Amadeus speakers installed in the theatres include the Diva XS, Diva XS 15 line arrays, and the co-axial PMX 12, PMX 15, PMX 15 S plus paired subwoofers for each room: ML 15 and ML 18. All of the Amadeus speakers at Les Quinconces are powered by Lab.gruppen amplifiers, utilizing both the company's C Series and the newly released IPD Series.
Twelve years after planning began, and four years after the first brick was laid, Les Quinconces in Le Mans was inaugurated on 26 April, 2014, in the presence of Stéphane Le Foll, French Minister of Agriculture, Le Mans Mayor Jean-Claude Boulard and Pascal Lelarge, prefect of the Sarthe department. Also attending was Gérard Bienfait, president of Vinci Construction France.
Located close to the Cathedral of Saint Julian, the des Quinconces complex was mapped out following the classic, orthogonal attributes of the Parc des Quinconces. Designed by Babin-Renaud Architectes, the theatre is intended as a cultural showcase for the city of Le Mans hosting major events including theatre, opera, music and ballet. Its facade, a play on a theatre stage curtain, is designed as a vast glass curtain made up of randomly alternating opalescent, transparent and translucent strips. Inside, the hall presents the attributes of a warm and surrounding cocoon made of 'wooden scales'. A large cantilevered roof unifies the various units comprising the project.
Rémy Delage, scenographer and designer for Les Quinconces, comments, "Equipment selection for the Theatre des Jacobins in Le Mans was part of the initial planning phase. By chance, desire, and a little bit of luck, I have become acquainted over the years with the most prestigious makers of audio equipment in general, and loudspeakers in particular, and became involved in the use, installation, and specification of their equipment.
"For the sake of interoperability with the other venue, a choice was made to use Amadeus systems. With the help of Michel Deluc - with whom I had previously collaborated, and Bernard Byk, whom I have known since starting out in the business - we launched into a designing phase based on the Amadeus line, with the constraint of staying within the initial budgetary limit. During that design phase I realised the expertise of the team at Amadeus. They put themselves at my disposal to care for all my needs."
"The Amadeus line array systems being defined and the peripherals chosen, all the equipment was installed in the theatre. But Michelkept tweaking the settings, even though I thought they were already perfect. Then came the time for the long-awaited listening phase: Everything was there, homogeneity, truthfulness and precision of timbres. Again, I couldn't help but once more take notice that if technique cannot replace artistic quality, it can help enhance it. It turns out that technique and artistry are both in Amadeus products."
As the theatre design project in Le Mans finished, Delage stated, "With this project coming to a close, I was glad to find out how, again, the dialogue between the team at Amadeus and the technicians in charge of installing the equipment at Les Jacobins could contribute to the ideal completion of a project. As for me, if I'm ever asked to specify a sound system, it will be... Amadeus."
(Jim Evans)
