Every autumn, the Jarasum Jazz Festival transforms Jarasum Island, north-east of Seoul, into South Korea's largest jazz event. Since its launch in 2004, the festival has welcomed more than two million visitors and hosted artists from over fifty countries, establishing itself as one of Asia's leading international jazz festivals
For its 16th edition, South Korean production company Elan Tech, responsible for the festival's sound reinforcement and technical production, deployed an Amadeus system comprising DIVA M² line arrays, DIVA M² SUB subwoofers and MAESTRO II loudspeakers. The event also marked the first public use of a new generation of Amadeus stage monitors, developed in close collaboration with Elan Tech ahead of their commercial release.
Delivering a festival under exceptional conditions
Preparation for the festival began under particularly challenging circumstances. Just days before the event, a typhoon struck South Korea, leaving the technical team with only three days to install the entire sound system.
Because a recent typhoon had hit Korea, we started setting up the sound systems on site only three days before the Jarasum Jazz Festival began,
recalls Yongwoon Jeong, CEO and Technical Director of Elan Tech.
The front-of-house system comprised 30 DIVA M² line array modules, 12DIVA M² SUB subwoofers and 12 MAESTRO II loudspeakers, providing coverage across the festival's main performance areas.
Developing a new generation of stage monitors
Beyond supporting the festival itself, the project became an opportunity to develop new loudspeakers for live applications.
Working alongside the Amadeus R&D team, Elan Tech contributed to the design of what would become the C12R and C15R, expanding the C Series with models specifically optimised for stage monitoring while retaining the same transducers and waveguides as the original installation loudspeakers.
We asked Amadeus to think about a more stage-oriented version optimised for live applications while featuring the same transducers and waveguides. We worked closely with the R&D teams to optimise the new models according to our technical requirements and the demands of the market,
explains Yongwoon Jeong.
A total of fifty prototype loudspeakers were deployed throughout the festival, providing their first large-scale field test before their official launch.
The collaboration also introduced several features requested by Elan Tech, including an integrated rigging system allowing vertical beam adjustment in 2.5-degree increments, together with a reinforced enclosure designed to withstand the demands of touring productions.
The new C15R loudspeakers were used as both front fills and stage monitors. Sharing the same MHF compression driver as the DIVA M² line array system ensured consistent impulse response and tonal balance across the entire deployment.
A finish developed for touring applications
The project also led to the development of a new high-resistance finish for Amadeus loudspeakers.
To improve long-term durability in live environments, Elan Tech requested a more robust coating capable of resisting scratches, impacts and water exposure. In response, Amadeus invested in a dedicated painting facility capable of applying a resin-based finish, which has since become available as an option across the product range.
We requested a high-resistance finish for all the loudspeakers to increase their durability,
says Yongwoon Jeong.
Engineering through collaboration
For Elan Tech, the project reflects a development process built around collaboration between manufacturer and end user.
Our production company admires that Amadeus focuses on designing and manufacturing loudspeakers for specific applications rather than simply producing products in large quantities,
says Yongwoon Jeong.
The Jarasum Jazz Festival illustrates how close collaboration with engineers, production companies and touring professionals continues to shape the evolution of Amadeus loudspeakers, ensuring that new products are developed in response to real-world applications and the practical demands of live sound.
