With the church actively encouraging appropriate use of the church for outside events, a high quality sound system is imperative, but over the years it became increasingly difficult to hear and enjoy both the spoken word and recorded or live music over a system that was installed more than 25 years ago. When a bequest from a local island resident made money available for 'a project that would benefit both the church and the congregation', the sound system was top priority.
With local resident David Earl acting as unofficial but knowledgeable technical adviser, the committee decided to approach Bose for a solution to their audio problems. The system had to meet three main requirements - first, to amplify the words of the priest, Father Stephen, so that they could be heard clearly by everyone in the church; secondly, to provide high quality sound from an electronic hymnal, whilst reproducing the frequency response of the organ; and lastly, to amplify vocal microphones, musical instruments and other audio inputs to concert hall standards.
Bose engineers visited the island, took extensive readings and went away to design a system which met all of these requirements. When the solution was presented to the church committee and Father Stephen, it was approved immediately and Bose Pro Partner, Ashdown AV, was selected to carry out the work. Eleven Bose Panaray 402 II full range loudspeakers, with bass support from a Bose Panaray 502B module, provide even sound coverage throughout the church, with audio management via a Bose ControlSpace ESP-88 digital signal processor.
According to St Anne's people's warden, John Postlethwaite, the difference the enhanced audio has made is immense. "The clarity of Father Stephen's sermons is so much better, and the whole congregation can now enjoy every word. Even those of us with little technical knowledge are able to operate the system, as it is so intuitive, and I cannot praise Bose and Ashdown AV enough for their understanding of our requirements and their patience in teaching us how to get the most out of it. We now have no hesitation in encouraging choirs and bands to perform in the church, knowing that the sound will be as good as anywhere else in the Channel Islands."
(Jim Evans)
