GREENSBORO, NC – Since St. Pius Tenth Parish first opened its doors in 1955, it has grown along with the community it serves. After several decades of holding multiple services in a 300-seat sanctuary, the church recently dedicated their spacious new facility, which has been equipped with Iconyx gear by Audio and Light. With seating for more than 1,200 people, the new building has high ceilings, a marble sanctuary, concrete floors and a host of other architectural features that are pleasing to the eye but acoustically challenging.
"Their Building Committee approached us during the planning phase," said Brian Cox of Greensboro-based Audio and Light, the company behind the parish's new sound system. "One thing that was very important to them was the understanding that they weren't just building a bigger space – they were creating a worship environment."
Beginning with an EASE model of the space, Audio and Light created a system based around a pair of Renkus-Heinz Iconyx IC24-R steered array cabinets covering the main seating area in the Nave.
"The Iconyx arrays were perfect for providing even coverage from front to back, as well as the accurate pattern control needed to keep the sound energy off of the walls, ceilings and other reflective surfaces in the room," said Cox.
Iconyx's slim profile was an added benefit, Cox added. "The Iconyx units, as well as all the rest of the Renkus-Heinz loudspeakers, were custom painted to match the walls they are mounted to. For the Iconyx cabinets in particular, this really helps them blend well into the background."
A selection of other Renkus-Heinz loudspeakers covers the rest of the church, including two TRX81 two-way, eight-inch systems for the choir area. "We chose the TRX81 for its compact size and tight pattern control," said Cox. On the sanctuary platform, a single SGX41 box serves as a monitor for the priest.
The chapel has a glass partition separating it from the nave, creating a space to be used as a day chapel or for overflow seating. That space is equipped with four more SGX81 boxes, with two facing front and two facing rear so that audio can come from in front of listeners regardless of their seating orientation. Two more SGX41 units cover the narthex, with a pair of CFX121M floor monitors onstage for the praise band.
Members of the congregation have lauded the new system, Cox said. "The Iconyx was an ideal solution for what would have otherwise been a very challenging space," he added.
For more information, please visit www.renkus-heinz.com.
