DEARBORN HEIGHTS, MI – Mercury Sound & Lighting has designed and integrated a new audio system for the Islamic Institute of America’s newly constructed 10,583-square-foot prayer hall, one of the region’s most architecturally intricate worship spaces. Facing a highly reflective room and a request for minimal visual impact, Mercury built the system around Eastern Acoustic Works’ (EAW®) AC6 ADAPTive Column Loudspeakers, achieving strong speech intelligibility, consistent coverage and precise acoustic control.
The prayer hall features soaring ceilings, orthogonal crossbeam patterns, expansive stonework and a hand-painted domed centerpiece. These elements give the room its beauty, but they also create significant acoustic challenges. With large windows, reflective surfaces and a seating layout that places congregants directly on the floor, the space required a system capable of precise, adaptable coverage.
“The combination of venue circumstances and the request to be as aesthetically pleasing as possible, all factored into our design for this space,” said John “Timmy” Gooding, senior systems engineer at Mercury Sound & Lighting.
Gooding, who led the design, selected the AC6 as the core of the system. “The AC6 ADAPTive system ticked all the boxes for this installation. It gave us the ability to fully tune the system to the room, adjust the coverage as the use-case changes and have minimal visual impact on the space,” he said.
Mercury installed three AC6 units per side as the main arrays, vertically stacked in the front corners of the hall. Single AC6 units along the side walls serve as delay fills, extending even coverage to the rear of the room. “There are so many hard, reflective surfaces that I implemented multiple methods to ensure the system produced even, intelligible audio across the seating area,” Gooding said.
The AC6’s ADAPTive coverage control was essential to achieving that balance. “This allowed for aesthetically pleasing front arrays that can cover the space, no matter what function is being held within it,” he said.
The AC6’s networked audio capabilities also reduced installation time and complexity. “All we needed was power, two network cables and a solid mounting surface. With the ability to manipulate the coverage via software, it eliminates the need for additional installer time to fine-tune positioning of the cabinets,” Gooding said.
Rounding out the system, two EAW MK8196i passive loudspeakers fly as wide-coverage monitors, powered by a Crown CDi 2×300 BLU amplifier. A BSS Audio BLU100m and BLU-DAN handle processing and enable Dante connectivity between the Allen & Heath SQ mixing console, used for advanced operation, and AMX control for daily services. An AKG CGN341E gooseneck microphone serves the minbar to capture the imam’s voice during sermons, and a Shure SLX-D+ Dante wireless receiver with headset, lavalier and handheld options gives the congregation flexibility for a wide range of events.
The AC6 delivered what the congregation hoped for: clarity, consistency and control. Early feedback from the community has been positive. “I know they are very pleased to have a high level of intelligible audio, without the need to have multiple cabinets deployed throughout the room, as was the case with their last facility,” Gooding said.
Gooding also credited the AC6’s audio reproduction, along with its flexible design, robust mounting hardware and IP54 durability. “This is a column that does not sound like a traditional column; extremely musical, especially for the compact form factor,” he said. He pointed to its low-frequency performance as well. “AC6 gets low enough that we’ve found subs are unnecessary for many applications.”
Mercury sees EAW as a long-term fit for its worship projects. “EAW makes a wide array of dependable products that fit a multitude of applications. We definitely plan on utilizing EAW products within our designs for future house of worship applications,” Gooding said.
Today, the Islamic Institute of America has a flexible, high-performance audio system ready to support its growing community and diverse programming. Mercury Sound & Lighting’s design keeps the prayer hall both visually stunning and sonically optimized, an environment where spoken word, worship and community connection can thrive.
Integrators and system designers taking on acoustically challenging worship spaces can learn more about the AC6 and EAW’s ADAPTive technology at www.eaw.com.