Portable PA Systems

• Find your portable PA system on HiFi Tower
• Choosing your portable PA system: the main aspects to consider
• Wired and wireless PA systems
• Which power specifications to look at before buying your portable PA system?
• Is impedance relevant for your portable PA system?
• Design, reduced size and weight: for maximum ease of transport
• Using your portable PA system on the go: power supply and remote control

Find your portable PA system on HiFi Tower

Portable PA systems are easy to set up and perfect for a range of small to medium-sized environments: live music performances, DJ parties/events, background music playback or spoken interventions, both indoors and outdoors. Buying the best portable PA system could be complicated as there are many brands with different models on the market. What if you don't have a general knowledge about them and buy the wrong one? Before you invest in a portable PA system, you need to assess your needs to find the best solution: on HiFi Tower you can find different battery-powered speakers, offering features ranging from MP3 compatibility through USB ports and SD card slots to

Basically, a portable PA system amplifies the sound by helping the vocal cords of the singer or speaker to direct the sound evenly to the audience, with higher volume without using an entire PA system. In almost all portable PA systems, you'll find microphones, speakers and a built-in amplifier. Also, some may include multiple microphone ports, other audio connection sockets, a mixer to adjust the output and more than one speaker to cover a greater sound distance.

Portable PA systems are powered by an internal battery, allowing musicians, DJsor speakers to perform without depending on the power supply. Some of our portable PA systems are delivered with one or two wireless microphones. Also if you want to organise a beach party you will find here many portable battery-powered speakers you need to play music from your smartphone.

Choosing your portable PA system: the main aspects to consider

Portable PA systems typically use active loudspeakers, which differ from passive loudspeakers precisely because they are equipped with an integrated amplifier: a convenient solution that does not require neither an additional investment for the purchase of a specific PA amplifier nor an annoying encumbrance caused by several components and their cables. Even if they are typically considered less suitable for the realisation of a high-quality audio system, given the limitation caused by an integrated amplifier without many customizable settings, portable PA systems are particularly useful in different situations, such as public events, demonstrations or simply to amplify voices or sounds to make them audible to a broad audience.

A complete portable PA system can be made up of microphones, amplifiers and separate loudspeakers. Still, the models you can buy on HiFi Tower are specifically designed to guarantee the maximum ease of transport and use: they are more compact, and basically consist of an amplified speaker, which is sometimes sold directly with a microphone included. This solution is ideal for small venues, schools, musicians who practice their profession on an amateur level, or in all those cases where it is not possible to invest a lot of money or where practicality is one of the most important factors to take into consideration. Not all portable PA systems are the same, and there are several parameters to consider before purchasing a specific model. Let's see which are the factors to pay more attention to.

Wired and wireless PA systems

An essential difference exists between speakers that need a wired connection and those that have wireless technologies, usually limited to Bluetooth and sometimes NFC. If you are looking for a device to be used on the move, or only in open spaces where connection to an external device would be impractical, you will certainly have to opt for a wireless model that is more practical and easy to use, even with smartphones and tablets. We would also like to remind you that our portable PA systems are equipped with USB ports and SD card slots, and therefore they can read certain types of files without the need to connect any device, either via cable or Bluetooth.

Which power specifications to look at before buying your portable PA system?

Output power is one of the crucial specs to pay attention to, both because it determines the actual maximum volume, and because manufacturers use different indications, some of which should be ignored because they are used as simple marketing tricks. Let’s have a look at the main specifications;

• Continuous power: this is the most important value to consider, indicating the maximum power that can be absorbed by the speaker continuously over time, without undergoing any variation. It is expressed in RMS watts and is unfortunately not always clearly indicated by manufacturers. This value is, in fact, usually lower if compared to other parameters, which give the inexperienced users the false impression of buying a more powerful device. It should also be considered that not always a higher volume is necessarily a point in favour, since even extreme distortions are possible, making listening quite difficult.


• Peak Power or PMPO (Peak Music Power Output): indicates the maximum power that can be absorbed by the speakers in a short time, the actual duration of which is practically never present in the manufacturers' datasheets. This figure usually increases proportionally to the continuous power, but can also be much higher than the latter. Precisely for this reason, it is often indicated in large letters on the packaging of low-cost products, even if this is misleading. A further problem with peak power is the fact that there is no regulated system to calculate it, causing each manufacturer to use a different method and further diminishing the credibility of a value that is mostly useful for commercial purposes


• Maximum power: this value simply indicates the total amount of energy consumed by the portable PA system and is therefore not related to its actual performance in terms of output power. It is often a higher value than the previous ones and, just like the power peak, it is often improperly used to attract the attention of less experienced users.

Is impedance relevant for your portable PA system?

The impedance indicates the resistance that the speaker exerts on the sound and is measured in Ohm (Ω). In general, the lower the impedance value, the higher the audio signal will be able to be carried to the speakers. However, it should be considered that a higher impedance indicates a sharper and cleaner sound, even if the maximum volume may be affected. It is therefore important to look for a model that respects your needs and is suitable for the use you want to make of it: for example, if you plan to use your portable PA system at a small event where only the voice of a presenter needs to be amplified, a product with low impedance may be sufficient, while if it is necessary to amplify a musical performance, it is advisable to opt for models with higher impedance. In most low-midrange models, impedance ranges between 4 and 8 ohms.

Design, reduced size and weight: for maximum ease of transport

Design plays a vital role in portable PA systems, which are used on the move, precisely to avoid the use of bigger, heavier, cumbersome PA systems made up of several components. In addition to the traditional models and with a more sober and minimalist design, in black or white, in our product gallery you can find portable Pa system with LED lighting systems on the front; an extremely useful eye-catcher for parties and street performances, when you need to catch the attention of passers-by.

Ease of transport, therefore, becomes a crucial parameter to consider, considering that this type of product partly aims to offer a compact and practical solution without the need to be equipped with many different devices. For this reason, for example, some of the portable PA systems that you can find on the HiFi Tower product gallery are built like a trolley, with a practical pull-out handle and rollers that make transporting them enormously easy. Even the larger models do not weigh more than 15 kilos, which means you'll be able to enjoy excellent music reproduction quality in a minimal footprint and weight. There are also models with shoulder straps, or in any case with sturdy handles that ensure maximum comfort when you are travelling and having to move your sound system with you.

A brief separate note should be made about the protections used to protect the speakers. It is a good idea to check that the loudspeaker is equipped with a simple plastic net or some other protection system preventing objects from being inadvertently inserted inside the speakers, particularly if the product is often used in open environments or in the presence of children.

Using your portable PA system on the go: power supply and remote control

A final element to consider, before choosing and purchasing a portable PA system, concerns the power supply system it is equipped with. There are two different options from which you can select :

• Power supply: most amplified loudspeakers, even if designed for easy transport, require to be connected to a power socket using a special cable to work properly. In this case, if the product is to be used outdoors, it is necessary to check the presence of a special extension cable that can power it


• Built-in battery: portable PA systems are generally equipped with a rechargeable battery, which allows them to be used easily even in outdoor spaces without the need for a wired connection to a power outlet. The battery life generally does not exceed six hours, although the autonomy is always variable, depending for example, on how high the volume is maintained.

Most of our portable PA systems provide maximum flexibility of use. They can be powered either via mains, 12 volts power supplies such as your car's cigarette lighter, or powered by their internal rechargeable battery. The remote control allows you to take full advantage of the device's features, both for volume adjustment and for playing tracks from external media or CD player, when available. This way you can enjoy maximum freedom of movement during your live performances, without necessarily having to stay close to your loudspeaker.