Sutter Health Park Upgrades Audio with Martin Audio System

Sutter Health Park, home to the River Cats baseball team and the 'A's' (Athletics), has completed a significant infrastructure upgrade aimed at enhancing the fan experience and improving game-day technology. This includes a new Martin Audio sound system for the 14,000-capacity arena.

The previous 25-year-old audio system was identified as needing an upgrade. Sacramento Production Services (SACPS), a local Martin Audio partner with a history of working at the facility, was brought in as the system integrator.

Sales & Production Manager, Keith Wackford said, “The brief was to get the present system back up and running after they had completely gutted the control room. “In the process, they said, ‘What can we do to upgrade the system?’ They wanted a major league experience in a minor league park on a minor league budget.

“But with the addition of the new Linea Research amplification (LR-44C10M-Dante), it’s as if they purchased new speakers. Elsewhere, it was a case of what would give us the best bang for the buck. We knew the system had always been lacking in subwoofers, and if we were going to put in subs, we also needed to ensure the [infill and outfill] boxes would keep up.”

The new system incorporates Martin Audio CDD and SX subwoofer components, alongside Linea Research LR-44C10M-Dante amplification. While the main bowl speakers were not replaced due to budget and time constraints, the new amplification is reported to have significantly improved their performance.

The new SX subwoofers are installed on I-Beams beneath the VIP suites. Additionally, 30 CDD10W-WR bowl fill speakers have been added, with one speaker positioned per seating section around the entire facility. The updated system now supports audio inputs for DJs on the concourse and is designed to accommodate future live entertainment. Main PA announcements and pre-recorded safety messages also utilise the new system.

Eric King, VIP Technology, said, “The difference is night and day—the quality, clarity, and overall experience are next level. We really appreciate the attention to detail, the seamless install, and the passion brought to the project.”

“The 25-year-old outfield speakers on light poles were in really bad shape,” Wackford said. “And although difficult to get access to, we knew we had to change them and replace them with [weatherised] CDD15W-WR. For how high up they are, everyone is absolutely impressed.” 

“The CDD15 gave us a little more low end and full range in the outfield, as the bowl PA doesn’t really reach out there. We also like CDD’s whole intelligibility; at low volumes it’s got a really good intelligibility out of the far throw, plus it’s impressive how wide they are at the near point.”

“We are impressed with CDD10, for its throw and intelligibility, and the way it couples to the high frequency driver to carry the HF driver a bit further. One of the reasons we went for the CDD10 over the CDD8 is because it has a yoke, and we wanted something that would allow us to pan and tilt in an easy manner.”