Why You Shouldn’t Always Use a Venue’s “House Sound System”

At first glance, it might seem like using your venue’s built-in sound system would make things easier—less equipment, less setup, and maybe even less cost. But when it comes to producing a high-quality experience for your event, the reality is a bit more complicated.

At Clik Entertainment and Massive Audio Visual, we take sound seriously—not just loudness, but clarity, consistency, and control. That’s why we have an approval process for any venue sound system before we agree to use it. It’s not about being difficult; it’s about protecting the quality of your event and ensuring everything sounds the way it should.

The Problem With “House Systems”

Many venues proudly advertise that they have a “built-in sound system.” Unfortunately, these systems are often not professionally designed; rather, designed and maintained by the venue who are not experts at sound. They have a mentality of ‘it works, doesn’t it?’. 

Here are some of the common issues we’ve encountered:

  • Insufficient Speaker Wattage or Incorrect Speaker Placement: The system might work for a few people, but when 200 guests fill the room, the sound disappears through conversation. Speakers can also be placed in odd areas and not be properly delayed—this may cause an absurd amount of echo and phasing.   

  • Poor System Quality: We’ve seen everything from muffled speakers and cheap microphones to distortion with only classical music. Low caliber wireless microphone systems are often used as well, so signal may drop during those important moments. 

  • Unfamiliar or Restricted Controls: Some systems require special knowledge, unique routing, or a venue technician to operate them. If our team can’t make professional adjustments, since not all sound systems are the same, the sound suffers—and that reflects on our brand and your event experience.

  • Unknown Equipment: Without knowing the exact make and model of the speakers, amplifiers, and mixer, we can’t predict how it will perform. 

All of this adds risk. We’ve learned through experience that even a beautiful venue can have an underpowered or outdated sound system that simply doesn’t meet professional standards.

Why Approval Protects Your Event

Our approval process ensures we can deliver the quality you expect. When a venue claims to have an in-house system, we review the full technical details—brand, model, placement, power ratings, and any installed DSP (digital sound processing).

If the system meets our professional standards, great—we’re happy to use it. But if it doesn’t, we’ll have to bring our own professional-grade system that’s built for your specific event size and style. That way, you know your music, speeches, and overall experience will sound clean, balanced, and powerful from the first dance to the final song.

The Bottom Line

When you hire a professional entertainment and production company, you’re investing in a controlled, predictable, and exceptional experience. Allowing an unverified system to jeopardize that isn’t worth the risk—for you or for us.

Our sound approval policy isn’t a restriction—it’s a safeguard. It ensures every event we produce meets the same professional standard our clients have come to expect.

If your venue claims to have a system in place, let us review it early. If it’s up to par, fantastic. If not, we’ll bring the sound your event deserves.

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