What does extending a portable PA system mean?
Some PA systems allow you to extend their reach by adding additional speakers known as slave speakers. These can be either active or passive speakers, and the requirements are different for each. The recommendation will depend on your amplifier's power and capacity remaining, and how many speakers you need to add to it. Often an extra speaker can be added to your system easily, but sometimes more may stress the amplifier or overload things so seek advice. An example use of a extended system might be to place an additional speaker near the audience at a sporting event, such as cross country.
Active versus passive
Passive (or non-powered) speakers need to be powered by a separate power amplifier i.e. your PA System. The power rating known as the wattage of the PA System must be matched to the speakers and this alters depending on the "ohmage" of the speakers and how many you are adding.
Active (or powered) speakers have an amplifier built into them so that they do not need a separate power amplifier or to take power from your existing amplifier. This means that you can use any of the speakers on their own if you have multiple events happening simultaneously, or “daisy chain” the active speakers to your PA System without worrying about the power implications or Ohmage. They can be operated via either AC power or using the built-in batteries. This makes them simple to use and ideal for schools and churches who have a host of different locations and applications. The slave / extension speaker are linked using their in and out jacks to form a large wired system or more frequently repeater transmitters are mounted to set up wireless links between the speakers back to the PA System.
Some models of active speaker also have their own inputs for a music source or a cable microphone for when you are using them independently of the main PA System.
How to set up your extended PA System
Below we provide examples of the different ways that you can extend two of our PA Systems: the Challenger 1000 System and the Stage Pro System:
You can use a matching Challenger Slave or a standard "passive" 8 or 4ohm speaker.
The slave has the same powerful amplifier and batteries built in as the main Challenger or StagePro unit, can operate for extended periods from the built in batteries or mains power, so you double your amplifier power and your coverage! You can add as many wireless extension speakers as you need. If each slave speaker is within 80 metres of the Master unit they only require one receiver fitted in each, or if further than 80 metres a repeater transmitter is needed in each slave speaker as well (but not the last one in the chain).
Each active master and slave unit has a speaker output provided so you can also connect another 80 ohm speaker (or pair of horns) to each unit for even greater local coverage.
