Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Most people are used to seeing big speakers mounted on tripod stands offered by other hire companies so the state-of-the-art compact gear we offer may seem a bit unusual. Basically, technology has progressed massively in recent years and good speaker manufacturers are now able to pack a lot of punch, as well as excellent sound quality into a very small package. We use Soundchoice Pro Meline systems because they do exactly that - they’re loud, they sound great, they look sharp, and they’re super simple - what more could you want? Our 'Standard Package’ includes one of these speakers and will suit most events up to about 100 people, but if you have a bigger crowd or just want some extra volume, contact us and we may be able to supply you with two speakers instead of one. You will have more than enough volume for any wedding or corporate function.
Yes, that’s what The Good Sound is all about! It’s how we’re able to provide you such high quality, stylish, gear at such a good price and that’s our main point of difference. In short, we’ve invested more in our gear so that we can provide you a unique combination of quality, style, and simplicity, which makes it easy for you to do it all yourself - giving you the best sound experience while saving you money at the same time. Just follow the simple instructions we provide and you’ll be rocking!
Firstly, we test all our systems before we hire them out, no gear leaves our site unless we’re 100% sure it’s working. So, we’re confident you’re not gonna have any problems with our gear! User error is a more likely problem, which is a great problem to have, because it’s easily fixed by following our simple instructions. We’ll make sure we only hire you gear that works, but there’s a couple of things you’ll need to take care of to make sure it all runs smooth:
- THE golden rule of good sound.
Set up and test-run the gear EARLY! Seems obvious right, but if there’s gonna be a problem you wanna know about it well before your event kicks off while there’s still time to get it sorted - not when the bride is waiting to walk down the aisle! We cannot stress this enough so we’ll say it again - get set up and do your sound check EARLY! The day before is best, but whenever you do it, we suggest you also give it another wee test run in the hour before kick-off (you never know when some kid, or drunk uncle who fancies himself as a bit of a techy, will sneak in and mess with things when adults aren’t around!). - Follow our instructions!
Our systems are super simple so there are very few ways in which things can go wrong. So, if you think there’s a problem, just chill, everything’s gonna be ok! First step is to patiently go through all the set-up and operating steps in the instructions we’ve provided and make sure you’ve done everything right. Still not working? Have a look at our ‘trouble-shooting’ tips to see if there’s any tricks in there that’ll help you. Failing all that - give us a call! Whenever our gear’s out at an event we’re ready and happy to take a call for help 24/7, and we’ll see if we can help you out over the phone. If none of that works and you think there might be a fault in the gear, we’ll see what we can do. Check out our Terms and Conditions for our full policy on this.
We have two bases, Christchurch and Timaru. You’re welcome to pick up and return gear to and from either. Just let us know in your booking which base you want to pick-up/return and contact us in the week prior to your event to organise a pick-up time.
If you live out of town and getting to Timaru or Christchurch is going to be a hassle we offer a return courier service to and from anywhere in Canterbury. Please contact us to arrange this.
We don’t want you to stress so we try to be as accommodating as possible with return times. On the flip side, we generally need the gear back promptly so we can get it out to our next customer in time, that’s why we have a pretty strict returns policy. For this reason, if you think you’re going to need a later return time you’re best to let us know when you first make your booking so we can try work something out. If you’re gonna struggle getting the gear back to us on time you’ll need to let us know well in advance of the return time so we can see if we can work out a solution. If the gear comes back late without our approval then that will incur an additional 1 day hire fee of $300 (for a standard hire package, costs will vary for other packages). See our Terms and Conditions for full details on our late returns policy.
Check out our easy online booking system. Simply select the dates you want the gear to check availability, and then you’ll be guided through the steps (we recommend selecting the day before your event day so the calendar blocks out the day before, the day of, and the day after, your event). You’ll need to have a valid credit card or ability to pay with internet banking. We can’t accept payment by cash or cheque. Any questions or problems just give us a call, we’re here to help.
Our standard price is for a 1 day hire, but we throw in a day either side of your event for free so you don’t have to stress about pick-up, set-up, and return time. If you need the gear for longer than this just get in touch well before your event and we’ll do our best to see you sorted for a reasonable price. Ideally you’re best to let us know if you need extra days when you first make your booking otherwise we might not be able to guarantee the gear will be available for the extra time you want it.
We give all our gear a sterile wipe down when it comes back in and before it goes out again. Whenever possible, we keep it in storage for a few days between hires to further ensure you receive clean, safe, gear. If you’re event is postponed due to an unforeseen change in Covid-19 alert levels, we’ll happily hold your booking and transfer it over to your new dates when you have them (up to 2 years from the original event date). If you are forced to cancel your event due to Covid-19 alert levels, we’ll refund you in full, no questions asked.
We do! If you’re in the wedding or corporate event industry you’ll know the value of loyal partnerships with fellow professionals who you can always rely on to deliver the quality of service you need, when you need it, every time. So that’s exactly what we can offer you. We offer a range of competitive pro-deals to selected industry professionals and we’re always open to new partners joining our small network of trusted professional customers. Give us a call or drop us a line anytime to discuss your needs and how we can best help you.
Hmmm...this can be a curly one. It’s possible your celebrant has a decent sound system and can operate it properly, but without knowing for sure, based on our experience, 99% of the time our answer to this question is a resounding no! In fact, this was one of the main reasons we started The Good Sound!
Let’s just say we’ve seen it happen too many times that a customer trusts that the celebrant has the sound system under control, and then the celebrant turns up with a little piece of junk they got off trademe, and the end result is crap sound and big disappointment. These days most celebrants do have their own mic and speaker set up, and for very small groups these are sometimes adequate, the problem is the quality of the systems (and competence of the operators) varies massively and you just never quite know what you’re going to get. Sadly, more often than not they are cheap systems that sound tinny and are far too small for the task. This results in poor sound projection so people can’t hear, and poor sound quality so those who can hear simply hear bad sound. Even if the celebrant’s gear is adequate for a spoken voice, very rarely are they suitable for music of any sort.
If your celebrant intends to use their own gear we highly recommend you ask them the brand and model names of their equipment, then feel free to contact us for a ‘no obligation’ chat about it. There are a handful of trusted industry standard brands that will do a good job, but there’s an unbelievable amount of junk out there too. We’re happy to help you figure out what will do the job you want, whether or not that means you decide to book with The Good Sound.
Having said that, we started The Good Sound because time and again we’ve seen that it simply isn’t worth the risk of having bad sound on your special day. If you’re expecting more than a handful of people, or you’re wanting a sound system for music and dancing at a reception anyway, then we highly recommend you book one of our packages and simply tell your celebrant you expect them to use it. One thing is almost certain, our gear will be better than theirs!
Easy! This is where The Good Sound systems really come into their own. It is a piece of cake to simply pack the system down at the end of your ceremony and move it to your next location, set up again, and away you go. Once you’ve done it once, the whole pack-down, set-up process can be done in a few minutes.
We do our best to look after you by providing great gear, great service, and low prices, so our expectation is you’ll do your best to look after the gear while it's in your care. You'll need to read our full Terms and Conditions to properly understand your responsibilities and obligations when you hire gear from The Good Sound, but, in short, you're fully responsible for the gear while it's in your possession. This means you'll need to take all practical steps to ensure the gear is well looked after and well secured while it's in your care. We think that's pretty reasonable and hopefully you do too. By hiring from The Good Sound you agree to cover the costs of any loss of, or damage to, the gear while it's in your care as per our Terms and Conditions.
Not quite sure what you need?
All good! Get in touch for a yarn, we’re here to help and can tailor any package to suit your situation.