Simple Guide to PA Speakers
Published on 26 February 2025
It’s time to talk about PA systems, folks.
Are you a solo act or part of a band? Are you at the stage of needing to check out and buy a PA system? If you’ve been playing gigs and building a reputation in your local area, you might be feeling like it’s time to invest in your own PA system.
If the subject is something you’re a little apprehensive of, then why not sit down for 5 and read this simple guide on PA speakers? I’ve used, demoed and sold many during my time at guitarguitar, and so I know it’s a subject that not every musician gets super into. You need to know some stuff, though, and I promise to keep this simple and to-the-point. No jargon!
Let’s take this opportunity to get the basics under our belts, so that we can head towards the subject in the future with confidence. I use the royal ‘we’ but I mean you: I already know all this stuff! Come on, let’s learn until our heads hurt!
Contents
What is a PA Speaker?
It sounds a bit silly to say ‘what is a PA speaker’, but actually, it’s more a case of ‘what ISN’T a PA speaker’? It’s not an amp, for one thing. At least, not like a guitar amp. Guitar amps colour the signal they are given and shape that into a particular tone: each amp has its own signature sound, which is why we think of a ‘Vox sound’ or a ‘Marshall sound’.
A PA speaker’s job is the opposite, essentially. The less the sound is coloured and changed by the speaker, the better. A PA speaker’s job is to take whatever it has been given by the mixing desk, and put that out cleanly and powerfully as audio. No distortion. No sore ears: if your hearing hurts, you’re doing it wrong.
Traditionally, PA speakers would consist of a tweeter and a woofer, which you could simplify as thinking of ‘treble speaker’ and ‘bass speaker’. There is a crossover to be had, but that’s a general description.
Tops & Bottoms
The next thing to understand is the difference between ‘tops’ and ‘subs’, which can also be called ‘bass bins’ and other types of terminology. The tops are the speakers that are generally attached to stands, whilst the bass units are larger and sit on the ground. If you don't use a sub, your tops will handle all of the sound. If you connect a sub, they will automatically take the low end of your sound, leaving more sonic room in the tops to take on the rest of your sound.
Again, there will be variations (array systems, which we’ll see in a second) and all-in-one systems which have everything contained in their own uniquely built systems. These may well incorporate sub units into their ‘tops’, or dispense with them completely. Check out the Yamaha Stagepas systems for good examples of these.
Size Matters
Now, sidestepping the vulgarity of my chapter heading there, size does indeed play a significant factor in the sound of your music through a PA speaker. Sound is a physical thing, even if it’s invisible, and the more space a speaker has on its surface to handle and shift frequencies, the more those frequencies will be heard.
Listen to the same mix or sound through a PA speaker with an 8” inch speaker, then do the same with a 12” or 15” speaker. Ignoring volume (which is in decibels, remember, not wattage), you’ll hear a more complex, full, rich sound from the bigger speaker. It’s just physics, and whilst there are digital processes available on some contemporary speakers to treat the sound coming from smaller speakers, it’s not the same thing as literally pushing the sound of out a larger resonant surface.
Put simply, bigger is better. Why? Well, a big sounding band put through small PA speakers will sound somewhat neutered, with the band’s sonic size reduced and less impactful. By the same token, a small sounding band put through large PA speakers will lose nothing of their intimacy or clarity, and instead be given a powerful, wide live sound. What’s to lose?
Well, apart from the weight, what’s to lose?
Do You Need a Sub?
Some people don’t use subs at all, and simply opt for larger tops. As I mentioned, the larger physical size can handle more frequencies, and so a bigger sound can still be achieved.
Some types of music, like acoustic troubadour-style stuff, can do just fine without a sub. Others, like rock and electronic music, really need the thump and size that a sub unit delivers.
Neodymium
Look for the word ‘neodymium’ in the spec list of a PA speaker if weight is a priority. Neodymium is a lightweight, highly developed alloy that can drastically reduce the heaviness of a PA speaker. Bassists will already know all about this, of course, but it isn’t something that guitarists have had drift over into their technology, so it bears repeating: neodymium often translates as ‘back-saving’!
Array Systems
Array PA systems are those thin, tower-like structures you may have seen popping up the last decade or so. They use vertical lines of small speakers, and normally a sub unit in the base, to provide a room-filling sound that is designed to do away with the idea of punishing volume. You typically don’t read power ratings of array systems, since the idea is that your audience can hear you at lower volumes, but with crystal clarity.
Bose were the pioneers of this style with their L1 systems, but more companies like JBL and Electro-Voice have since released their own takes on the array system.
Powered Vs Passive
This one is relatively simple. Powered speakers plug directly into the mains and you connect them to a passive mixer. A passive mixer also plugs into the wall, by the way: the ‘passive’ nature of it means that it won’t supply power to any speakers.
Passive speakers - which are rarer now than they once were - don’t plug into the mains, and get their juice from a powered mixer. As long as you observe these rules (passive speakers with powered mixer, powered speakers with passive mixer) then you should be fine either way.
I would say, though, that most PA systems (excluding all-in-one system and array system) these days are made up of active speakers, active subs and a passive desk. It seems to be easier for manufacturers to create more powerful systems this way, so that’s become the norm.
Choosing a PA System
Now, I’m presuming that you’ve read all of the above and are now fairly sharp on the terms involved. It’s time for you to choose a PA system, and I’ll give you some options of things to consider here, as possibilities for your needs. Of course, there will often be more than one correct solution to each requirement, so due diligence and plenty of research - now that you’ve got the basics down - will help a lot.
Solo performers/acoustic artists - array system such as a Bose L1 Pro 8, an all-in-one system like a Yamaha Stagepas 400BT, or a pair of smaller, affordable active speakers and a passive desk, such as a pair of Alto TS408 8 inch speakers and a small, dependable desk like the Yamaha MG06X.
Ensembles, small bands, smaller venues - two or more of the larger array systems (Bose L1 Pro16 which have built-in subs) and I’d consider adding a further bass unit. Also check out a pair of 8” or 10” speakers (Alto TS are affordable, Mackie SRM are dependable and QSC K series speakers are top quality, whilst you can never go wrong with Yamaha, with DXR being excellent).
For mixers, go with however band members there are plus 2 for future-proofing. Mackie Pro FX is a great choice, as is Yamaha MG. Allen & Heath is a more professional choice, but all will do a great job.
Rock Bands and above: go for 12” speaker tops at least, definitely use accompanying subs, and follow the advice outlined above.
DJs: A PA for DJs will depend massively on the size of room you play in. Buy for the biggest rooms you work in (you can always turn down, but maxing out a system won’t get the best from it), and definitely go for sub units. Smaller subs are punchier, larger subs create a bigger sound.
This is Merely the Beginning
Today’s short blog is a basic primer on how to approach PA systems, and what to expect. If I were to offer any advice (which you can take or leave as you wish), I’d say this:
Buy a bigger system than you currently need: you’ll need to upgrade less quickly when you move up in venue size.
Don’t run your system at a maximum volume. 5 minutes of experimenting with volume will teach you the system’s ‘sweet spot’, after which you just accrue more noise, not clarity.
Sculpt, don’t paint. By that I mean: sort muddy live sound by turning other elements down instead of continually turning up, because a volume battle on your desk will always result in poor sound. Turning down the bass will make vocals sound louder, rather than simply turning the vocal up again and again.
I hope this blog has been helpful, and I wish you the best of times ahead, whichever systemyou decide on! Good luck!
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