Two historic churches in Slovenia have improved worship services and visitor experiences with the installation of Renkus-Heinz UBX loudspeakers, solving long-standing issues with reverberation and poor speech clarity.

The Basilica of Mary Help of Christians in Brezje, the nation’s largest pilgrimage site, attracts more than 400,000 visitors each year. The high ceilings and stone walls of the sanctuary created difficult acoustics, with echoes masking the spoken word.

Acoustic engineer and project manager Mitja Borko selected UBX8 passive column loudspeakers for their ability to deliver focused coverage while remaining visually discreet in the ornate setting. Installed on side pillars at a 15-degree tilt, the loudspeakers provided even sound across the nave without disturbing the church’s historic architecture.

“The UBX8 loudspeakers proved to be a perfect choice for the Basilica,” Borko said. “The congregation can hear the liturgy clearly while basking in the visual splendour.”

At St. Jernej’s Church, a smaller 14th-century building near Slovenia’s eastern border, the challenges were different but equally severe. A peaked wooden ceiling and hard reflective surfaces caused excessive reverberation, making sermons difficult to follow. UBX8 loudspeakers were again deployed, offering the precise directivity needed for clear, intelligible speech throughout the sanctuary.

“The church staff were thrilled with the audio improvements,” Borko said. “Masses are intelligible for the entire nave — even parishioners sitting in the back can still understand the liturgy.”

Both installations were supported by Yamaha mixing consoles, 31-band equalizers and Klein Hummel amplifiers, enhancing frequency response and reducing distortion. MTD Electronics, a Renkus-Heinz partner in Slovenia, provided distribution.

The UBX8, part of Renkus-Heinz’s UBX Series, features eight neodymium transducers in a compact column enclosure, offering the clarity of the company’s flagship ICONYX technology in a simplified passive format. Its slim profile and mounting flexibility make it well suited for acoustically and aesthetically sensitive spaces such as houses of worship.

“The improvement in speech intelligibility is remarkable,” Borko said. “I highly recommend UBX loudspeakers for future installations.”

With these upgrades, both churches have been able to maintain their architectural heritage while providing worshippers with the modern expectation of clear, reliable sound.