FAQ's

Why does my church need a sound, visual or hearing loop system?

Your space may need just one of these, or all of them depending on its use and how large it is, but they all enhance the experience for your congregation or your guests. Churches have wonderful acoustics, but these acoustics often cause problems hearing the sermons or readings clearly. Churches are difficult spaces to install equipment into because many are listed buildings, they are large spaces which create challenging acoustics and there is usually a need for any sound system, projector or hearing loop to be as unobtrusive as possible. At Sound4churches, we specialise in finding solutions to these challenges and allow you to have clear speech and music all across the church.

What about restaurants, cafés or hotels?

Having a sound system in these locations can greatly add to the ambiance and allow your guests to enjoy a more enjoyable experience. We can provide small equipment for intimate venues or larger systems for bigger spaces where background music still needs to be clear and high-quality. We work with a range of suppliers so that we have access to a large array of products, which allows us to tailor each system to the space we will be installing it into.

Is it expensive?

At Sound4Churches, we take pride in our understanding of the financial pressures many churches, village halls and small businesses face. Therefore, we always listen to the customer and find equipment at a budget which suits you, however big or small that is. We will always supply a written quotation so you can present this to other members of the committee or anyone else who needs to be involved in the process.

Will we need a faculty?

In many situations we can avoid the need for a Faculty by using innovative methods of installing the equipment, or by using equipment which can be free-standing. We will arrange with you to complete a site survey after you have enquired and during this, we will establish with you how a system can be installed with no interference to the fabric of the building. Our aim is always to make any new equipment as discreet and unobtrusive as possible.

What is an induction hearing loop?

In the simplest terms, an induction loop works on the principle of an audio signal being sent to an amplifier, which turns this into an electronic signal which, rather than going to loudspeakers, is fed around a cable placed around the perimeter of a room. The current flowing through the loop generates a magnetic field at audio frequency that radiates in the space around the loop cable. Any lines of magnetic flux that pass through the coil in a receiver, such as a hearing aid, will generate a current in that coil which is then converted back to audio and fed into the listener’s ear. There are different types of induction loops and thanks to modern technology, there is now a way to have a wireless hearing loop system.

Why do we need one?

Most of the time, if you have a sound system, then people using hearing aids should eb able to hear clearly using their hearing aids to pick up the sound that everyone else is hearing. However, there is government legislature (the Equality Act 2010) which states that public buildings should have the facility for haring aid users to use their 'Telecoil' position to hear what is happening. Quite often, a hearing aid user will prefer to use a hearing loop because it means they can hear clearer and easier, because their hearing aids are not picking up the other sounds around them, but just the microphone and music inputs.

How long will the installation take?

Installations are carried out over one to three days subject to size. We arrange a convenient time, the work is carried out, we clear up, the system is demonstrated, and we leave the premises in neat and tidy order.