NUMAX Makes Its Outdoor Debut at Domaine d’O

Located within Domaine d’O in Montpellier, the Amphithéâtre d’O is a 1,800-seat open-air venue hosting theatre, dance and music throughout the summer, including performances presented as part of Printemps des Comédiens, Montpellier Danse and the Festival Radio France Occitanie Montpellier.

Its distinctive architecture creates a particular sound reinforcement challenge. The audience is distributed across a wide semi-circular seating area extending nearly 180 degrees, requiring precise control of coverage and directivity to deliver a consistent listening experience throughout the amphitheatre.

Amadeus has worked with Domaine d’O over several seasons to address these constraints, developing a sound reinforcement approach adapted to both the architecture of the venue and the diversity of its artistic programme.

For the 2026 season, that collaboration entered a new phase with the first outdoor deployment of the NUMAX Series.

NUMAX in the Open Air

Twenty-three NUMAX XV Focus and NUMAX XV Wide modules were deployed as the main front-of-house system in an L/C/R configuration, with up to ten elements flown per hang. The installation marked the first major deployment of NUMAX in its line-source configuration, following the world premiere of the NUMAX XV point-source system at Théâtre Nanterre-Amandiers.

The arrays were complemented by eight Amadeus ML 18 X subwoofers, four per side, and custom front-fill sound ramps seamlessly integrated into the stage lip.

The two NUMAX line-source models share the same acoustic architecture while addressing different coverage requirements. NUMAX XV Focus uses a variable-curvature design for precise audience coverage, while NUMAX XV Wide provides constant-curvature vertical dispersion.

At the heart of both systems is a four-way architecture with native cardioid technology. A 15-inch low-frequency driver is complemented by two rear-facing 8-inch drivers, providing controlled low-frequency directivity and reducing unwanted energy towards the stage, an important consideration in an open-air venue where audience coverage extends across nearly 180 degrees.

The proprietary MF/HF coaxial assembly combines a dedicated 8-inch midrange driver and compression driver through NUWAVE, Amadeus’ isophasic waveguide, providing coherent wavefront propagation and stable midrange articulation over distance.

Fine-Tuning NUMAX in the Field

Beyond its scale, the installation represented a final stage of research and development for the NUMAX line-source models.

Calibration was carried out by Gaëtan Byk, CEO of Amadeus, and Adrien De Giovanni, Head of Research and Development. Working directly in the amphitheatre, they refined the line-source presets, evaluated the system's outdoor behaviour and adjusted its tonal balance.

The process began by establishing spectral consistency across the entire seating area before defining the overall tonal balance. The chosen target curve rises by 18 dB at 50 Hz relative to the reference level at 1 kHz, emphasising energy in the low and low-mid frequencies.

The eight ML 18 X subwoofers extended the system's low-frequency response, providing the foundation for this tuning approach.

The resulting configuration combined smooth timbres, articulation and impact, with consistent spectral balance throughout the audience area.

One System, Many Forms of Performance

Throughout the summer, the system was put to work across a particularly varied artistic programme.

The Amphithéâtre d’O welcomed artists including Stephan Eicher, Hervé with MazelFreten, Charles Lloyd, Snarky Puppy, Kenny Garrett, and Camille with the Opéra Orchestre national Montpellier Occitanie.

The calibration had to accommodate the full range of productions, from spoken theatre and contemporary dance to amplified pop and rock, large symphonic formations and jazz. The intimate musical language of Charles Lloyd and Kenny Garrett contrasted with the dense, high-energy jazz fusion of Snarky Puppy, while theatrical performances placed particular emphasis on speech intelligibility.

Across these different formats, NUMAX combined consistent audience coverage with the tonal balance, dynamics and control required for the 1,800-seat open-air amphitheatre.

Following its debut at Théâtre Nanterre-Amandiers, Domaine d’O marked another milestone for the NUMAX Series with its first season in the open air.