Public Address System

Public Address System

PA system- is an electronic system comprising microphones,
amplifiers, loudspeakers, and related equipment. It increases
the apparent volume (loudness) of a human voice, musical
instrument, or other acoustic sound source or recorded sound
or music.
 Application
PA systems are used in any public venue that requires that an announcer,
performer, etc. be sufficiently audible at a distance or over a large area

PA systems with many speakers are widely used to make announcements

in public, institutional and commercial buildings and locations—such as
schools, stadiums, and passenger vessels and aircraft. Intercom systems,
installed in many buildings, have both speakers throughout a building,
and microphones in many rooms so occupants can respond to
announcements. PA and Intercom systems are commonly used as part of
an emergency communication system.
 Telephone paging systems

Some private branch exchange (PBX) telephone systems use a paging facility
that acts as a liaison between the telephone and a PA amplifier.

In many modern systems, the paging function is integrated into the telephone
system, so the system can send announcements to the phone speakers.

Many retailers and offices choose to use the telephone system as the sole
access point for the paging system, because the features are integrated. Many
schools and other larger institutions are no longer using the large, bulky
microphone PA systems and have switched to telephone system paging, as it
can be accessed from many different points in the school.
 PA over IP

PA over IP refers to PA paging and intercom systems that use an

Internet Protocol (IP) network, instead of a central amplifier, to
distribute the audio signal to paging locations across a building or
campus, or anywhere else in the reach of the IP network, including the
Internet. Network-attached amplifiers and intercom units are used to
provide the communication function.
 PA over IP
At the transmission end, a computer application transmits a
digital audio stream via the local area network, using audio
from the computer's sound card inputs or from stored audio
recordings. At the receiving end, either specialized intercom
modules (sometimes known as IP speakers) receive these
network transmissions and reproduce the analog audio signal.
 WMT PA Systems

Wireless Mobile Telephony (WMT) PA Systems refers to PA

paging and [intercom] systems that use any form of Wireless
mobile telephony system such as GSM networks instead of a
centralized amplifier to distribute the audio signal to paging
locations across a building or campus, or other location. The
GSM mobile Networks are used to provide the communication
function.
 WMT PA Systems
At the transmission end, a PSTN Telephone, mobile phone, VOIP phone
or any other communication device that can access and make audio
calls to a GSM based mobile SIM card can communicate with it. At the
receiving end, a GSM transceiver receives these network transmissions
and reproduce the analogue audio signal via a Power Amplifier and
speaker.
 WMT PA Systems
This was pioneered by Stephen Robert Pearson of Lancashire, England
who was granted patents for the systems.

Using a WMT (GSM) network means that live announcements can be

made to anywhere in the world where there is WMT connectivity. The
patents cover all forms of WMT i.e., 2G, 3G, 4G ..... ××G.
 Long line PA

A Long-Line Public Address (LLPA) system is any public address system

with a distributed architecture, normally across a wide geographic area.
Systems of this type are commonly found in the rail, light rail, and
metro industries, and let announcements be triggered from one or
several locations to the rest of the network over low bandwidth legacy
copper, normally PSTN lines using DSL modems, or media such as
optical fiber, or GSM-R, or IP-based networks.
 Components of Public Address System

• Speakers
• Amplifiers
• Audio Mixer
• Speaker Processor
• Microphones
• Effects
• DI Box
• Cables and Accessories.
 Speakers
Public address systems are used for sound and voice amplification. It is
a type of loudspeaker that produces high-quality sound waves in the air
to be heard by people around it. The loudspeakers can be installed on
the walls, ceiling, or ground. They can also be placed on top of the
stage or at different locations inside and outside the hall where they
will send out their sound waves to all corners of the venue so that
everyone can hear them clearly without any distortion.
 PAS speakers have 3 components
• main speakers
• subwoofers
• monitors
 Amplifiers
An amplifier is a device that amplifies the voltage or current of
an electrical signal. An amplifier is Needed only if using
passive speakers. It is used to increase the power (voltage
and/or current) of an electrical signal, often to levels that are
suitable for driving loudspeakers.
 Audio Mixer
Audio Mixer is software that enables one to mix and record audio from
different sources. It allows you to add effects, change the volume of
each source, and even split the output into several channels. Audio
mixers are of two types that are:

• Analog
• Digital
 Speaker Processor
A Speaker processor is a small device that you can connect to your
speakers, it will boost the sound quality and make the voice come alive
The most obvious benefit is that the audio coming from the speakers
sounds better than before. The difference is night and day! Another
great thing about speaker processors is they make it easier to get
surround sound by just connecting them to one set of speakers instead
of having multiple systems.
 Microphones
Microphones are used to convert sound waves into electrical signals. It
may be Dynamic or Condenser microphones. They can be either wired
or wireless, and they come in different shapes and sizes. The most
common types of microphones are the dynamic microphone,
condenser microphone, ribbon microphone and electret microphone.
 Microphones
• Dynamic Microphone is a type of mic that uses a moving coil to pick up vibrations
from sounds. These mics work by having an extremely thin wire that vibrates
when it picks up sound waves. This movement causes the coil to move back and
forth which creates an electrical signal when it reaches a preamp inside the mic
itself.

• Condenser microphones are the most commonly used type of microphone. They
have a diaphragm that is made from an electrically-conductive material and is
usually attached to a small magnet, which allows it to pick up sound vibrations.
These microphones require power in order for them to work properly, but they do
not produce any sound themselves. Instead, these microphones convert electrical
signals into mechanical vibrations that can be heard by your computer's audio card
another recording devices.
 Effects
Effects in speaker is a feature that allows you to add effects to the
sound of your voice. effects are only used if needed. You can use this
feature in order to make the voice more interesting or professional.
effect increases the volume of your voice, making it louder than usual.
It’s also used for adjusting the level of background noise and for
increasing the clarity of speech at low volumes.
 DI Box
DI box Direct Injection Box is a device that converts the audio signal
from the source to an electrical signal. This can be done by using either
analog or digital technology. The DI box is usually placed before the
amplifier, but it can also be placed after if you have a preamp.
 Cables and Accessories
Cables and Accessories are used in speakers to connect the speakers to
a power supply, amplifier, or other equipment. It is very important for
the sound quality of your system that you use good cables and
accessories.
 POTS LINE PAGING INTERFACE

A phone patch, or phone tap, is necessary to interface line-level analog audio to

and from plain old telephone service or POTS. The phone patch allows
connecting standard audio equipment to a phone line, while isolating the audio
equipment from ring tone and line voltage. It operates in parallel with the
telephone, with a circuit design that disturbs normal operation very little due to
its high impedance input (if the hold resistor is not needed). The typical standard
characteristics of a POTS audio output is, a two wire twisted pair cable, 600
ohms impedance, an average level of -9 dBm (275 mV) [0 dBm = 1 mW (0.775V)
into 600 ohms], 48 VDC typical talk voltage, 20-26 mA DC current, 200-300
ohms DC resistance, ring voltage of 90 VRMS, 20Hz (2 secs on, 4 secs off), AC
45db signal to noise, and a bandwidth of 300 – 3.3 kHz (3 kHz BW), positive tip
or green wire tied to ground so it measures 48 VDC relative to ring or red wire.
 POTS LINE PAGING INTERFACE
A single transformer and capacitor can be used as a telephone to audio
amplifier interface in a pinch; however, adding a few more components
greatly improve the performance. The transformer provides the
necessary isolation, while the capacitor blocks the DC voltage from the
transformer. The diagram shows an enhanced version:
 LARGE DISTRIBUTED PA SYSTEMS

Large distributed PA systems typically have amplifiers that output high

power at high voltage through hundreds to thousands of daisy-chained
small loudspeakers in various locations. Each loudspeaker has a
transformer between its voice coil and the amplifier to lower the
voltage on the speaker line. This configuration is called a Constant
Voltage, Distributed Design loudspeaker system, or simply a Constant
Voltage or High Voltage Distributed system.
 LARGE DISTRIBUTED PA SYSTEMS

In Ohio and North America, constant voltage amplifier output levels are
standardized at 25V, 70V and 100V.The constant voltage system was
devised to overcome the many problems that arise from feeding an
amplifier directly to many loudspeakers over very long cable runs. The
constant voltage design is most common in commercial PA systems,
where very large areas need to be covered – like shopping malls,
universities, airports, and convention centers.
The 100-V line
Tannoy System
Class AB Power Amplifier
Class D Power Amplifier
Class D Power Amplifier