On the main floor of an iconic building between the Grands Boulevards and the Opéra Garnier, renovated by Renzo Piano, the Salon Charles Pathé spreads across 240 m² in understated elegance. Expansive windows open onto a continuous balcony, luminous volumes fill the space, period parquet floors ground the interiors, and lighting is carefully integrated to enhance the architecture. The result is a space at once open and intimate, designed to host cocktails, conferences, or product launches in an exceptional setting — accommodating up to 430 guests in reception format.
In this space where every detail has been carefully considered, sound could only be a seamless extension of the architecture. Not spectacular, not demonstrative. But present, precise, invisible.
It was in this spirit that the sound system was conceived, designed, and integrated by PlayAudiovisuel, built around technologies developed by Amadeus and Powersoft. The aim was to create a sound presence that is immersive, natural, and perfectly integrated.
At the heart of the system are 18 Amadeus C 4 loudspeakers in white finish, rigorously distributed throughout the room, forming a discreet yet perfectly coherent constellation. Each loudspeaker is mounted on a custom-made bracket, designed according to whether it was to be affixed to wall or ceiling, with cabling hidden inside color-matched tubing. The welded plates, angled at a fixed degree, address both the requirements of diffusion and the architectural lines of the space, ensuring a minimal presence — always aligned, never intrusive.
The system is driven by five Powersoft Mezzo 604 AD amplifiers, connected over a Dante™ network, allowing flexible, distributed, and scalable management. Final calibration was carried out on-site by Numa Galipot, acoustical engineer at Amadeus, ensuring tonal consistency, homogeneous coverage, and spatial precision suited to all configurations of use.
For Marc David, Director of Integration Services at PlayAudiovisuel, the choice of Amadeus was both a technical decision and a personal conviction:
Pathé Palace was a project with a highly demanding set of requirements; it required a solution worthy of such a prestigious venue. And while many reference brands exist in this field, I chose Amadeus because beyond their unique expertise and impeccable manufacturing quality, there is always a rare attention to detail in each project — a true guarantee of success.
Marc first discovered Amadeus during an event at the Thales convention center in Jouy-en-Josas, where he was particularly impressed by the sound performance and precision of the system, an experience that left a lasting impression on him.
The space designed by Renzo Piano presented two major challenges: aesthetics and acoustics. On the aesthetic side, the Amadeus team developed custom suspension mounts for the 18 C 4 loudspeakers, concealing cable paths and finished in a specific RAL color to blend seamlessly into the architecture. The result conveys an impression of lightness, almost levitation, in perfect harmony with the venue.
The second challenge was to ensure high-fidelity sound reproduction using the most compact loudspeaker format possible, within a particularly demanding acoustic environment.
The C 4 fulfilled this role perfectly, delivering a frequency response that is remarkably rich in the lower spectrum, along with exceptional precision,”
explains Marc David.
From conception to installation, the project unfolded seamlessly thanks to meticulous preparation. Loudspeaker angles had been pre-calculated, and mounting systems optimized, saving valuable time during installation. Acoustic calibration carried out by Amadeus ensured the system’s full potential could be realized.
The integration of Amadeus C 4 loudspeakers with a perfectly adapted amplification system allowed us to reach a level of power and fidelity that exceeded the initial expectations. And despite the customized solution, manufacturing, installation, and commissioning deadlines were met — without compromise,
concludes Marc David.
Photo credits — Joan Bracco, Helen Karam