What is a sound system?

In an organization, internal communication means more than just sending a message from sender to receiver. It means building good understanding, strengthening relationships, creating cooperation and support. One popular channel is via a public-address (PA) sound system. It resembles broadcasting radio, but its target is internal organization audiences. With today’s advanced technology, the sound system can be developed to distribute sound via the internet network instead of conventional analogue audio wiring. Distributing via network is beneficial for internal organizational communication—since most organizations already have an internet network installed as infrastructure. Therefore we can build a sound system within the network, reducing the cost compared to the traditional PA system.

How many types of sound systems and how do they differ?

Sound systems used for disseminating announcements in organizations, institutions or public spaces covering wide-area announcements can be found in schools, train stations, transport hubs, cinemas, warning-systems etc. Today’s PA systems in use can be divided into three types: Analogue, Digital, and IP-based.

Analogue Public Address System

An analogue PA system remains widely used—for example in schools, temples, festivals. The system size depends on the area to be covered. The key components are:

• Input section: converts audio signals into electrical signals to be sent through cables (e.g. microphone, tape player, radio, record player)

• Amplifier section: boosts the power of the audio signal from the input to be sufficient for distribution to the output section

• Output section: reduces the level of the amplified signal appropriately before sending to the speakers (e.g. step-down transformer, speaker).
  However, when extending the distance between amplifier and speakers, signal quality decreases due to attenuation. If not addressed, loudness may be insufficient and listeners may fail to perceive the announcements. To solve this, long-distance systems must set very high gain and install repeaters periodically. Even though this solves distance issues, it comes with increased cost for repeaters and installation, and high power consumption.
  Moreover, the analogue PA lacks flexibility in features: you can’t easily zone the announcement, schedule broadcasts, etc.

• Digital Public Address System

  The digital PA system was developed to reduce quality issues in long-distance analogue PA systems. Because digital signal distribution allows for better noise rejection before amplification, it improves sound quality for large-area coverage. The digital system has also been enhanced with features like zone-selection of announcements, targeted distribution, etc. Its components include digital PA controllers, announcement microphones, signal receivers and amplifiers, wiring and speakers. Even though the digital system solves quality issues, it still requires wiring between the announcement point and distribution points—which can be costly in wide-area coverage—and requires multiple receiver/amplifier stages. Therefore, considering equipment cost, installation cost, and time, the digital PA still has limitations in cost.

• IP Public Address System

  In recent years, the IP-based PA system has emerged as an alternative for those needing a distribution system that can be installed quickly, without extensive audio cabling. It leverages existing computer network infrastructure (wired or wireless) to distribute the announcement signal. This enables faster deployment, lower cabling cost and maintenance. The IP PA system is also designed with high capability and flexibility—features like scheduled announcements, zone-selection, usage logging, etc. Another major benefit is that the person distributing the message can be anywhere—as long as they can access the system via the internet. This means multiple announcement points and distribution points can be installed wherever network access is available. Although the IP-based PA system reduces cabling cost, the hardware and software management costs remain relatively high.

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