ION PATHFINDER 320 User manual

PathfinderTM 320˚
User Guide English ( 3 – 12 )
Guía del usuario Español ( 13 – 22 )
Guide d’utilisation Français ( 23 – 32 )
Appendix English ( 33 )

2

3
User Guide (English)
Introduction
Box Contents
PathfinderTM 320˚
Power/Charging Cable (6 ft. / 183 cm)
Quickstart Guide
Support
For the latest information about this product (documentation, technical specifications, system
requirements, compatibility information, etc.) and product registration, visit ionaudio.com.
For additional product support, visit ionaudio.com/support.
Rechargeable Batteries
Rechargeable lead-acid batteries are the same type used in automobiles. As with your car
battery, how you use this battery has a significant impact on its lifespan. With proper use and
treatment, a lead-acid battery can last for years. Here are some recommendations for getting
the longest life from the internal battery.
General Usage Fully charge the battery before using it.
Charge the battery completely after each use.
Storage For best product longevity, do not store at exceedingly hot (greater than
90°F/32°C) or exceedingly cold (less than 32°F/0°C) temperatures.
It is acceptable to leave your sound system plugged in. This will not
overcharge the battery.
If you leave the battery level low and do not charge it for 3 months, it may
permanently lose capacity.
Repair If the battery fails to charge, check your fuse near the power cable input. If
your fuse is intact and it still will not charge, contact ION Audio at
ionaudio.com.
Disposal Bring the unit to a recycling center or dispose of in accordance with local
ordinances.

4
Use and Care
Though PathfinderTM 320˚ is water-resistant* and able to tolerate splashing water, please
review the tips below to get the best performance from PathfinderTM 320˚:
•Bring PathfinderTM 320˚ indoors during extreme weather.
•Please do not place PathfinderTM 320˚ in standing water.
•Please do not connect the power cable to PathfinderTM 320˚ in a wet environment. Make
sure the power input, power cable, and power outlet are all completely dry before making
any connections.
•WARNING: Keep any non-water-resistant devices (phones, music players, etc.) in a dry
place where they will not be affected by water and cause a risk of electric shock.
* Compartment not rated for water resistance and is not guaranteed to prevent water intrusion.
ION is not responsible for damage to personal property due to product misuse or failure to
comply with these instructions.

5
Setup
Items not listed under Introduction > Box Contents are sold separately.
Rear
Panel
Power
Smartphone
Top
Panel*
Tablet
Front
Panel
* Slide open the top
compartment to access the
fast-charging USB port and
the second Aux input.

6
Features
Front Panel
1. Power On/Off Button: Press and hold this button to turn PathfinderTM 320˚ on/off. While
PathfinderTM 320˚ is connected to a power source, it does not need to be powered on to
charge the battery.
2. Bluetooth®Button: Press and release this button to enter Bluetooth pairing mode or to
disconnect a paired Bluetooth device and enter Aux Mode. Press and hold this button to
disable or enable the speaker's Voice Prompts. When linked, press and release this
button to set a speaker as the primary speaker.
3. Light Mode Button: Press this button to select how the lights on the front panel function:
•Color Cycle: The lights slowly glow and cycle through colors. Press and hold the light
mode button to freeze the lights on one color. This is the default mode when
PathfinderTM 320˚ is first powered on.
•Beat Sync: The lights react to the beat of the music.
•Off: The lights turn off.
4. Boom ButtonTM: Press this button to simultaneously enhance the bass EQ and volume
and activate a light show that pulses to the beat of the music. Press this button again to
deactivate this feature.
5. Previous Track Button: Press this button to tune in a radio station or go to the previous
track on a Bluetooth connected device. Press and hold in radio mode to seek.
6. Next Track Button: Press this button to tune in a radio station or go to the next track on
a Bluetooth connected device. Press and hold in radio mode to seek.
Note: With some apps, pressing the Previous Track button or Next Track button may
go to another playlist or music genre.
7. Play/Pause Button: Press to play or pause a track from a connected Bluetooth device.
8. Radio Button: Press this button to set the radio to FM1, FM2, or turn the radio off.
9. Radio Preset Buttons: Store a favorite radio station and quickly tune to a preset radio
station. There are 2 banks of 8 numeric positions each to store FM1 and FM2 band
presets. In Radio Mode, save the current station as a preset by pressing and holding a
numbered button. Press a numbered button to select a previously saved preset station.
1
2
1
1
1
3
1
41
51
61
7
1
8
1
9
1
10 1
11
1
12 1 13 1 14
1
15

7
10. Link Button: Press and hold this button to start stereo linking to another
PathfinderTM 320˚. Press this button twice to disconnect the link to the other speaker. See
Linking Two PathfinderTM 320˚ Speakers for more details.
11. EQ Buttons: Press an EQ button until the display shows "HI" (high frequency), “M” (mid
frequency), or "LO" (low frequency). Turn the control knob left or right to decrease or
increase the selected frequency, and then press the same EQ button to confirm. See
EQ Control for more details.
12. Display: Displays the current radio station, battery status, and Bluetooth status.
•Battery Status Icon:
oWhen the power cable is connected, movement of the battery segments shows
the battery is charging. When fully charged, all battery segments will be lit without
blinking.
oWhen the power cable is disconnected, the battery segment shows the level of
the battery.
oWhen the battery level is low, the bottom battery segment will blink.
oIf a front panel button is not pressed within 60 seconds, the battery level indicator
will turn off (to save energy). The battery level indicator will reappear when any
button is pressed. Also, when the battery gets to the lowest battery icon segment,
the battery level indicator will turn back on.
•Lightning Bolt Icon:
oThe charging indicator will illuminate when the power cable is connected to wall
power.
oWhen the unit is off and the power cable is connected, the charging indicator will
be lit for 5 seconds and then turn off to save energy. To check the charging
status, quickly press and release the Power button; the charging indicator will
illuminate for 5 seconds and then turn off.
oIf the unit is powered off while the power cable is connected, the charging
indicator will illuminate for 5 seconds and then turn off to save energy.
•Bluetooth Icon: The Bluetooth icon will be lit solid when a device is paired to
PathfinderTM 320˚.
•Power Icon: The power icon will be lit when PathfinderTM 320˚ is powered on. The
power icon will not be lit when PathfinderTM 320˚ is powered off.
•Link Icon: The Link icon will be lit when stereo-linked to another speaker. The Link
icon will be off when a single speaker is used.
•Volume Icon: The Volume icon will be lit when the Main Volume is adjusted, and
turns off after 3 seconds of not being adjusted.
•Boom Icon: The Boom icon will be lit when the Boom function is activated.
13. Auxiliary Input: Open the rubber compartment cover to access the aux input and USB
port. This stereo 3.5 mm (1/8”) input can be used to connect a CD player, MP3 player, or
other audio source.
Note: When the rubber compartment cover is open, the unit will not be water resistant.
Make sure PathfinderTM 320˚ and connections are dry before charging. Never charge
when the unit is wet.
14. USB Charging Port (5V, 1A): Connect your device’s charge cable here to charge it. USB
charging only functions when the unit’s power is turned on.
15. Control Knob: This adjusts the speaker’s main mix volume, which includes the Auxiliary
Input, Radio, and the audio of a paired Bluetooth device. Turn this knob in EQ mode to
adjust the treble and bass frequencies.

8
Top Panel
1. Fast Charging USB Port: Slide open the top compartment to access the USB port.
Connect your device’s charge cable here for a faster charge rate (5V, 2.2A). USB charging
only functions when the unit’s power is turned on.
2. 2nd Aux Input: Slide open the top compartment to access this Aux input. This stereo 3.5
mm (1/8”) input can be used to connect a CD player, MP3 player, or other audio source.
Rear Panel
1. Power: Insert the included power cable here to charge the unit.
Side Panel
1. Bottle Opener: Use this to open bottles of your favorite drinks.
1
1
CHARGE
5V 2.2A
AUX 1
2
1
1

9
Operation
Light Mode
When Pathfinder™320˚ is first turned on, the lights will be in Color Cycle mode and start to
slowly fade from one color to the next. To pause on a certain color, press and hold the Light
button for 1 second. To enter Beat Sync mode and have the lights react to the beat of the
music, press and release the Light button. Press the Light button again to turn off the lights.
EQ Control
Hi EQ:
1. Press the Hi EQ button. “HI” will appear on the display for high frequency.
2. To decrease the high frequency, turn the encoder left.
3. To increase the high frequency, turn the encoder right.
4. Press the Hi EQ button to confirm or wait 3 seconds for the display to revert back to
the main screen.
Mid EQ:
1. Press the Mid EQ button. “M” will appear on the display for mid frequency.
2. To decrease the mid frequency, turn the encoder left.
3. To increase the mid frequency, turn the encoder right.
4. Press the Mid EQ button to confirm or wait 3 seconds for display to revert back to
main screen.
Low EQ:
1. Press the Low EQ button. “LO” will appear on the display for low frequency.
2. To decrease the low frequency, turn the encoder left.
3. To increase the low frequency, turn the encoder right.
4. Press the Low EQ button to confirm or wait 3 seconds for the display to revert back
to the main screen.
Pairing a Bluetooth Device
1. Make sure the speaker is within range of your Bluetooth device (no more than 100 ft. /
30.5 m away). If there is no connection after 90 seconds, the speaker will stop searching
for a Bluetooth device and enter AUX mode.
2. Press the Bluetooth button on the speaker.
3. Navigate to your Bluetooth device’s setup screen. Then find and select Pathfinder 320˚.
Do not connect to iPA159_BLE; this is reserved exclusively for connecting to the ION
Sound XP™ app. If your Bluetooth device prompts for a pairing code, enter 0000.
Note: If you have previously connected to your Bluetooth device, Pathfinder™ 320˚ will
reconnect automatically.
Tip: Press the Bluetooth button to enable or disable the Bluetooth pairing voice
prompts.
To change to AUX mode, press and release the Bluetooth button.
To disconnect a paired Bluetooth device, double press the Bluetooth button.

10
Linking Two PathfinderTM 320˚ Speakers
1. Power on both PathfinderTM 320˚ speakers.
2. Be sure to disconnect any Bluetooth devices before attempting to link two speakers.
3. Press and hold the Link button to enter Stereo Link mode. Once a link has been
established, the word LINK will appear in the display.
Note: It may take up to 1 minute to make the connection.
4. Then, repeat this process on the other PathfinderTM 320˚ speaker.
5. To disconnect, double press the Link button on one of the two PathfinderTM 320˚
speakers.
Using the Radio
1. Press the Radio button.
•First press selects FM1
•Second press selects FM2
•Third press turns off the radio
2. Select a radio station using the </>buttons.
Note: Pause playback from or disable Bluetooth entirely before using the radio to prevent both
audio signals from being active at the same time.
To save a preset station, press and hold one of the preset buttons 1-8.
To recall a preset station, press and release one of the preset buttons 1-8.

11
App Control
IMPORTANT: To ensure the best possible experience with the app, use the most current
Android OS or iOS on your device.
Follow these steps to download the free app on your device:
1. Open the Apple App Store or Google Play on your device. Then, search for the ION
Sound XP app.
2. Follow the on-screen instructions to download and install the app. Once downloaded,
the ION Sound XP app will appear on your device's home screen.
3. Connect your device to Pathfinder™320 via Bluetooth. See the Pairing a Bluetooth
Device to learn how to do this.
4. Open the ION Sound XPTM app. If prompted, allow the app to access your device's
Bluetooth and Location Services.
5. Tap to select Add A Product on the screen. The app will scan and find Pathfinder™320.
If you are having issues connecting, tap Help with setting up? for additional tips.
6. Select the Pathfinder™320 icon to go to the next screen, where you can use the app to
control various functions of the speaker such as:
•Radio: Play the radio, change stations, and edit presets.
•EQ: Adjust the speaker's equalization, and enable or disable Boom.
•Volume: Adjust the speaker volume.
•Light Effect: Choose the lighting effect from Color Cycle, Beat Sync, and Off.
•Battery Status: Displays the battery level.
•Support: Visit ionaudio.com, contact Technical Support, and view Warranty
information and Frequently Asked Questions.

12
Troubleshooting
If the unit is not charging: Make sure the power cable is properly connected to the power
input and the power outlet.
If the sound is distorted: Try lowering the volume control of your sound source.
If there is too much bass: Try adjusting the tone or EQ control on your sound source to lower
the bass level. This will allow you to play the music louder before clipping (distortion) occurs.
If you cannot connect your audio device to PathfinderTM 320˚ via Bluetooth:
•Have your audio device (e.g., smartphone or tablet) and PathfinderTM 320˚ as close
together as possible while trying to connect. Make sure both the audio device and
PathfinderTM 320˚ are unobstructed by walls, furniture, etc.
•Reset the Bluetooth connection on PathfinderTM 320˚ to disconnect PathfinderTM 320˚ from
any other audio device and restart the search process. If this does not work right away,
power off PathfinderTM 320˚ and then power it back on. See Pairing a Bluetooth Device
for more information.
•Reset the Bluetooth connection on your audio device by turning Bluetooth off and back
on. You can find this under the Bluetooth menu in the Settings for your phone or other
audio device.
If this does not work, and you have connected to PathfinderTM 320˚ before, find
PathfinderTM 320˚ in the list of available or previously connected devices in your audio
device's Bluetooth menu, tap the "gear" or “i” icon located next to it and then select
Unpair or Forget. Turn PathfinderTM 320˚ off and back on and try pairing again once it
reappears in your available devices list.
Note: If PathfinderTM 320˚ has been paired to another audio device recently that is still
within range, you may need to repeat this process with that audio device to fully
disconnect.
If you experience audio dropouts while playing music from a Bluetooth device, this may
be happening because your unit is trying to link to another speaker. This can occur if you
power off a speaker that was linked to your unit or if you have just turned on your unit and it is
in Stereo-Link mode. To stop the audio dropouts, exit Stereo-Link mode by double-pressing
the Link button. Alternatively, you can wait for your unit to link to another speaker if there is
one within range.
If you would like to stop your speaker from automatically linking when you power it on,
make sure you double-press the Link button to exit Stereo-Link mode before you power it off.