Oregon-based audio production and installation company Alpha Sound has completed two successful Nexo ID series installations in local churches. Central to the levels of performance achieved in St Paul’s Episcopal Church and Kingwood Bible Church – both in Alpha Sound’s hometown of Salem – is the use of Nexo’s new ID84 columns as the main speakers, supplemented by ultra-compact ID14s to cover smaller areas of the churches.

‘When we first got our hands on the ID84, we discovered something very different from a conventional column loudspeaker,’ says Alpha Sound’s Devin Sheets. ‘First, the soft dome tweeter array lends what I would describe as an almost hi-fi sonic characteristic, with an open, natural high end that’s perfectly suited to speech reproduction, which makes up so much of a typical church service.

‘Then there’s the coverage. With continued downward off-axis response intelligibility we found that a pair of ID84s mounted 20ft up delivered consistent SPL and frequency coverage to the back of the venue. It’s fair to think of the ID84 as a viable substitute for a small line array where budget is limited.’

The system at St Paul’s uses a pair of ID84s in what is a long, narrow and semi-reverberant space. With a shared sonic signature, ID14s are used to cover the transept, choir, and overflow areas. A similar system is deployed at the Kingwood Bible Church, where the main space is somewhat shorter at 55ft, with relatively dry acoustics. A pair of ID14s cover the balcony areas and a single Nexo L18 sub extends LF response. The full system at the Kingwood Bible Church is powered by a single Nexo NXAmp4X1 Mk2, while the St Paul’s system uses an NXAmp4X1 Mk2, supplemented by a Nexo DTD/DTDAmp4x0.7 which powers the ID14s.

‘The NXAmpMK2 is our go-to amplification solution,’ Sheets says. ‘Having presets for every cabinet and horn configuration makes it quick and easy to configure systems that combine different speakers from the Nexo range. And it’s also very cost-effective. We can even use a couple of spare channels to power legacy speakers such as existing ceiling speakers in other rooms.’

Alongside its sonic and coverage characteristics, the form factor of the ID84 column is also suited to liturgical spaces, with their typically vertical architectural features.

‘People have said that the system sounds great, but where is it?’ Sheets reports. ‘It’s just another example of how the Nexo ID Series is so well suited for applications in houses of worship.’