Pro Audio. This page provides information on what makes a Pro Audio setup different from a regular home sound system and how they work.

To start with the first thing you will notice about a PA system is the amplifier. The main difference being a lot of Pro Audio amplifiers are rack mounted. This basically means they are shaped in a way which enables many of them to be stacked on top of each other. Most commonly in a large Pro Audio setup several amps will be required. Apart from that the only difference from home audio amps is the power output which will be much greater and small features such as cooling control and short circuit protection.

Connected to the amps it is very common for a pro audio system to have a mixer. The mixer is used to fine tune the system to sound how the user prefers. The better quality the mixer the more bands it will have. The bands basically represent different tones of sound which you can control by turning them up or down. A lot of pro audio mixers also come with preset digital effects such as sound fading

Also connected to the amp you will need an input source. This will be where the music comes from. Most commonly in a pro audio setup turntables are used to play vinyl as many believe it produces the highest quality. More recently Compact disc turntables and Laptops have been used to play MP3 music files. In some pro audio situation all 3 can be connected simultaneously using the aux outputs on the amplifier.

One of the most important parts of a pro audio system is the speakers. Most PA Speakers are much larger than home speakers and often many of them are joined together to create a wall of speakers much like you would see in a large club or at a concert. One of the main differences of a pro audio speaker is the components it uses. A regular speaker will consist of a subwoofer or midrange driver and then a separate tweeter usually maid of a soft material such as silk. A Pro audio speaker works much differently. While still having a large round subwoofer in the base of the case for the low frequencies they tend to use large horns for midrange and high frequencies. This is because a large horn can produce a lot more decibels that a regular tweeter and therefore is a lot louder and clearer at high volumes. One major factor to consider when buying a pro audio speaker is its power output. A lot of retailers sell speakers advertising the peak power. This is just what the speaker can reach when pushed to its limits on a certain frequency. The RMS value of the speaker is much more important. A 200 watt pro audio speaker system would be ideal for a small hall, a 400w system would be ideal for a large hall while 800w + for outside venues and much larger arenas.

Peavey PV1500 PA power amplifiers. These power amplifiers are 500w RMS / 1000w program power per channel at 4 ohms and 300w RMS / 600w program power per channel at 8 ohms. The Peavey PV 1500 PA power amplifier is in 2U rack mount format.

• Six balanced microphone inputs
  
• Eight line level inputs
  
• 2-band EQ on all main inputs
  
• Separate tape input with level control
  
• Record out allows for easy recording of live performance
  
• Monitor sends on all main input channels
  
• Built-in digital effect
  
• Effect out and Aux in allows for the connection of an external effects device
  
• Integrated 100 Watt power amplifier
  
• Globally switchable 48V phantom power for powering condenser microphones
  

The most relevant links we could find, placed here free

Stage Beat - PA Equipment. http://www.stagebeat.co.uk