What does 'PA' stand for?

Technically PA stands for Public Address, not Pro Audio as many people assume. The term public address literally means to ‘address’ the ‘public’. The public being a loud bunch of people, a system was obviously needed to amplify ones voice over that of the crowd. The PA was born. It really includes all the bits and pieces that make it work including the microphone, mixer and cables, but these days most refer to a PA as just a pair of 2way speakers and the amplifiers that drive them. Getting even more defined, the term PA speaker refers to a 2way speaker that has an amplifier in-built. A PA system you can carry in one hand.

All that being said, don’t go into your local musical instrument store and ask for a ‘public address’ system. They’ll think you want something from the 80’s. Just play it safe with PA or even pro audio speaker.