Home of Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks, Chase Field recently completed installation of a Cohesion PA system – the first permanent installation of Cohesion CO12 loudspeakers – meeting the venue owners’ desire for a system capable of concert-level output and performance.
Opened in 1998, the 48,330-seat retractable-roof stadium has, over subsequent decades, expanded its year-round entertainment offerings beyond baseball. This latest installation is part of the executive team’s aim to encompass a full calendar of productions with superior audio.
‘We are thrilled about the new capability to consistently deliver concert-level audio quality forMajor League Baseball games and various other events at the ballpark for years to come,’ says Diamondbacks President, CEO and General Partner, Derrick Hall. ‘Our recently implemented Cohesion system at Chase Field has truly exceeded expectations.’
Steve Silvertooth, Manager of Broadcast Engineering for the Diamondbacks, experienced the Cohesion firsthand during a Billy Joel and Stevie Nicks concert at Chase Field in December 2023, and became convinced that it should be the preferred solution for the forthcoming project. He reflected at the time, ‘If our system’s half as good as that, it’ll be a huge upgrade’.
Ultimately, the Chase Field system integrated the same CO12 featured in the arrays of that Billy Joel and Stevie Nicks concert they attended.
Clair Global Integration (CGI) installed the system in the span of a few weeks prior to the 2024 baseball season. The main PA, comprising 18 CO12 per side adjacent to the centerfield scoreboard, provided coverage for the bulk of the stadium seating. An additional integration of nine CO12 per side underneath and rotated relative to the main clusters provided further coverage of the outfield and side seating.
This alignment, in lieu of more traditional co-located arrays, reduced interference in the lower end of the spectrum and worked well for the unique physical characteristics and reflective surfaces within Chase Field. The system design accounted for those venue attributes, such as the nine-million-pound retractable steel roof and the large doors that open by the north concourse when weather permits.
The heart of the system is the CO12: ‘The coverage is phenomenal,’ says Demetrius Palavos, Clair Global VP of Sports Integration & Special Projects. ‘Often, the edges of the polar patterns don’t give even coverage, but Cohesion provides the same pattern across the spectrum. As you’re transitioning from cluster to cluster, you can’t tell it’s handing off.’
The response of the CO12 extends down to 35Hz, eliminating the need for subwoofers, which saved space in an area with limited room for installation.
‘This was a great opportunity to use the CO12,’ says Brad Ricks, Clair Global Integration’s Senior Design Engineer for Sports & Entertainment Venues. ‘Going that low and covering it extremely well is impressive. We can be 500ft away and feel our clothes moving, and the sound is very focused and directed. The changes in how the system performs, doors open or closed, were minimal because of the amount of directivity the long arrays provided.’
The system also included an upgrade to the control room reference monitors by integrating a pair of Cohesion CF10 point source loudspeakers. These versatile fill speakers are voiced similarly to the CO12 and therefore extended the full-range response of the outfield arrays into the control room to improve mixing of game day audio and live performances.
‘The sound quality is now a million times better,’ offers Jeffrey Heimburger, Broadcast Engineer for the Diamondbacks. I would definitely say the defining characteristic of the CO12 is the clarity.’
The system design targets a combination of physical impact and consistent coverage that is imperative to attracting newer and younger fans to baseball games. ‘The sport is changing,’ says Palavos. ‘How do you build excitement with technology? You elevate the production value.’
Silvertooth complimented the consistency and clarity of the system, specifically of the CO12, reports each seating section within 1–2dB of each another across the full breadth of the stadium from the upper deck to the area behind home plate. ‘I didn’t think that could be achieved, and it exceeded. The coverage is phenomenal.’
‘The Cohesion system’s unparalleled clarity and exceptional output have significantly enhanced fan experiences beginning with Opening Day,’ Hall concludes. ‘The overwhelmingly positive feedback from fans, players, other clubs and staff alike has been incredible.’
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Clair’s Cohesion emerges as loudspeaker brand
