for churches that stream services, weddings, funerals or other events.
Where possible, we take the audio from the church sound system rather than relying on a camera microphone at the back of the building.
That allows readings, sermons, music and other microphone sources already being used in the service to be included in the stream.
We can plan streaming alongside the sound, projection and network requirements so the systems work together.
Any music or streaming licences remain the responsibility of the church.
AV in listed and historic churches
Listed and historic churches need more consideration than a standard commercial installation.
Cable routes, fixings and equipment positions need to be planned around the existing fabric, architectural details and any restrictions on how the building can be altered.
We aim to minimise intervention wherever practical and use existing routes and less sensitive fixing positions where possible.
Getting involved before the equipment is ordered means these details can be considered as part of the design rather than dealt with during installation.
Faculty approval and church architects
Some electrical and AV work in Church of England buildings may need approval before it can go ahead.
The route depends on the building and the work being proposed. Some work can fall under List B, while larger changes or work affecting a listed church may require a full faculty.
We do not provide the approval ourselves, but we can supply the technical information needed for the AV installation and work alongside the church architect and DAC advisers.
That can include equipment positions, fixing methods, cable routes and information showing how the proposed system will affect the building.
For cathedrals and other denominations, different approval processes can apply, so we establish the requirements early in the project.
Working with church architects and contractors
Church AV projects often involve several people before installation begins.
We regularly work with parishes, church architects, DAC advisers, consultants and main contractors.
Early involvement allows us to agree loudspeaker positions, projection, hearing loops, cable routes and fixing methods before they become harder to change.
It also means the AV can be coordinated with electrical work, lighting, decoration and other building works taking place at the same time.
Where electrical work forms part of the wider project, we can work alongside our sister company Lake Electrical.
Lighting for churches
We also provide venue and performance lighting where it forms part of the church’s AV requirements.
This can include lighting for the nave, chancel, altar, lectern or performance areas, with straightforward controls for regular services and different settings for concerts or events.
Where a church is looking for a complete LED lighting upgrade or wider electrical lighting work, we would normally involve Lake Electrical.
See our venue lighting service.
Installation and commissioning
Our engineers install and commission the systems themselves.
Sound systems are set up in the church where they will be used, with microphones, loudspeakers, processing and controls checked together.
Hearing loops are measured across the listening area, and where speech intelligibility testing forms part of the project, this can also be completed during commissioning.
Controls are set up around the people who will actually use them. Most churches need systems that clergy, churchwardens and volunteers can operate without an AV engineer being present.
We provide training and the relevant system information at handover.
Experienced church AV installers
Church and heritage work is an established part of OBAV.
Our experience includes parish churches, listed buildings and other places of worship, from upgrades to older sound systems through to complete installations involving sound, hearing loops, projection, streaming and lighting.
We understand that the acoustics, building fabric, approval process and regular use of the church all affect how the project needs to be planned.
OBAV is SafeContractor approved and ISO [[NUMBER: exact ISO standard to confirm]] accredited. Our engineers are employed by OBAV and can continue to support the system after installation.
Cathedrals and other listed places of worship
Cathedrals follow a different approval process from parish churches.
Works are dealt with under the Care of Cathedrals Measure 2011, with the relevant Fabric Advisory Committee or the Cathedrals Fabric Commission for England involved depending on the project.
Other denominations can have their own systems for approving changes to historic places of worship.
For listed buildings outside the ecclesiastical exemption, listed building consent from the local planning authority may be required.
The important point for us is to establish the correct process early enough that the AV design can work with it.
Accreditations
OBAV is SafeContractor approved and certified to ISO [[NUMBER: exact ISO standard to confirm]].
Copies of our certificates are available on request.
[[NUMBER: SafeContractor registration number, the ISO standard, certificate number and certification body]]
We trade as OBAV and the company behind the business is Old Barn Audio Ltd, company number 06040735.
The engineers carrying out our installations are employed by OBAV rather than subcontracted. This is particularly useful on church projects where we may return to the same building for support, changes or further work several years later.
Church installations we have completed
What church clients say
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Why churches choose OBAV
Working in churches and other places of worship means understanding more than the sound system.
We work in churches, chapels, synagogues, mosques and other places of worship, each with different acoustics, building layouts, equipment needs and ways of using the space.
The fixing methods, cabling and existing fabric all need to be considered carefully, particularly in older or listed buildings. Where approvals are required, we can also work alongside architects, advisers and the people responsible for the building.
Our engineers install and commission the systems themselves and remain available for support afterwards. Where performance can be measured, such as hearing loop coverage and speech intelligibility, we can include this as part of commissioning and handover.
We also design controls around the people who will actually use the equipment, whether that is clergy, volunteers, staff or other regular users.
The aim is a system that suits the building, works for the congregation or community using it and remains straightforward to operate.
More commercial AV work from OBAV
Churches and historic buildings are a specialist part of our wider commercial work.
We also install systems in public buildings, including sound, AV and hearing loops.
Our work in bars and nightclubs and restaurants and hotels includes sound, lighting and zoned AV systems.
We also work in schools and education through main contractors and tendered projects.
For buildings requiring evacuation announcements, our PA and voice alarm systems cover this separately from general sound reinforcement.
Our case studies show more completed installations, and you can find out more about the OBAV team.
Church sound and AV questions answered
Do we need a faculty for a church sound system?
Usually not for the sound system itself, which the archdeacon can sign off. The projector and screen are the part that catches people out, because fixed AV only avoids a faculty where the church is unlisted. If your church is listed, expect the audio and the visual to go down two different routes at different speeds. We work out which applies at the survey rather than after you have applied.
Do you survey the church before quoting?
Always. A daytime visit covers the construction, the existing cabling and what we are allowed to fix to. We will usually ask to come to a service as well. That second visit is often the one that changes the design, and it is also how you end up with a fixed scope rather than a figure that moves once work starts.
How much does a church sound system cost?
There is no rate card, and any figure you get without a site visit is guesswork. What moves the price most is the size and shape of the building, how reverberant it is, how many microphone positions the services need, and whether a hearing loop, projection or streaming form part of the same project. We have a short budget conversation early so nobody wastes a survey.
How do you fix equipment in a listed building, and can it be removed later?
As little as possible, and into the least significant thing available. We would sooner run a longer cable than put a fixing through a moulding. Reversibility is not a formal legal test, but it is usually what decides whether a scheme gets approved, so the proposal sets out how the installation could be taken out again and what would be left behind.
Do we have to have a hearing loop?
No, there is no rule that says a church must have one. The duty is to take reasonable steps, and it applies whether or not anybody has asked, so it is better dealt with at design stage than after a complaint. For hearing aid users a loop is normally the answer. In a few buildings the structure defeats it, and then the answer is infrared or Wi-Fi.
Can you set up streaming and recording of services?
Yes, cameras, positions and the audio. The audio is the part most church streams get wrong and the easiest one to put right. Licensing the music is the church’s side rather than ours, and it is better sorted before you go live than after.
Can you improve our existing system rather than replacing it?
Often, and it is worth asking before you budget for a replacement. Sometimes the loudspeakers are fine and the problem is where they are pointing, or the microphones, or processing nobody ever set up. Sometimes the scheme was wrong for the building from the start, and we will tell you that rather than sell an upgrade that cannot fix it.
Arrange a survey of your church
If you are planning a new church sound system, hearing loop, projection, streaming or wider AV upgrade, get in touch and tell us about the building.
If you already have drawings or information from your church architect, send those through with your enquiry.
Old Barn Audio Ltd
Unit 15, Wylands Farm
Powdermill Lane
Battle
East Sussex TN33 0SU
01892 752246
enquiries@oldbarnaudio.co.uk
We work across London, East Sussex, Kent, Surrey and the rest of the South East, and travel further across the UK for larger heritage projects.