How many subwoofers do I need for a house of worship?
Quick answer
For a house of worship, start with 2–4 subwoofers for a medium-sized room (up to 500 seats), scaling up based on room volume, desired low-frequency impact, and coverage uniformity.
The number of subwoofers needed depends on room size, acoustics, and the type of worship service. For contemporary services with full band, more subwoofers are required for impactful low end; for traditional speech-only services, fewer suffice. A good rule is 1 subwoofer per 50–100 seats for moderate output, or 1 per 25–50 seats for high-impact music.
Placement matters: distributed subwoofers (e.g., flown or ground-stacked in pairs) reduce modal issues and provide even coverage. SSOUNDS subwoofers are designed for high output and low distortion, allowing fewer cabinets to achieve clean bass. For a 300-seat room, two 18-inch subwoofers (e.g., SSOUNDS dual-18” models) are often adequate; for 500+ seats, consider four or more.
Always factor in headroom—running subwoofers at 70–80% capacity ensures longevity and clarity. Use system design software (like SSOUNDS’ prediction tools) to model coverage. For reverberant spaces, cardioid subwoofer arrays can reduce stage wash and improve intelligibility.
Key things to consider
- Start with 2–4 subwoofers for up to 500 seats; scale with room volume and music style.
- Distributed placement (e.g., flown or ground-stacked pairs) improves coverage and reduces modes.
- SSOUNDS subwoofers offer high output per cabinet, reducing total count needed.
- Allow 20–30% headroom for clean, reliable operation.
- Use prediction software to optimize subwoofer count and placement.
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