Sound Advice on Portable PA Systems

Alto Professional Uber PA

Starting us off is the most compact and affordable speaker in our list. Weighing just over 16 pounds, this is easily the most portable speaker that we will see. Sporting a 6.5″ woofer and a respectable 50 watts of power, the Uber PA is perfect for backyard parties and pool hangouts. It’s battery-powered with up to 50 hours of continuous use so you can place it anywhere you like without worrying about being tethered to an outlet. Up top, you have 4 different input options: two combo XLR-1/4″ mic/line inputs, an auxiliary input, and a Bluetooth connection. The mic/line inputs have their own volume controls as well as the BT/aux input so you can dial in your mix how you like it. You also have a master volume and a line output for linking multiple speakers together. If you choose to use the Bluetooth connection there is a handy USB power output to keep your phone or other device charged up.

ADJ APX12 GO BT

The American DJ APX12 GO BT is a speaker I’m very familiar with – I was lucky enough to be one of the first to get a model for review. It blew me away with the sheer amount of features and accessories that you receive for only a slight bump in price over the Alto Uber PA. To start off, the APX12 is also battery-powered (8 hours on a charge) but looks more like a traditional PA speaker. It’s packing a big 12″ woofer, so you’ll get more low-end reinforcement compared to some of the smaller speakers we are going to look at. Touching on portability, while it’s a bit heavy, there is a built-in set of rolling wheels and an extendable luggage-style handle to tow the speaker to wherever you need to be.

Taking a look at the back of the speaker you’ll see a generous amount of inputs including XLR mic in, line in, auxiliary, and RCA. However, the APX12 also has some more unique options like an SD card slot, USB drive input, FM radio, and BT. Besides a cassette deck, I really can’t think what they’re missing! This gives you a TON of flexibility when it comes to playing media on the speaker. The Bluetooth, USB, SD, and FM radio playback are all handled on a handy digital display that makes choosing songs a breeze. The inputs have independent volume controls as well as a basic high and low EQ for modeling the sound slightly. There is a master volume control and a battery indicator to let you know approximately how much juice you have left before you need to plug in. The APX12 comes with a standard pole mount on the bottom so that it can be mounted on a tripod for projecting across a room or outdoor space.

Samson Expedition XP800

Bumping up the price a bit we have the Samson Expedition XP800. While this setup isn’t battery-powered like the previous two, it’s still compact and portable and has built-in Bluetooth for wireless music playback. With 800 watts of power (quadruple the peak power of the APX12) it can handle larger audiences and venues. The two speakers (yes, two) and separate mixer lock together into a single 40lb unit for easy transport. Each of the speakers has an 8″ woofer and a pole mount for a traditional stereo speaker setup on tripods.

The mixer for the XP800 is easily the most full-featured yet, with 8 channels of inputs available. Each of the channels has its own high and low EQ settings as well as a knob for volume and effects. The mixer has 16 built-in digital effects like reverb, chorus, and flanger to add some polish to your mixes. You also have a level display to make sure you’re not clipping and phantom power for condenser microphones. There is a monitor output to send a signal back to the stage for musicians or speakers (with its own volume of course). The mixer doubles as the amplifier for the speakers, so no need to add any more gear to get the system going. Simply plug the included 25-foot cables (that store inside one of the speakers) into both the mixer and the speakers and you’re good to go.

Honorable Mention – Yamaha STAGEPAS 400 BT

If you’re not satisfied with the myriad of options in this article, allow me to present you with one more. The STAGEPAS 400 BT is similar to the Samson Expedition we talked about earlier. It’s made up of two satellite speakers and a separate mixer with a built-in amplifier. However, it’s much simpler and easier to operate. For example, the channels all have a single reverb control instead of having to mess with a multi-effects processor. If you prefer not to deal with EQing each individual channel, there is a single knob that controls the master EQ for the entire mixer with easy-to-understand labels like speech and music. There is also a feedback suppression button to cut back on unwanted noise (again, making your job easier and more streamlined). If you’re all about ease of use and getting in and out with minimal tweaking, the STAGEPAS 400 BT might be a great option for you.