Rea Sound Upgrades Richhill Methodist Church With Martin Audio CDD

Richhill Methodist Church in County Armagh, Northern Ireland, has completed a significant building project alongside a wide-ranging audio-visual overhaul, with a new Martin Audio system supplied and installed by local integrator Rea Sound.

Work got under way in summer 2025 after discussions with Rea Sound Director, Roger McMullan, whose team has deep experience in houses of worship. "They were planning to extend the church and wanted to coincide with a complete audio-visual fit-out, both for the new extension and the church itself," he recalled.

The extension adds a kitchen, a foyer and first-floor meeting rooms, while the main body of the church remained as before. With legacy audio hardware dating back about 15 years and the church hosting more events and a live praise band, the leadership opted for a cohesive, modernised solution.

Following site surveys and detailed design work, Rea Sound proposed a package built around Martin Audio. "Martin Audio is a go-to for churches,” stated McMullan. "In a church environment speech intelligibility is the key - the minister, the announcements, the sermon. Martin Audio is great at that. And once you get into live praise with a live band, Martin Audio just handles it all so easily."

In the church, the straightforward main system uses a left-right pair of Martin Audio CDD15 15-inch Coaxial Differential Dispersion loudspeakers, supported by two SX210 subwoofers whose compact form factor and strong output suit the room’s layout.

Visual impact was weighed carefully alongside performance. "I worked very closely with the architect," McMullan said. "He loved the design and look of the CDD, and that slimline profile worked well with his plan for aesthetics in that space. Crucially, the sound quality is there right from the front to the back of the church." Coverage was validated using Martin Audio’s DISPLAY software. "I knew the solution would work, it was more of a reassurance," McMullan noted.

Amplification comes from Linea Research, a Martin Audio sister brand, utilising factory presets for all Martin Audio loudspeakers; McMullan confirmed that "it just works".

The new foyer is also equipped with a Martin Audio setup, using ACS-40TS ceiling loudspeakers. The upgraded infrastructure enables services from the church to be relayed seamlessly across the site, giving the technical team greater control.

"We can relay sound from the church, and they also can conduct meetings independently in the foyer, plus we've added Bluetooth connectivity for background music in there," he explained.

Reflecting on the outcome, McMullan added: "Everybody loves it. Martin Audio provided a perfect audio solution and it's a project that has delivered exactly what the church needs now and into the future."

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