Conclave Media Solutions

With pictures from the recent Cathedraticum held in some states within Nigeria, and from visits to different parishes I’ve made over the years, I’ve been reflecting on something important.

A pattern keeps showing up. Many churches focus first on the cost of buying speakers, and then go for what looks bigger and more powerful.

So you walk in and see multiple 15-inch speakers sometimes 4, 5, even 6—installed or flown across the church. At first glance, it looks impressive.
Serious sound.
Strong presence.
But once Mass begins, the experience often says something else. The choir comes in strong, sometimes overwhelming. Then the priest speaks, and the voice feels distant.
Not necessarily quiet, just not clear.
You can hear sound, but following the words becomes work, and that’s where the real issue is, because in the Catholic Church, we are not just amplifying sound, we are transmitting the Word.

Now, 15-inch speakers are not bad. They are built for power, projection, and large open spaces, but indoors especially in reflective church environments—stacking or hanging multiple 15-inch speakers can:
• Build up low-mid frequencies
• Reduce speech intelligibility
• Create uneven sound coverage

So instead of clarity, you get volume, and in the liturgy,volume is not the goal.
Clarity is.
This is why more controlled systems like 12-inch, 8-inch, or column speakers (See photo below) often work better in churches.
They:
• Distribute sound more evenly
• Improve speech clarity
• Help maintain proper balance between the altar and the choir
and that changes everything, because when the Word is clear, the faithful don’t struggle through Mass, They participate.

So the real question is not: “Are the speakers big enough?” but this: “Is the message at the altar truly being heard, clearly?”

Sometimes, the upgrade is not more power, it’s better system design.