Oakland Baptist Church

DAS Audio Delivers Superior Sound at Oakland Baptist Church 

As part of a new youth facility, Oakland Baptist Church (www.oaklandbaptist.org) installed a sound reinforcement system drawn from the Vantec Series, which provides clarity of message and greater engagement.

The design/build AV integrator, Sutherland Sight and Sound of Florence, AL, handled the installation of the new DAS Audio system. After consulting with church officials to ascertain their requirements, Michael Embry, the company´s Project Manager and the senior technical project leader for this installation, ultimately penned a system consisting of Vantec-20A Active Curved Source Line Array enclosures along with Vantec-218A powered subwoofers.

“The youth facility at the church measures 60 feet long by 62 feet wide,” Embry reports. “The stage area is 20 feet long by 27 feet wide. Seating capacity is 300 people, and the seats are moveable—making it easier to adapt the space to different event requirements like gatherings and special events in addition to the weekly church services. As for the church services, there is a considerable amount of music, so the system had to provide both noticeably clear speech and excellent music reproduction capabilities.”

The new system at Oakland Baptist Church includes six Vantec-20A line array loudspeakers, suspended over the front edges of the stage area in L/R configuration. Low frequency support is provided by a pair of Vantec-218A powered subwoofers, positioned on the floor also in L/R configuration.

According to Embry, “Sound quality is, obviously, the most important requisite and, in this regard, the Vantec-20A is a very well-designed loudspeaker. It provides a high level of speech intelligibility while also having solid music reproduction capabilities—in a compact and discreet format. I was also impressed with the system’s easy wireless control for gain shading, along with the quick and clean linear response that results in a very natural sound utilizing FIR filters. The power efficiency of the system is excellent, and the hardware makes rigging the system much easier than many competing products. Further, originally, we had planned on using a few fill speakers as part of the system. But after we tuned the room, however, we confirmed that the Vantec-20A’s dispersion provided all the coverage that was necessary.”

Embry also complimented the DAS Audio office in Miami. “We’ve had fantastic service in our dealings with DAS Audio. If there is ever a question, we can get immediate support. DAS Audio’s support is very much appreciated. Further, Clay Hughes, the church’s technician, was extremely helpful. His knowledge and experience of the room and the church’s use was most appreciated as we worked to bring this project to completion.”

“This system installation has been a huge success,” adds Clay Hughes. “The audio quality is first-rate no matter where you happen to be seated in the room. The spoken word is remarkably clear, and this enables the congregation to fully grasp the nature of the sermon. Likewise, the system’s ability to reproduce music is equally impressive. The end result is that the DAS equipment makes services much more engaging and meaningful. I’d also like to thank the entire team at Sutherland Sight and Sound. They were great to work with and they delivered a sound system that will serve this church well for many years to come.”

For more information about Sutherland Sight and Sound, visit: www.sutherlandsound.com.