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Components & Techniques For Getting The Best Results With Portable PA

So many options, and so many of them great. Here's what to look for and how it can work in meeting your specific application needs

Technically, lot of sound reinforcement systems are “portable.”

Get together enough hands and/or the right heavy equipment, and almost anything is portable.

But in pro audio, the term portable PA refers to compact systems that can be easily transported in a small truck, van, or even the trunk/back seat of a car, and then hand-carried (or hand-trucked or rolled) into a venue and set up quickly by one person (if need be).

Most often, we’re probably first think of loudspeakers – compact, 2-way models that are also sometimes referred to as “speakers on sticks,” but there are other components such as powered and non-powered mixers in the genre, as well as packaged systems that come complete with stands, cables and even microphones.

Portable PA systems have been around for decades, and while the basic form has remained the same, they’ve come a long way in terms of performance capability and feature sets.

A popular model in the 1950s was the Knight system, a total package that included a 32-watt power amplifier, a choice of microphones, and even the option of a 4-speed record player!

A 1950s advertisement for the Knight portable PA system, courtesy of the EV PA Bible. (click to enlarge)

By the 1970s, the genre had really moved forward in terms of quality and output, with many of the larger manufacturers offering portable components and systems.

One that stood out was the TAPCO Entertainer system from Electro-Voice, which earned a well-deserved reputation as an excellent portable PA system, comprised of the 100M powered mixer and 100S loudspeakers.

In fact, Entertainer systems can still be found performing today, and the heritage of the system continues at EV, exemplified by the new ZXA1 loudspeaker introduced earlier this year.

The 2-way ZxA1 is powered by an integrated 800-watt, 2-channel amplifier module, and it also has built-in steep crossover slopes and woofer excursion protection as well as a switchable high-pass filter allows for use with a subwoofer.

The new Electro-Voice ZXA1 continues the Entertainer system heritage while providing modern amenities. (click to enlarge)

Further, it’s outfitted with XLR microphone and line level inputs, along with an XLR line level output for daisy chaining several amplified loudspeakers or a sub.

Staying with modern portable loudspeakers, the JBL EON has undoubtedly become one of the world’s all-time best-selling models over the past decade or so, and these days it seems like every other event has a stage flanked by Mackie SRM loudspeakers on stands.

Other portable components continue to evolve to a higher standard as well. Soundcraft just released the Notepad Series of multipurpose mixers, with all models outfitted with the company’s GB30 mic preamp and four stereo line inputs.

The Notepad 124FX also has an integral digital effects processor, which has a feed from every input and over 100 effects, including a pink noise and test setting.

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