Abstract: An improvement in furniture, such as a church pew, for a reverent atmosphere characterized by resilient padding on both front and back of the back rest and a fabric cover over the resilient padding. Preferably, individual speakers are included in the respective pews and covered with fabric for low overall noise level but improved ease of hearing and reverence. In church pews, it is preferred that the back rests of the pews also have a fabric covered book rack for reduced noise. Also disclosed are preferred structural embodiments in terms of location and structure for housing the speakers.