What PA System is best for what use? Here are Edwards' reviews and comparisons of our four top-selling PA systems:
Challenger 1000D
We call it the Swiss Army knife of portable systems. There are not many situations that it won’t cover with ease. The sound quality is top of its field for both music and speech. Plus your purchase is future proofed because it is simple to extend with extra speakers and modular add-ons – recorders, additional wireless mic channels and repeater links etc.
Recommendations:
• Schools: halls, assemblies, sports fields, beach and pool events
• Events: outdoor and indoor, including outdoor and beachside weddings
• Places of worship, maraes: main meeting venue, side rooms and outside events
• Hire companies and rental: the Coach 1000D is used extensively due to its flexibility and portability (the built-in trolley is a winner!)
• Celebrants
Stage Pro
This is powerful, super compact, the sound quality is excellent and it is priced very competitively. There isn't currently anything at this level able to compete with the Stage Pro for audio, quality and price. It is built with stage performances in mind and will fill the room with sound but without filling your stage with gear. Perfect for live acts and school performances which often have large and all-inclusive acts on stage, as well as all the applications of the Challenger above - wide coverage indoors and outdoors for speech and music!
The Chiayo Stage Pro PA won silver at the prestigious Japan Genius Award.
Recommendations:
• Professional street performers
• Stage performers, vocals
• Schools: looking for a bit more power in halls, sports fields or playground
• Places of worship, maraes: as with the above – if you are looking for more power
• Corporate: larger meetings and conferences
• Hire and rental companies: a little lighter and more powerful than the Challenger make it a popular choice for hire companies catering for larger audiences
Focus 505
This is a discrete, low profile system with ‘Hi-Fi” sound quality. From the front it is the same size as a piece of A4 paper! The heaviest option only weighs 6.5kgs and it is very simple to operate. These are competitively priced, fully featured professional portable sound systems - probably the best compact portable sound system for wireless microphones in the world easily covering a moderate group of people, where the Challenger or Stage Pro would be overkill.
Recommendations
Suits medium-sized audiences of up to approximately 100 people.
• Schools: it is used frequently in smaller school halls and court-sized outdoor spaces
• Rest homes: for presentations and entertainment
• Meeting rooms: RSA, halls, Probus clubs, Chapels and Churches
Coach 400
The Coach projects sound over a surprisingly large distance. It will easily cover a school hall, sports field or outdoor court. The sound quality is loud and clear. Very light and powerful, perfect for conducting civil defence procedures, especially in light of the sirens. It might look expensive due to its compact size but outperforms others on the market and you get what you pay for - in an emergency those extra few dollars could make all the difference. The shoulder carry bag is a game changer for tour guides or teachers on an excursion! It comes with pockets for accessories and transmitters and a liftable front panel so you can still use the Coach over your shoulder facing either forwards (for addressing a group) or backwards (for guided mobile tour groups) inside the carry bag. And the USB-in can be a goldmine (literally!) at a fundraiser, playing recorded adverts for the various stalls or activities. Make sure no one misses the cake stand at your next calf-day!
Recommendations
• Schools: civil defence emergency procedures, sporting events such as cross-country, school trips
• Guided tours
• Lectures in small conference rooms
• Trade fairs
• Election events
• Any public meeting place requiring a device to communicate if the power goes down or needs to get people’s attention in an instant!
