Rolling, Rolling, Rolling…
If you’re in the market for a portable PA, this is the tenth article covering topics such as which features to consider, identifying various functions and how to operate them.
That being said, up until now in this series, we haven’t defined what’s meant by “portable”. For our purposes, a “portable” PA is one that’s either frequently used in multiple locations, pulled out for the occasional use, or be taken out to a distant location where a permanently installed audio system can’t reach or simply isn’t convenient.
The largest wheels in its speaker class assures you of true mobility.
Or said differently, if you need to haul out a system that has to reach several hundred or even a thousand people, how will you do it? In this case, not all portable PA systems are created equal. Some are perhaps portable in name only, but not in a functional sense. So this article will talk about perhaps the most important feature in a portable PA, its portability.
If the event requires a PA that’s too large for hand carrying, fear not because the two most powerful portable PAs Califone offers (PowerPro™) each has wheels for mobility. What a concept! Not many portable PAs offer wheels, so this feature can take on a larger than life importance, perhaps even be considered a necessity, if you’re the one who has to do the lugging.
When we say wheels, we don’t mean something flimsy like the caster wheels on your office chair. We’re talking beefy, go-anywhere, solid rubber wheels which are mounted on ¼” solid steel axles so they can’t shear off. They’re durable enough and large enough to easily navigate over pavement or grass (football fields and play grounds), wherever you need to go. (In fact at 1” width x 3.5” diameter they are the largest wheels offered on any PA in their respective speaker classes.)
So if you need to haul a PA system over hill and dale, make sure you choose one you can roll with.
Read the next article or the previous posting in the series on mic impedance, or to read the first article about the Line In function.
