How to choose a sound system for a mosque

A mosque sound system carries the voice of the imam, the khutbah and the call to prayer. When it works well, nobody thinks about it. When it does not, people in the back rows struggle to follow, and the words seem to dissolve in an echo. The good news is that most problems can be solved by careful choices of speakers, amplifier and microphone, long before any building work.

Why mosques are hard for sound

Prayer halls are usually large, with high ceilings and hard surfaces such as tile, marble and glass. These surfaces reflect sound instead of absorbing it, which creates echo and blurs speech. A single loud speaker at the front makes things worse, because the people near it are overwhelmed while those at the back get a smeared, delayed version of the sound.

The more reliable approach is to use several smaller speakers spread through the hall, each covering its own area at a moderate level. Because every listener is close to a speaker, the system can run at a lower volume, and there is less echo.

Step 1: Decide the zones

Walk through the building and list the areas that need sound:

• The main prayer hall
• The women’s section
• Upper floors or galleries
• The courtyard or verandah
• The wudu area
• Any separate classrooms or offices

Each of these can be a zone, which means it can be switched on or off and set to its own volume. Zones also let you save power and avoid sound reaching places where it is not wanted.

Step 2: Choose speakers for speech

Wall speakers suit most prayer halls, because they sit at a comfortable height and can run along the side walls. The RF-501 and RF-601 have a built-in transformer for 70V and 100V lines, with four power taps of 15W, 30W, 60W and 120W. The tap sets how much power each speaker draws, so you can give louder positions a higher tap and quieter ones a lower tap.

In a hall with a ceiling suited to it, ceiling speakers such as the LTH-701 can add coverage, with power taps of 6W, 10W and 15W on a 100V line.

Whichever you choose, try to aim speakers at the listeners and not at hard walls, and avoid placing them so that they point back at the imam’s microphone.

Step 3: Pick an amplifier

For a mosque, look for these features:

• A 100V line output, so many speakers can share a long cable.
• Several zones, so each area can be controlled.
• Enough microphone inputs, for the imam and perhaps a second speaker.
• Priority mute, which lowers music or recitation playback when someone speaks.
• Enough power, with about 20 to 30 percent spare capacity.

The A-2120H and A-2240H give two zones with separate on and off switches and a priority mute. The PA-260 and PA-380 add four microphone inputs, and the LPA-150EC offers five independent zones. The SPA-60/150W is a compact Class D amplifier with a 12V DC input for battery backup, which may be useful where mains power is not always reliable.

Step 4: Choose the microphones

The imam’s microphone matters more than anything else in the system. Two choices suit most mosques.

A gooseneck microphone such as the UBU938 is fixed at the mimbar and can be aimed at the speaker’s mouth. It has a cardioid pattern, which picks up sound from the front and rejects much of the sound from the sides and back.

A head-worn microphone such as the UBU-HM99 keeps a consistent distance from the mouth and frees the hands, which is useful for lectures, classes and speakers who move.

Check the connector on your amplifier before you buy. The UBU938 has an XLR output, so you may need a suitable cable or adapter to match the amplifier’s microphone input.

Step 5: Add up the power

On a 100V system, each speaker takes the power of its chosen tap. Add the taps of every speaker on an output, and make sure the total is below the amplifier’s rating with a margin. For example, twelve speakers on the 10W tap use 120W, so an amplifier of at least 150W gives comfortable headroom. Our guide to 100V line systems explains this in more detail.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Placing one big speaker at the front. It will be too loud near the front and unclear at the back.
• Aiming speakers at hard walls. This increases echo.
• Putting a microphone close to a speaker. This causes the squeal known as feedback.
• Buying an amplifier with no spare power. Running at the limit causes distortion and shortens its life.
• Forgetting future growth. If you may add a floor or a hall, leave a spare zone.

Testing the system

When the system is installed, test it with the hall empty and again with people present, because people absorb sound and change how the room behaves. Walk to the back row and the corners, listening for clear speech without echo. Adjust speaker taps and tone controls until speech is natural, and keep the microphone volume just below the point where feedback starts.

Getting a quote

Every mosque is different, so we plan each system from your building. Tell us the size of the prayer hall, the number of floors and zones, and whether you need outdoor sound, and we will suggest a matching set. See the mosques and worship halls page for the products we suggest.

Request a quote