Global Harvest Church, in Carrollton, TX, has worked with Living Sound on a number of projects over time — audio consultation, system inspections, volunteer training, and technical support among them. This case study covers the most recent of those projects: a full inspection-driven upgrade of the church’s main Left/Right speaker system.
The Challenge
The church’s main speakers had been in service for over a decade, and the problems went beyond simple age. The high-frequency drivers had degraded to the point where speech and vocal clarity were noticeably affected. Output from some of the powered speakers had also become inconsistent — volume would rise and fall unpredictably during use. On inspection, several of the onboard attenuator/volume controls were no longer functioning correctly, some introduced unwanted noise when adjusted, and issues were also identified in the internal crossover networks.
The sanctuary itself presented its own challenge: a relatively low ceiling and a wide seating area. The existing main line array produced a strong sound level toward the front of the room, but high-frequency clarity and coverage consistency dropped off noticeably toward the rear seating.
A DSP and Dante-based signal distribution system were already in place, but they had not been configured to properly match the speaker system and the room.
Inspection & Diagnosis
Rather than relying on listening alone, Living Sound set up measurement microphones at multiple positions throughout the sanctuary to evaluate system response and coverage. This confirmed that the issues were not a single point of failure, but a combination of aging speaker hardware, incomplete DSP tuning, and coverage limitations tied to the room’s geometry.
Engineering Decision
Any recommended solution needed to fit the church’s budget and remain visually consistent with the line array format the sanctuary was already built around. Based on the inspection, the clearest and most significant problem was isolated to the Left and Right main speakers, so the upgrade was scoped around replacing those. The goal was not simply to increase output — it was to improve speech intelligibility and coverage consistency from the front of the room to the back.
The Solution
Living Sound selected the LSS QREX, a coaxial point-source loudspeaker, configuring two units per side (Left and Right) in an upper/lower arrangement. The system’s 60° horizontal by 40° vertical coverage pattern was used to more precisely target the seating areas that had been underserved by the previous array.
As part of the upgrade, Living Sound also installed and programmed a new Biamp TesiraFORTÉ DAN CI DSP. Work included removal of the old speaker system, installation of the new main speakers, speaker tuning, full system calibration, a sound check with the praise team, and training for the church’s operating team.
The Result
Following the upgrade, the pastor, worship leader, and media team reported that clean, clear sound was reaching the rear seating far more consistently than before. Tonal and level differences between the front, middle, and rear of the sanctuary were noticeably reduced. Sermon audio came through fuller and clearer, and the clarity and overall balance of the worship team’s sound also improved. The media team noted that mixing from the booth had become easier as well.
More Than a Speaker Replacement
This project wasn’t a simple swap of old speakers for new ones. It started with inspection and measurement, moved through a diagnosis of exactly what was causing the problem, and led to an engineering decision focused on the part of the system that actually needed to change. Installation, DSP programming, and calibration followed — the kind of process that turns a speaker upgrade into a meaningful improvement in sound quality and coverage consistency across the sanctuary.
More Work with Global Harvest Church
This is one of several projects Living Sound has completed with Global Harvest Church, including improvements to the side-fill speaker coverage, a system inspection and troubleshooting visit, and a multi-month media team development and training program. Together, these projects reflect an ongoing partnership rather than a single installation.
Related Services
Church Audio Consultation • Audio System Inspection • Church AV Installation & Upgrade
Ready to Talk About Your System?
Is your church dealing with a sound system that no longer performs the way it used to, or coverage that fades out toward the back of the room? Living Sound offers audio system inspections and consultations to help identify what’s actually causing the problem — and what it would take to fix it.