Houses of Worship
Overview
Masjid Al-Rahma recently decided to upgrade its original ageing system. The Liverpool Muslim Society required a distributed loudspeaker system for all areas of the mosque to broadcast daily prayers.
Partners & Collaborators
Client
Masjid Al-Rahma
Sector
Houses of Worship
Services
Design / Installation / Training
Location
Liverpool, England
Year
2024
The mosque was founded in 1953 by the late Al-Haj Ali Hizzam, initially operating from a room in his house. Construction of Al-Rahma Mosque began in 1965, with the main prayer hall completed in July 1974 to serve the small population of 3,000 Muslims at that time. The first-floor extension, the madrassah, and the imam's accommodation were added in 1979.
Over seven decades, the Muslim population in the Liverpool region has grown to over 25,000, and Al-Rahma Mosque has undergone multiple extension projects. On Fridays, the mosque accommodates between 2,000 and 2,500 people across three levels for communal prayers. This requires spoken word broadcasts from the imam to be relayed to all areas of the building complex from several microphone positions at the mihrab and minbar.
The Liverpool Muslim Society requested sound system design assistance for three levels of the building, including multiple breakout spaces. Historically, LMS had used the Renkus-Heinz UBX16 column loudspeakers for outside events and were keen to incorporate these models into any new system.
The mosque sound system is split into four zones, including the main ground-floor hall, the first and second-floor spaces of matched size, along with multiple auxiliary areas including a new cafeteria and canteen. Each zone's loudspeaker system can broadcast its own sources and microphones, or sound sources from other zones. During daily and larger communal prayer events, all loudspeakers broadcast the imam's microphones, with the imam leading each service. During the week, the zone sound systems tend to be used independently for educational purposes and corporate events.
The original loudspeaker system was supplied and installed by Adlib around 2004 and worked reliably 24 hours a day, seven days a week. When LMS were ready for a general upgrade of the building and overhaul, they contacted Roger Kirby at Adlib to generate new designs utilising the Renkus-Heinz UBX16/UBX8 models. Roger had designed and supplied their original system, understanding the complexity and acoustic dynamics of the religious services.
Kirby explains: "The space's acoustic response is very good, owing to a combination of its original design and plush floor surfaces.
"The primary issues were the ornate building aesthetics combined with the large scale of the halls, requiring discreet placement of loudspeakers with suitable capability. The Renkus-Heinz UBX16 was a great choice and offered excellent audio coverage and great value for money.
"We used the UBX8s throughout the venue with a pair of the larger UBX16s as the main set of loudspeakers. With limited space next to the mihrab, we opted to use a pair of Adlib compact AA81s in this position, offering excellent stereo monitoring and additional low-frequency delivery. Each loudspeaker set has its own channel on the Linear Research 88C3 amplifiers. This allowed optimisation, control, and uniform delivery of low-frequency coverage throughout the mosque.
"The system was completed by the deployment of BSS BLU-100 and BLU-DAN units, with system parameters accessed and selected via the EC-8BV remotes. The imam's microphones are controlled with the Allen & Heath SQ5 mixer. This allows the direct microphones to have reverberation and effects blended as desired by the team and congregation. The console can also be controlled via an iPad when required."
Abdul Basit Qadir, Chief Operating Officer at Al-Rahma Mosque, comments, "Working with Adlib on the installation of the new PA system at Al-Rahma Mosque, which is the largest mosque in Liverpool, was an outstanding experience from start to finish. Roger and his professional team delivered not only an exceptional product but also a service that truly went above and beyond our expectations.
"The system they designed and installed provides remarkable clarity, balance, and coverage, ensuring every voice is heard with precision across the entire space. What stood out most was how the process felt completely tailored to our needs.
"Adlib's post-installation support has been just as impressive. Their responsiveness and continued technical assistance have given us complete confidence in the long-term reliability of the system.
Abdulwase Sufian, Technical Manager and Head of Comms & Media, concludes, "The loudspeaker system installed by Adlib is absolutely outstanding — unlike anything we've experienced before. International respected figures and guest speakers that visit us have commented on how incredible it sounds during prayer, describing it as one of the finest sounding mosque PA systems in the UK. The ongoing support from the Adlib team has been exceptional and continues to impress us and our visitors."
Credits
.avif)
.png){kind=logo}
