Les Salles du Carrousel, the prestigious event venue housed beneath the Louvre’s iconic glass pyramid in Paris, has become one of Europe’s first sites to install d&b audiotechnik’s new CCL (Compact Cardioid Line Array) system.
The installation, carried out by French AV specialist Magnum, delivers enhanced clarity, control, and visual integration across three of the venue’s main event spaces.
Operated by Viparis, Les Salles du Carrousel offers more than 6,600 sq m of modular space for conferences, exhibitions, and galas. Magnum, a long-standing AV partner to Viparis, was tasked with replacing the venue’s decade-old sound system to meet higher acoustic and sustainability standards while maintaining a discreet visual profile.
“The previous system, while functional, was starting to show signs of wear and tear,” said Eduard Dubus, technical team lead at Magnum. “We were looking to replace it with something more modern, and ideally visually discreet to cater for the wide variety of events held in Les Salles du Carrousel. After much discussion and several demos, it became clear that we didn’t need to look any further – the new CCL system from d&b was exactly what we needed.”
Compact system, powerful coverage
Magnum installed the CCL system in the Delorme, Le Nôtre, and Gabriel rooms, spaces that can host up to 2,500 guests each or be combined into one large hall. The design challenge involved managing low ceilings and reflective wooden floors while reducing the number of loudspeakers compared to the previous point-source configuration.
Each room is equipped with compact clusters of three CCL12 loudspeakers mounted on specially designed trusses that also carry lighting fixtures. The larger rooms feature seven clusters each, arranged in three rows with a central array, while the smaller space uses four clusters. All are driven by d&b D40 amplifiers.
“We preferred to have small clusters of just three boxes each to cover short distances as it makes the system much more modular and flexible and is much less visually imposing than larger arrays,” explained Dubus. “The laser-precise directivity and the almost complete lack of backspill thanks to the cardioid design make this possible. We can really place the sound exactly where we want it and reflections have been significantly reduced.”
Boris Jaquier-Laforge, technical project lead at d&b, added: “Our new CCL system met all of Magnum’s requirements, significantly improving sound quality, intelligibility and visual impact.”
Complete audio solution
Alongside the CCL arrays, Magnum added 10 mobile CCL-SUB subwoofers, 20 44S frontfills, and 10 E8 loudspeakers used as stage monitors. The foyer area was fitted with five custom-painted 24C column loudspeakers for background music and announcements.
Dubus noted that while adopting the new workflow required adjustment, d&b provided extensive support throughout. “It’s been a journey for us, but the results are excellent, as has been the service from d&b,” he said.
Jean-Michel Lenoir, deputy managing director at Magnum, added that sustainability was a key factor in the decision: “Sustainable development is a subject very close to our heart at Magnum, and it’s also a driving force for Viparis. I’m delighted that d&b takes the subject as seriously as we do, and I look forward to further successful collaboration in the future.”