sound system

Noun

sound system (plural sound systems)

1. An electronic system used to reproduce sound.
2. The set of speech sounds that make up a language; a phonology.
   • One young Tamil teacher had assimilated the sound-system of English so thoroughly to that of his mother-tongue that none of the Chinese and Malay children understood him.1958, Anthony Burgess, The Enemy in the Blanket (The Malayan Trilogy), published 1972, page 277
3. A mobile platform playing selected recorded music, set up as a social event, often with an entrance fee.
   • Rooted in Caribbean culture and introduced to the UK by the Windrush generation, sound systems – static or truck-bound collectives of MCs and DJs playing music through customised, bass-heavy speakers – have been integral to Notting Hill carnival since 1973.2019 August 23, Dave Simpson, “The sound systems of Notting Hill carnival: 'I'll stop when I can't walk'”, in The Guardian, →ISSN