AV integrators Old Barn Audio (OBA, based in the UK), which has been specifying Martin Audio CDD series loudspeakers on a regular basis since their release in 2015, recently deployed them again to provide sound reinforcement at Natural Fit Gym in Tunbridge Wells, UK, a new fitness center.
When Steven Kelly, who runs the Natural Fit Gym in Tunbridge Wells with partner Shaun Harris, contacted OBA, the first requirement was a quality audio system. “This is the first of what will be a series of upmarket gyms and they wanted the best,” sayss OBA director Phil Clark. “We told them straight away that they needed Martin Audio.” The client was reassured not only by this, but the fact that OBA are also based in the genteel Kent spa town.
Another condition was that the loudspeakers needed to be discreet, with OBA meeting the requirement with compact CDD5s. “Even though the CDD5 is the smallest in the CDD range they give great power, clarity and dispersion,” Clark notes. “It’s a high-end solution, and being black, set against a black ceiling the sound source is virtually invisible.”
The venue, which includes a sunken swimming pool, is divided into four zones in terms of sound distribution: Café, Main Gym, Changing Rooms and Members Area. All four playback devices are individually controlled by the instructors’ iPhones and iPads, with music for many of the classes.
“Steven Kelly was so impressed with the sound system that he will be running with Martin Audio again at their second venue, which will be in Hove,” concludes Clark. “We install CDD because they are priced well, they sound phenomenal and they are esoteric in their construction. We use CDD for pretty much everything, often linked to Martin Audio’s SX subs, You can’t really ask for anything more.”
