TLAH or SLA PRO for a church

[Mbranzuela]

Hello,

Newbie here, hoping for tips on what to do.

I'm the TLAH or SLA Pro and a pair of subwoofers for a church that is currently being used for Sunday services primarily for live music and preacher’s sermons..

The interior of the space is 35' wide by 48' long -- about 1680 square feet no including the ceiling. The cathedral ceiling has a 5/12 pitch with the highest point in the middle being 11' 4” high, and tapers down to 9’6” on the right side and 7”6” on the left. Due to the cathedral ceiling, there is approximately 20% more cubic feet of area as a opposed to a flat ceiling.
Currently, the speakers are mounted on a left side post and on a right side wall about 12 feet in front of the stage. These were mounted in these spots ease of mounting, with no consideration to audio quality.
The new speakers, either a TLAH or SLA Pro could be mounted in the same spots or elsewhere in the room. In addition, we would like to use one or two subwoofers.
We have 3 old crown amps (model unknown) that we are planning to use, however, any recommendations that would be an improvement are welcome.

Please recommend the following: a) TLAH or SLA pro (probably wall mounted) b) one or two subwoofers and which models and c) a reasonable cost amplifier alternative.
Our old speakers were floor standing EV (model unknown) with 12” drivers that were blown and replaced with some old Carvin powered units that are wall hung . Any change would probably be an improvement.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

It depends on how loud you need them. If it's for live music I'd go TLAH Pro.

[Mbranzuela]

On a rear occasion, it needs to be loud. Normally it doesn't need to be too loud. Looking more for sound quality rather than volume of sound.

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

You could hedge your bets with SLA Pro, and if they're not loud enough build more. One thing with TLAH Pro is that you may not need subs. With SLA Pro you will.

[Mbranzuela]

rare (typo) Also, I noticed the TLAH Pro is 6 feet in height. Are there shorter versions?

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

No. That's why there are pro versions of both the SLA and TLAH.

[Mbranzuela]

If we end up going with the SLA Pro, what subwoofer would you recommend? Also, does the TLAH Pro sound better than the SLA PRO?

[AntonZ]

If we end up going with the SLA Pro, what subwoofer would you recommend?

If you need subs then Titan 39 seems a good choice for just about any type of church. Both in terms of bang for buck as well as results for a given size. My bet is one or two should get you a long way, unless your congregation likes it stupid loud at the low end. If you build just one, make it as wide as allowed according to the plans. And corner load (see the sticky topic at the top of this forum section).

Also, does the TLAH Pro sound better than the SLA PRO?

I have no real life experience comparing TLAH pro to SLA pro so will leave that one for others.

[Mbranzuela]

Would it be okay to mount the Tlah pro horizontally?

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

No. It totally defeats the function of a line array.

[Mbranzuela]

Question regarding speaker component for the SLA Pro. Given the choice of the Alpha 6a, the Alphalite 6a and the Pro 5w-8, which model is best suited to live music?

[Strange Kevin]

Any of the recommended drivers will work well!
I'll say if these are permanently mounted to a wall the benifit of the Alphalight being lighter is wasted... Wait, aren't those discontinued?
You'll want the latest version of the plans.
There are other recommended drivers from GRS, PRV and a few other manufacturers.

I'd go with whatever is cheaper and in stock.
Some of the more premium drivers have the capacity to get a little louder, but almost always 2 cabs with budget drivers will outperform a single cab with "premium" drivers. Every space is a little different, do what makes sense for your situation.

If you have room for the 6" SLA-Pro's I'd stick with those options over the 5" driver versions.
Regardless of what drives you ultimately choose, you will want a Subwoofer to cover below 100hz for live music.

[Rich4349]

My very old plans for the TLAH only have one recommendation for 8" driver: the Eminence Alpha-8(A?). What are other commonly used / recommended 8" drivers?

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

GRS 8PT-8, PRV 8MR450-A, Dayton AMB820-8, Lavoce WSF081.82.

[Rich4349]

Thanks, Bill.