A
public address system (
PA system) is an
electronic sound amplification and distribution system with a
microphone,
amplifier and
loudspeakers, used to allow a person to address a large public, for example for announcements of movements at large and noisy air and rail terminals or at a sports stadium. The term is also used for systems which may additionally have a
mixing console, and amplifiers and loudspeakers suitable for music as well as speech, used to reinforce a sound source, such as recorded music or a person giving a speech or distributing the sound throughout a venue or building.