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PA Systems, PA Speakers, Speaker Systems…

A loved child has many names, and the same goes for PA systems. PA systems, PA speakers, and speaker systems are just some variations you might come across. If you've found this guide, you're probably about to buy a PA system - and what you need depends a lot on what you're going to use it for. Throughout this guide, we'll help you make the right decision so you get exactly the PA system that suits your band, mobile disco, lecture, or whatever you need it for.

We start by describing some different scenarios - and what's most important for each. If you're completely new to systems, it might be a good idea to start at the end and read the dictionary - there are quite a few technical terms to know when looking for PA systems.

 

Band for Small Concerts

You're a band that goes out to play and needs to amplify individual things like vocals, keyboards, bass drum, etc., while the rest play acoustic or through guitar and bass amplifiers. You play for 50-150 people at events like weddings, parties, and the like.

You need at least two good top speakers at 12-15". It's important to have good quality so that the top and midrange don't distort. At the same time, they should be powerful enough to fill the room. If you want the bass drum and bass through the system and to be felt, it's best to also have one or two subwoofers to handle the low frequencies.

Additionally, you'll need a mixer suitable for the number of channels you use. There are basically two types of mixers - digital and analog. The advantage of analog mixers is a lower price and they are less advanced to use if you don't have much experience with sound. On the other hand, they don't have as many options for shaping the sound. Digital mixers offer many options and can be especially useful if you don't have a sound engineer with you - you can take an iPad out on the floor and check the sound instead of running back and forth to the mixer.

 

Fitness Instructor, Dance, Small Lectures, etc.

You need music for dance, fitness, background music, or presentations, and you also need a microphone for speech or instruction.

First, decide if you need a battery-powered system that is easy to transport and whether you need a system with one or two speakers. If you have smaller classes or need to speak to smaller groups (20-50 people), a single powerful speaker on a stand is often enough, but as soon as there are more people, it requires a larger system.

There are many good and compact battery-powered speakers with many features. There is often one or two wireless microphones included, available in both handheld and headset models. You can connect your phone via Bluetooth and control everything directly on the speaker.

If you need something a bit bigger, you'll need a system with two smaller speakers, e.g., a pair of 10" or 12". You'll also need a mixer and the microphone you need. It requires a bit more setup, but it's the only way if you're going to speak to many people.

 

Band for Larger Concerts

You're a band playing larger concerts, but still bringing your own PA. It could be town festivals and company parties for 200-300 people. You have microphones on everything but don't necessarily have a sound engineer with you on gigs.

Here, you need a powerful system with powerful top speakers and appropriate subwoofers on each side. Look for speakers with a high SPL of at least 130dB. If the speakers can't play loud enough, you'll easily end up pushing them, and then they won't sound very good. Also, remember to look for stage monitors so you can hear yourselves when playing. When you're out at such events, remember that it's usually not a concert where everyone at the party needs to hear you equally well. Those dancing in front of the stage should have good sound, while you often need to hear each other at the back of the room.

 

DJ and Mobile Disco

You're out for smaller parties to play yourself. You play all music from a DJ controller and it's often electronic music.

It's important to find a system with subwoofers, as otherwise, you'll quickly feel that the music lacks bass. How powerful a system you need depends on how many people you play for. If it's under 100 people, a smaller system can handle it, but if you play for larger crowds, you should look at a system like the large system described above. Often, you can plug directly into the system from your DJ mixer and thus avoid a large mixer.

 

"Can't You Turn It Down a Bit?"

Generally, it's important to get a system that suits what you need it for. When asked to turn down, it's not always because the sound is too loud - often it's because the sound is distorting due to speakers being pushed too hard. You may have stood listening to music without thinking it was particularly loud - but as soon as you want to say something, you can barely hear your own voice. This means the system has played loudly without distorting - when we're not at extreme volumes, it's often the ugly, strained, and distorted sound that makes us feel the music is too loud. The conclusion is, of course, that it pays off to get a pair of speakers that are sized for your needs.

 

What Should You Choose?

There are plenty of good speaker brands, and we carry most of the big names. If the budget needs to be kept down, we also have good budget-friendly alternatives that still deliver good sound. Feel free to contact us by phone, email, or via Facebook if you need advice or a comprehensive offer that suits your budget. It can be overwhelming to choose the right one - even for people with experience with PA systems. That's why we have several professional sound technicians with many years of experience who can help put together the perfect setup.

Otherwise, we hope this guide has given a slightly better overview of what's important to look for when buying PA systems or speakers.

 

Dictionary

Max SPL: Stands for Maximum Sound Pressure Level. Measured in dB, it indicates how loud the speaker can play. However, it should always be taken with a grain of salt, and it can be dangerous to compare speakers from different manufacturers, as it can be difficult to understand how they have been measured.

Watt: If it's an active speaker, the wattage indicates how powerful the amplifier is, but as with SPL, having a powerful amplifier doesn't always mean having a high-performing speaker. For example, you can easily find a pair of speakers with 600 and 1000 watts that play equally loudly. For passive speakers, the wattage indicates how powerful an amplifier you can use with the speaker - e.g., 600w at 8 ohms.

Active/passive: In an active PA system, the amplifiers are built into the different speakers and are simply connected with normal signal/microphone cable. In a passive PA system, the amplifiers are separate, and the speakers are connected with speaker cable.

Subwoofer: The large speakers that deliver the deep frequencies. Often placed on the floor.

Top speaker/top: The speaker that handles midrange and highs in a system with subwoofers.

Full-range speaker: A speaker designed to play without subwoofers. Most 12" and 15" speakers are full range but can also be used as top speakers.

Crossover: In a speaker system with subwoofers and top speakers, it's important to split the signal from the mixer so that the deep frequencies are sent to the subwoofers and the rest to the top speakers. Some active speakers have built-in DSP, so you can split the frequency directly on the speaker, but otherwise, you'll need a crossover. Here, you send your stereo signal in, and from the crossover, you send a stereo signal to the top speakers and a stereo or mono signal to the subwoofers. The crossover frequency is the frequency at which the signal is split, so everything below, e.g., 120 hertz is sent to the subwoofers, and everything above is sent to the top speakers.

DSP: Stands for Digital Signal Processing. In many of the more expensive active speakers, there's the option to control crossover, EQ, etc. digitally on the speaker itself.

2-way, 3-way: In a 2-way speaker, there's a speaker unit for midrange and a horn for highs. In a 3-way speaker, there are two speaker units for midrange and low highs and a horn for highs.