In the heart of Namur’s historic centre in Belgium, the Royal Theatre of Namur now resonates with a new sonic presence. This refined Italian-style theatre has been equipped with a 34-loudspeaker Amadeus sound system driven by HOLOPHONIX spatial control, bringing spatialised audio to a 19th-century architectural jewel while preserving the delicacy and harmony of its ornate design.
The ambition was clear: to deliver exceptional sound quality from every seat through advanced spatial audio and discreet loudspeaker integration, fully respecting the theatre’s historic character.
The previous sound system essentially consisted of two pairs of L-Acoustics Arcs installed on two DV-Sub speakers mounted on the stage frame, plus a few delays to open up the less well-served areas of the balconies. The venue is a magnificent listed Italian-style theater, restored at great expense during a project that lasted from 1994 to 1998 – gilt in every corner, coquettish velvet curtains, intricate moldings, bourgeois armchairs, frescoes under the dome, and all the decorum you can imagine. Our previous speaker system was nothing less than a punch in the face for this architectural masterpiece,
says Patrice Dhautcourt, Sound Department Manager at the Royal Theatre of Namur.
After visiting the Paris-based National Theater of Chaillot, and a few months after hearing an incredible concert at the Courtyard of Honor during the Avignon Festival, both using Amadeus speakers and HOLOPHONIX spatial processing, Patrice Dhautcourt was convinced this was the type of sound system for the Royal Theatre of Namur.
When the musician played the first notes – even though I was sitting halfway downstage left – I was absolutely certain that what I was hearing was the unplugged instrument, so impeccably natural was its timbre and location. At the same time, I was equally sure that this was not possible, as I know the sound level of a harpsichord, which is far too light to be heard by all listeners in these conditions. As an atheist, I was witnessing a miracle of technology. Off to the left, 30 meters from the source, my brain swore it was an acoustic concert, but I was wrong,
recalls Patrice Dhautcourt
The sound system for the Royal Theatre of Namur had to be as versatile as possible and capable of handling a wide variety of programs including theatre, dance, readings, one-man shows, concerts, etc.
We designed two systems in one, very different in philosophy, yet highly complementary, each responding to distinct artistic needs and use cases. In practice, these ‘two systems’ correspond simply to two HOLOPHONIX presets, which users can easily recall and adapt depending on the creative project presented at the theatre,
stated Gaetan Byk, CEO of Amadeus and HOLOPHONIX.
The new installed sound system consists of fourteen Amadeus SR 790 NMR sound ramp modules, each equipped with a two-way coaxial transducer with a 5.25-inch diameter woofer. These modules are mounted at the front of the stage and are used as a font-fill system. Six Amadeus C12 coaxial loudspeakers, each equipped with a 12-inch diameter woofer, form an upper 'line' or 'antenna' flown above the stage. They are driven by the HOLOPHONIX processor using a Wave Field Synthesis (WFS) algorithm.
Four Amadeus C15 triaxial loudspeakers, each featuring a 15-inch diameter woofer and two compression drivers, are placed in a stereophonic configuration on the 1st and 2nd balconies. Two Amadeus C12 coaxial loudspeakers are placed in a stereophonic configuration on the 3rd balcony.
Two Amadeus ABB 18 subwoofers, each with an 18-inch diameter driver, are positioned centrally under the stage and are used to complete the low-frequency response of the system below 70 Hz.
Six Amadeus ABB 12 bass speakers, each with a 12-inch diameter driver are placed on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd balconies to complete the stereophonic configuration and make each 'pair' of loudspeakers perfectly full range.
