Minneapolis, Minn. – Williams Sound is pleased to announce its donation of a Personal PA system (PPA T2 transmitter and PPA R1027A receiver) to Jonathan and Susan Lipp, owners of Full Compass. Full Compass, located in Madison, Wisc., has been a national leader in professional audio and video, lighting and musical instrument sales for more than 30 years.

Jonathan, a lifelong and passionate collector of vintage audio equipment, 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.”

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, 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.

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.”

Williams Sound is a global designer and manufacturer of wireless communication technology, serving personal and professional listening needs worldwide since 1976. Williams Sound offers products and service for such commercial markets as hearing assistance, language interpretation, tour, corporate, education, government and house of worship.  These products include PROLOOP Induction Loop Systems, Digi-Wave™ Digital Communication Systems, Personal PA® FM Listening Systems, Portable Hearing Assistance Tour Guide Systems, SoundPlus® Infrared Systems and Hearing Helper® FM Listening Systems.

Full Compass is a national leader in Professional Audio, Professional Video, A/V, Lighting and Musical Instrument sales. For over 30 years, our goal has been to provide the best possible value with exceptional customer service. We offer over 700 top equipment brands.  We also provide services such as computer systems integration, lighting design, and rentals. Full Compass is an authorized service center and parts distributor for most of the major manufacturers we carry.