Among the world’s historic performing arts institutions, the Comédie Française in Paris is now operating with Tannoy’s QFlex beam-steering technology in its main theatre.
Closed for around a year to renovate Richelieu Hall, the main theatre space, the venue sought to bring back both the aesthetic and sound quality lost through previous works. Built in the neoclassical and enlarged under the Second Empire style, it has undergone many transformations in its history in order to meet the requirements of the 19th and 20th centuries’ audiences. This included the use of materials such as velvet and satin, which gradually contributed to a reduction of the acoustic qualities of the room, which in turn caused problems for both actors and audiences alike.
The recent renovation was entrusted to the Department of Building and Facilities of the Comédie-Française and its director Sophie Bourgeois, and undertaken in consultation with the Chief Architect of Historical Monuments. And with its history and architecture in mind, it was important to find a loudspeaker system that would match the needs of audiences and performers alike, while being architecturally sensitive.
French installer DV2 found the solution in Tannoy’s digitally steerable loudspeaker system. The technology behind QFlex means the system is able to achieve even, full-range coverage and SPL which is maintained across the listening plane, and can create an asymmetrical pattern to allow similar SPLs in both the near and far fields. It can steer focused beams of acoustic energy to frequencies beyond 12kHz, which makes it suitable for full-range musical material as well as spoken word – hence its choice for Comédie-Française.
The modular design of QFlex means that integrators can determine the size of an array according to their needs, and after consideration and testing the team at DV2 settled on two QFlex 48s, mounted discretely on either side of the stage. These units blend with the stage surround, while the steerable drive units allowed them to compensate for the challenging acoustics to reach each level of the steeply inclined seating in the theatre.
‘From the beginning, we knew we had limitations on what we could use to form the main sound system here, and when DV2 suggested QFlex from Tannoy, we were very interested to hear what it could do, and see it in place,’ says Nicolas Faguet, Sound & Video Manager for the venue.
A small series of custom-painted Tannoy VX 5.2s were employed as side fill to cover those seats on the side of the stage at each balcony level, allowing for the same sonic signature to be projected throughout. These are controlled by XTA processing, and driven by Lab.gruppen C 20.8X amplifier, the most powerful eight-channel amplifier in the C Series family, delivering 8 × 250W at 4Ω, 8Ω, 16Ω or 70 Vrms; 500W at 100Vrms is available in bridge mode.
A pair of Adamson 115 and a pair of sub Adamson 215 subwoofers provide additional bass and power.
In summing up the use of Tannoy in Comédie-Française, Faguet commented: ‘I have had some experience with beam steering before, but Tannoy is by far the best I have ever heard in terms of audio quality and intelligibility. From the time we reopened, it was clear that we had the perfect solution. Both the audiences who visit us daily and the guardians of the theatre have expressed their delight in what we have done, and QFlex is so discrete that I have heard people ask many times, “where is the sound coming from?” That to me is testament to their superior design, power and clarity.’
