Although it may sound redundant, the main feature of portable audio systems is their mobility; This feature is derived from the fact that they are lightweight equipment, having all their components integrated, which facilitates the installation process, in addition to offering a high sound quality. A group of experts shared with AVI Latin America the secrets of these systems and analyzed the market in the region, within which it can be concluded that the price factor is decisive in marketing, as is the case with the vast majority of technological equipment.There are situations in which a portable audio system becomes the best of the allies: in which the speed of assembly is a determining factor, in which there are no technical personnel for it or in which the space to transport the equipment is very limited. To that extent these systems are very desired by those people who become the same operators of their equipment, such as musicians, lecturers or disc jockeys; these characteristics make them more economical systems than professional audios in which highly qualified personnel are required for their installation and subsequent commissioning.
Juan F. Montoya, sales manager for Central and South America at Bosch Communications Systems, said that "normally in a portable audio system a little quality and dynamic range is sacrificed in order to achieve greater portability and ease of assembly. Basically the portable system includes a package of several integrated elements, while in a professional system many of its elements such as wiring and connections are physically separated."
But what does the Latino market demand? According to José Hernández, anchor Audio's international sales, the needs of our market can be summarized as: "good sound, a well-known and supported brand, and most importantly, an easy to operate system". For his part, Simon Jones, marketing director of portable audio products at JBL Professional, considered that performance plays an important role when choosing a product of these characteristics: "the Latino consumer is looking for a product that delivers the perfect balance between performance and sound quality for a long time; a clear definition between price/performance is important there."
It is clear that technologies must face various pitfalls depending on the market in which they are marketed. In the case of portable audio systems, these products must face imports from some markets that do not offer sufficient quality and support, the confusion of buyers to differentiate a portable audio system with professional features and one of home audio, and the lack of dissemination of the characteristics of these equipment in some Latin American countries.
In general, these systems are especially resistant to shocks, because they must be moved from one place to another, and are suitable to withstand adverse weather conditions, they also adapt to scenarios as dissimilar as party halls, auditoriums, educational halls, cruise ships, public events and stadiums.
