WilliamSoundfull compass
Williams Sound National Sales Manager Tony Strong (left) with Jonathan and Susan Lipp, owners of Full Compass.

Williams Sound, Minneapolis, has donated a Personal PA system (PPA T2 transmitter and PPA R1027A receiver) to Jonathan and Susan Lipp, owners of Full Compass, Madison, Wis, a national leader in professional audio and video, lighting, and musical instrument sales for more than 30 years. A lifelong and passionate collector of vintage audio equipment, Jonathan is creating a museum at Full Compass headquarters that he plans to pass on to the city of Madison as a legacy when he retires. 

“This donation of vintage Williams Sound technology is greatly appreciated.  We are proud to add this to our growing collection,” said Lipp in a press release.

The PPA T2 transmitter and PPA R1027A receiver are components of the original Personal PA (PPA) system, designed by Williams Sound founder Jerry Williams and sold in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The original PPA was an AM radio wireless listening system. 

The PPA worked by connecting a radio transmitter to the church sound system and broadcasting the service to pocket radio receivers. It took advantage of microphone location (close proximity to the speaker) to deliver sound directly to the listener, bypassing distance and room acoustics.  This provided hard-of-hearing individuals with enhanced signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and virtually eliminated background noise. 

The wireless receivers allowed any number of listeners to sit where they wanted and control their own volume level. Listeners used discreet earphones with the receiver to avoid disturbing others.

WilliamsSoundPersonalPA
The PPA T2 transmitter and PPA
R1027A receiver (shown here) are
components of the original Williams
Sound Personal PA (PPA) system.

Tony Strong, National Sales Manager for Williams Sound, traveled to Madison this summer to make the presentation to Full Compass. “We are pleased to present this significant part of Williams Sound history to Jonathan and Susan, to an organization whose employees and associates truly appreciate its value and importance,” said Strong.

Source: Williams Sound