In the world of audiovisual system design, few projects are as demanding as houses of worship. Highly reverberant surfaces, architectural constraints, and volunteer-driven operations often converge to create unique—and often unpredictable—challenges for consultants and integrators.
Modernizing these spaces with contemporary audio systems requires not only technical precision, but also genuine interdisciplinary collaboration.
When St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Austin, Texas, set out to solve its long-standing sound problems, it turned to one of the most respected names in the industry: Ken Dickensheets, principal consultant at Dickensheets Design Associates. With more than 6,500 projects to his name and decades of experience in acoustics and audiovisual system design, Dickensheets brought clarity and confidence to a parish frustrated by years of failed solutions.
The Bose Professional solution
Built approximately 15 years ago, St. John Neumann Church is architecturally impressive, with high ceilings and a prominent dome above the altar. However, the space had suffered from several shortcomings in its audio installations. At least three previous systems had failed to deliver intelligibility, and the high ambient noise from the mechanical system only made matters worse.
What the church needed was not additional acoustic treatment, but the right solution, applied in the right way. For the room to reach its full potential, we needed to address the background noise issue and specify the right loudspeakers, placed in the correct positions, explains Dickensheets.
To further complicate matters, the church required a solution that would visually disappear into the architecture, deliver precise coverage, and be ready on an extremely tight deadline: one week before Easter.
Dickensheets had a clear vision for the project. He selected the Bose Professional MSA12X steerable column arrays for their precision, clarity, and discreet design. With stacks of one, two, or three modules depending on coverage needs, the MSA12X offered the flexibility required for a space that could not accommodate conventional point-source systems.
“Modularity was crucial”, says Eric Ramay, system design developer at Mood Texas, the project’s integration partner. “Using the same product throughout the space allowed us to optimize everything: installation, programming, and aesthetics. The mounting was the same for each loudspeaker, which saved us a lot of time”.
Having worked with Bose Professional on multiple projects over the years, Dickensheets knew he could rely on the team to deliver.
“Bose Professional gives us exactly what we need: products that perform as advertised, product availability, and support that makes the job easier”, he says. “Whenever we reach out to the Bose Professional team with questions, we get answers almost immediately. That’s what turns a manufacturer into a true partner”.
That collaboration proved essential. When site conditions required a creative solution for loudspeaker mounting, the Bose Professional engineering team responded quickly with clear, practical guidance, confirming that the team could safely move the bracket to a non-standard position without compromising integrity or safety.
We contacted their technical team and received a straightforward response. It wasn’t in the manual, but they confirmed it was safe, and that flexibility made a big difference. Being able to speak with someone who understood the product beyond the spec sheet was critical, says Ramay.
When it came time to paint the loudspeakers, Bose Professional also provided precise recommendations on materials and methods to ensure that both aesthetics and acoustic performance were preserved.
The installation team at Mood Texas faced numerous obstacles, from curved walls to irreplaceable tile surfaces. Based on a design by Dickensheets, the team worked closely with the church and Bose Professional to ensure the loudspeakers were installed safely and discreetly. Legacy Bose Professional MA12 loudspeakers were repurposed as choir speakers, while ArenaMatch Utility loudspeakers provided coverage in the narthex, hallways, and exterior. The reused MA12 loudspeakers were mounted in two sets of four arrays (left and right) on the choir façade, with the vertical arrays mounted side by side to provide, along with appropriate EQ and delay, a narrower horizontal beam.
Despite the complexity, the system was up and running on time. According to Ramay, the modular nature of the MSA12X made the ambitious timeline possible.
“Once our team installed the first panels, the rest went in quickly”, he says. “It was repeatable. That efficiency was huge.” But it was the steerable beam design that made the biggest difference. "Getting the equipment into position was a real challenge”, Ramay explains. "The Bose Professional steerable arrays made it much easier than point-source loudspeakers, where exact placement is critical".
In a space like St. John Neumann, loudspeaker placement was constrained by architecture and aesthetics. "With beam steering, we were able to install them where possible and then direct the sound where it needed to go”, Ramay adds. "They blended in perfectly. The client couldn’t believe how natural they sounded".
The technology also helped eliminate long-standing issues with clarity and feedback. "They had tried to fix this problem several times before and failed”, he says. "This time, it worked, and the system feels like it truly belongs there".
The result? Uniform, intelligible sound throughout the sanctuary. Volunteer staff can operate the system in automatic mode. Congregants who previously relied on hearing assistance devices can now hear clearly without them. And the loudspeakers themselves virtually disappear into the architecture.
Feedback from the church has been overwhelmingly positive. “They weren’t just happy—they were euphoric”, Dickensheets recalls. “The complaints stopped. People came up and said, ‘I can finally understand the priest.’ For the first time, they felt truly part of the service”.
“The client has told us repeatedly that this is exactly what they were hoping for”, added Ramay. “There are no more complaints about clarity—just a system that works and sounds wonderful”.
The success of the project was made possible by a long-standing relationship built on trust, performance, and shared values.
From Bose Professional, we have seen nothing but a strong commitment to innovation, meeting customer demands, and grounding their products in solid engineering principles. They provide what we need: accurate specifications, product availability, and a willingness to meet the contractor’s schedule. That’s what makes them a reliable partner, concludes Dickensheets.
