Depending on the application, a PA (public address) system comes in many shapes and sizes. Obviously in comparison to a small room, a larger system is used in a concert hall. The primary use is a basic thing to consider when looking at purchasing or hiring a music PA system.
The source of speaker power needs to be understood. Passive and active, there are two basic types of speakers. Essentially a speaker in a box (cabinet,) a passive speaker (also referred to commonly as an unpowered speaker). By itself, it is incapable of producing any sound. To feed the signal to it, it requires an amplifier. Includes the amplifier integrated into the same box, the other option is an active (also called powered) speaker.
The size of the speaker also needs to be understood. In various sizes, speakers come. In inches, the size of a speaker is referred to and by measuring the diameter of the speaker cone, it is taken. 8, 10, 12, 15 and 18 inch are common sizes. Generally, however speaker quality also plays a major role in the overall sound of the speaker, the larger a speaker, the better the bass response. Best possible audio equipment need to be used for an event.
Where you "plug-in" your audio source (whether it be musical instruments, microphones, iPods, turntables etc) is the mixer part of the PA system. The volume of each individual audio source, the mixer is where you are able to control. These are referred to as channels. For example capable of receiving four audio lines is a 4 channel mixer. On board effects (such as reverb or echo) etc, many mixers also come with such things as graphic equalizers. These can be either powered or unpowered. On the type of speakers being used, the type used depends. An unpowered mixer does not have an amplifier allowing the speakers to handle the powering themselves whereas a powered mixer has an amplifier integrated meaning that it is handling the power output to the speakers. It's only the speaker power that is being referred to and not electrical power, don't be confused though, both types of mixers still need to be plugged into electricity to operate. So, you match it with unpowered speakers if you have a powered mixer. You will need powered speakers, if you have an unpowered mixer.
Speaker Power is another factor to be kept in mind. In watts, PA system power is measured. Generally the more powerful the system is, the higher the watts are. To indicate the number of watts that are being delivered by the system, you will commonly find a number along with a letter 'w'.
The source of speaker power needs to be understood. Passive and active, there are two basic types of speakers. Essentially a speaker in a box (cabinet,) a passive speaker (also referred to commonly as an unpowered speaker). By itself, it is incapable of producing any sound. To feed the signal to it, it requires an amplifier. Includes the amplifier integrated into the same box, the other option is an active (also called powered) speaker.
The size of the speaker also needs to be understood. In various sizes, speakers come. In inches, the size of a speaker is referred to and by measuring the diameter of the speaker cone, it is taken. 8, 10, 12, 15 and 18 inch are common sizes. Generally, however speaker quality also plays a major role in the overall sound of the speaker, the larger a speaker, the better the bass response. Best possible audio equipment need to be used for an event.
Where you "plug-in" your audio source (whether it be musical instruments, microphones, iPods, turntables etc) is the mixer part of the PA system. The volume of each individual audio source, the mixer is where you are able to control. These are referred to as channels. For example capable of receiving four audio lines is a 4 channel mixer. On board effects (such as reverb or echo) etc, many mixers also come with such things as graphic equalizers. These can be either powered or unpowered. On the type of speakers being used, the type used depends. An unpowered mixer does not have an amplifier allowing the speakers to handle the powering themselves whereas a powered mixer has an amplifier integrated meaning that it is handling the power output to the speakers. It's only the speaker power that is being referred to and not electrical power, don't be confused though, both types of mixers still need to be plugged into electricity to operate. So, you match it with unpowered speakers if you have a powered mixer. You will need powered speakers, if you have an unpowered mixer.
Speaker Power is another factor to be kept in mind. In watts, PA system power is measured. Generally the more powerful the system is, the higher the watts are. To indicate the number of watts that are being delivered by the system, you will commonly find a number along with a letter 'w'.
