Building a scalable Public Address solution with Zenitel
Designing a public address system requires careful consideration of factors such as the choice of technology, system scalability, ambient acoustics, speaker placement, and more. In this article, discover how Zenitel’s new cost-effective 30W IP speaker range provides a powerful enhancement to your conventional 100V PA solutions.
Regardless of the size of your project, when you design a public address system, you need to make some decisions relating to the type of amplification, loudspeakers, and wiring convention to use.
A 100V line public address system is typically used in commercial premises or large areas for general announcements, public address, background music and fire/evacuation messaging. The 100V line system remains one of the best options for powering a large number of speakers across long distances and multiple zones. Due its cost effectiveness, passive speakers are often used in such installations, powered by PA amplifier that is usually installed in an equipment cabinet near the passive speakers.
Another way to deliver public address is by distributing audio over an IP network using active speakers (also known as IP or network speaker).Compared to passive speakers used for 100V lines, an IP-based active speaker has an embedded amplifier and can be directly connected to a standard Ethernet switch. One downside of an IP-based active speaker is the cost, due to additional components such as a built-in amplifier and Ethernet module. As a result, IP speakers are typically more suitable for smaller projects where higher zone granularity is needed.
However, with the introduction of a new 30W IP speaker range, Zenitel delivers a cost-effective public address solution even for medium-sized projects, complementing its Vipedia public address solutions, which is a 100V line system.
With speakers delivering up to 123 dB of SPL, our new IP speaker range provides clear voice messages over long distances using a minimal number of speakers. This makes our IP speakers a viable alternative for medium-sized projects when using a 100V line is not possible (example, a lack of equipment room for amplifier racks).
For example, Zenitel’s new IP horn speaker can deliver up to 117dB for speech applications, ensuring clear speech up to 32m from a single speaker. This makes it ideal for a train platform or for an industrial plant (assumed ambient noise – 80dB).
Delivering a truly scalable solution by combining 100V line with IP speakers
Another key benefit of Zenitel’s public address solution is the ability to combine IP speakers with the 100V line Vipedia system, which provides a cost-effective PA solution regardless of the size of the project.
Public address deployments often require varying levels of audio zone granularity: large zones such as the concourse of a train station, medium zones such as retail stores, and small zones such as staircases or emergency exits. The PA system must accommodate these different zone sizes without significantly increasing the overall system cost.
While the 100V line Vipedia system is cost-effective for covering larger zones, IP speakers are an ideal fit for smaller and medium-sized areas such as staircases and retail stores. By combining the strengths of these two technologies, we provide a cost-effective PA solution suitable for zones of any size.
Conclusion
Whether it’s an emergency broadcast to evacuate your premises, a promotion you want to share, or regular daily in-store announcements, our combined 100V line Vipedia system and IP speakers offer cost-effective PA solutions that enable clear communication with your audience.
Sri Sutharsan is VP Marketing for Zenitel Safety & Security BU, a manufacturer of critical communication systems. With nearly 20 years of experience in R&D, Product Management, Sales, and Marketing, Sri has worked with global brands and businesses, assisting in setting vision and strategy for technology investments.