At their core, PA systems are about getting information out quickly. You’re probably familiar with some form of PA system, whether it be at your child’s school or the grocery store. However, there’s much more to PA systems than just the voice coming over the speaker. The back end of a PA system often includes switching systems that trigger when an alarm goes off—not to mention all of the scheduling and remote management capabilities that come with today’s digital PA systems. We’ll go over the basics of what sets analog and digital public address systems apart, and how you can get the features of a modern paging system using existing equipment.

Analog PA Systems

For most of their existence as a product, analog PA systems have been the main (or only) choice for a public address system. Analog PA systems transport audio signals as electricity, without any encoding or decoding on either the sound source or speaker end. This simplicity makes them very reliable, but as a result they don’t have nearly the feature set of a modern digital PA system. They can still integrate with phone systems and alarms, and are still a great choice for smaller facilities who require one system to deliver messaging across a single zone.

Digital PA Systems

Most new PA system products released these days are digital PA systems. These systems often use internet infrastructure to send and receive audio (but can be set up on an offline network for security if desired). These systems usually offer a ton of features—centralized management, announcement scheduling, and integration with security and access control systems. Some systems, like Bogen’s Nyquist C4000, also offer built-in Internet radio services for background music—which would take up a lot more space and add complication for an analog system.

An IP phone & PA system controller for the Bogen Nyquist E7000 System.

Most PA systems offer some form of phone integration, to allow users to make announcements from a standard or IP-based telephone. For analog systems, the head-end of the system will have a telephone interface integrated or built in, which will broadcast the audio from a phone when dialed into. Because digital systems use IP-based infrastructure, many systems only support phone paging with a VoIP phone. In either case, these components will allow users to make announcements using whichever desk phone solution your organization uses. Alternatively, many manufacturers offer dedicated phone & base stations with dedicated control buttons for PA announcements.

The Best PA Systems

We’ve built and integrated public address systems across Canada from nearly every manufacturer, so we’ve definitely seen a thing or two. Here are our top picks for commercial PA systems.

Bogen Nyquist

With nearly a century of audio manufacturing behind them, Bogen’s Nyquist IP Paging System packs an incredible amount of features and reliability into the system. At the center of the system is the Nyquist controller, which is easily accessible through a web browser on PCs, tablets, or mobile devices. The rest of the system is modular—meaning you can add amplifiers, IP or analog speakers, or modules to integrate existing PA system infrastructure with the new system controller.

The Nyquist comes in a few different versions. The most common one we work with is the C4000 system, designed for commercial uses. This system is integrated with commercial radio services Soundmachine and airable, providing a huge selection of background music already licensed for commercial use. The C4000 can also be configured with sound masking noise to provide even more functionality from your paging system.

FrontRow Conductor

We often turn to FrontRow for classroom audio solutions, and for good reason—we’ve received nothing but rave reviews for their Juno system, and the Conductor PA system integrates perfectly with FrontRow’s classroom audio systems. The Conductor Server can connect to existing FrontRow Juno, ezRoom or UNITY systems, allowing administrators to override teacher audio and ensure emergency announcements are heard clearly. The Conductor system also features full control via the web GUI, providing access to bell schedules and school calendars. The admin base station includes a desktop microphone, but you can also add an Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA) to integrate with existing phone infrastructure.

Choosing Between Analog and Digital PA Systems

The right PA system for your space depends primarily on the size and layout of the space, and your general use case for a PA system. In a small single room facility like a retail store or a small warehouse, an analog PA system may be adequate. For anything more complicated, however, a digital paging and public address system provides far more flexibility, capability and scalability with only a little more cost. In our experience, having the additional control capabilities of a digital system provides the best user experience for administrators and facility users.

Looking for an upgrade to your paging system, or a whole new installation? Get in touch—our team of experts will design a system that fits your needs and budget.

The Evolution of Public Address Systems: Analog vs Digital