PA Speakers599 Product

Things to know about PA speakers

PA speakers are to a PA system what strings are to a guitar. But which speakers do you actually need for your situation, and what should you consider in general? We’ll explain!

1. Active and passive speakers

The controls of active loudspeakers are located on the cabinet — which can also be a disadvantage in some situations. For example, if the speaker is out of reach, changing the settings can be time-consuming.

By the way: Bad weather isn’t automatically an argument against active speakers. Many models offer rain covers that protect against short-term moisture.

2. Tops

PA tops are PA speakers that cover (more or less) the entire frequency range and can therefore be used on their own (i.e., without a subwoofer). To achieve this, they typically feature multiple drivers that handle different frequency ranges — bass, midrange and treble. Such speakers are called multi-way systems because the sound is split and reproduced via several paths.

The size of the speakers depends on the area of application and on the rest of the PA system. The size in inches refers to the diameter of the installed woofer’s cone. The following sizes are common:

• 8"
• 10"
• 12"
• 15"

The larger the diameter, the more low end the speaker can reproduce. 12" speakers are a good compromise and can also be combined very well with subwoofers. If you prefer a smaller setup, two 15" models without a sub can also do a good job. It depends on what you’re amplifying: Speech hardly needs low frequencies but needs clarity — smaller speakers are often sufficient here. For music, on the other hand, larger speakers and additional subwoofers are often better suited.

Click here for passive speakers and here for active speakers.

3. Subwoofers

If a powerful sound foundation is desired, there is hardly any way around combining tops with PA subwoofers. In this case, the signal is divided into different ranges by crossovers, which are then routed to tops and subs respectively.

Common diaphragm sizes of subs are:

• 10"
• 12"
• 15"
• 18"

Here too, the larger the diameter, the stronger the bass response. However, the larger the diaphragm, the slower the speaker’s response — naturally, because more mass moves more slowly. Depending on how dynamic and tight you want the sound, it doesn’t always have to be the largest model.

Tip: Many subwoofers have threaded pole mounts on top — so you can place the top directly above the sub and better aim it at the audience’s ears. This makes the sound more balanced.

Since it takes considerably more energy to reproduce bass frequencies, subwoofers also have a correspondingly higher output than tops. Large 18" models can easily deliver 1000 watts and more.

Here you will find passive subwoofers and here active subwoofers.

4. More PA Speakers

Besides the “classic” PA speakers — separate tops and subwoofers — there are other speakers used in PA systems.

Column Systems

These systems consist of a woofer and a slender vertical loudspeaker mounted on top. Usually, there’s also a spacer element so the speaker can be raised. The big advantages of column systems are their compactness and ease of use — simply plug the modules together and you’re ready to go. Dismantling and transport are just as easy.

Another major advantage of column systems is their dispersion behaviour: by stacking several small drivers vertically in the column, a similar effect to line arrays (see below) is created — the tall design provides wide coverage at a consistent volume.

Monitors

Monitors (monitor boxes) have a slanted side so they can be placed on their side and radiate upwards. You’ve likely seen such speakers on stages so musicians can hear themselves. There are both active and passive versions.

Line Arrays