Ion PATHFINDER GO - Bluetooth-Enabled Speaker Manual

INTRODUCTION

Note: Before you first use the product, please fully charge the batteries. Your unit was purposely shipped with a reduced battery charge to ensure safe transit. For optimal charging, power off the speaker while charging.
Use the included USB-A to USB-C® cable to connect the unit to a 5V, 2A power adapter (not included) connected to a power outlet and let it charge for up to 3 hours (depending on the specifications of your adapter). This helps ensure the longest life for your battery.

Box Contents

Pathfinder TM Go
USB-A to USB-C® Charging Cable (3.28 ft / 1 m)
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.

SETUP

Outdoor Use and Care

Though Pathfinder™ Go is water-resistant and able to tolerate splashing water, please review the tips below to get the best performance from your Pathfinder™ Go:

• Bring Pathfinder™ Go indoors during extreme weather.
• Please do not place Pathfinder™ Go in standing water.
• Please do not connect the power adapter to a Pathfinder™ Go in a wet environment. Make sure the power input, power adapter, and power outlet are all completely dry before making any connections.
• 
  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.

Charging & Battery Information

For the quickest charging time, power off Pathfinder™ Go and use the included USB-A to USB-C® cable to connect the USB-C® charging port on the rear panel of the speaker to a USB power adapter (DC 5V 2A, not included) connected to a power outlet, or your computer (powered on). A full charge can take up to 3 hours, depending on the specifications of your 5V, 2A adapter.

The lightning bolt icon on the display will light up when Pathfinder™ Go connected to a power source and charging. The battery icon will fill to display the battery life percentage. When charging is complete, the lightning bolt icon will disappear, and the battery icon will be completely filled.

If no audio is played through the Pathfinder™ Go speaker for 15 minutes, the unit will enter a standby mode to conserve battery life. This may mean the Bluetooth signal is paused, no audio is coming through a device connected to the aux port, or the volume is set to 0. To wake the unit, simply resume audio signal or press any button.
Here are some other recommendations for getting the longest life from the internal battery.

FEATURES

Front Panel

Click a control below to jump to that section.

1. Power Button
   Press and hold this button to turn Pathfinder™ Go on and off.
2. Boom Button™
   Press to simultaneously enhance the bass EQ and volume and activate a light show that pulses to the beat of the music.
3. Bluetooth® Button
   Press this button to enter Bluetooth pairing mode. When connected to a Bluetooth device, double-press this button to disconnect a paired device and re-enter pairing mode, or single-press to disconnect a paired device and enter Aux mode. See Operation > Bluetooth Connecting with Pathfinder™ Go to learn how to connect a Bluetooth device.
   Press and hold this button to enable or disable voice prompts.
4. Source Button
   Press this button to cycle between FM, USB, and Aux modes.
5. Lights Button
   Press this button to switch between Color Cycle, Beat Sync, and Solid Color light modes, or to turn the lights off.
6. Stereo-Link™ / Repeat Button
   See Operation > Stereo-Link TM: Syncing Two Speakers to learn more.
   In USB playback mode, press this button to cycle between repeat modes. See Operation > USB Playback Mode to learn more.
7. Previous / Next Buttons
   In FM mode, press these buttons briefly to go to the previous or next station. Press and hold these buttons to seek the previous or next strong station.
   In Bluetooth and USB modes, press the Previous or Next buttons to go to the beginning of the current track or skip to the following track, respectively. Press the Previous button again within one second to skip to the previous track.
8. Play/Pause / Presets Button
   Press this button to play and pause Bluetooth or USB audio.
   In FM mode, use this button to save and recall radio presets. See Operation > Using the Radio to learn more.
9. Volume Up/Down Buttons
   Press these buttons to adjust the speaker's volume. The current volume level will be shown on the display.
   Press and hold both + and – buttons for 5 seconds to reset the speaker to factory settings.

Display

The Pathfinder™ Go display shows information related to its current operation, including:

• Battery Indicator ( )
  The battery icon displays the battery life percentage. When fully charged, the battery icon will be completely filled.
• Stereo-Link™ Icon ( )
  The Stereo-Link TM icon will display when Pathfinder™ Go is linked to another speaker. The Stereo-Link™ icon will be off when a single speaker is used. See Operation > Stereo- Link TM: Syncing Two Speakers below for instructions on how to link two speakers.
• Bluetooth Icon ( )
  The Bluetooth icon will display when a device is paired to Pathfinder™ Go. See Operation > Bluetooth Connecting with Pathfinder™ Go to learn how to connect a Bluetooth device.
• Source Icons (FM, AUX, USB)
  These icons will indicate whether Pathfinder™ Go is in FM, Aux, or USB playback modes.
• Lightning Bolt Icon ( )
  The lightning bolt icon will display when Pathfinder™ Go is connected to a power outlet.
• BOOM Icon
  The BOOM icon will display when the Boom Button™ is pressed. The icon will be off when the function is deactivated.
• Radio Station
  The numerals on the right side indicate the current radio station that is selected. This area will also show the volume and the current repeat mode when either are changed.

Rear Panel

Note: Pull the tab on the protective rubber panel to release it and access the rear panel ports.

1. USB-A Playback / Device Charging Port
   Connect a USB drive here for USB mode playback. See Operation > USB Playback Mode for more information.
   Pathfinder™ Go includes a power bank function, which allows you to charge a compatible 5V, 1A smartphone, tablet, or other device using the unit's internal battery (Capacity: 2000mAh/11.1V 22.2Wh) by connecting a cable here. See Operation > Using the USB Charge Port for more information.
2. Aux Input
   Connect an MP3 or other audio player to Pathfinder™ Go here using a 1/8" (3.5 mm) auxiliary cable (not included). See Operation > Connecting an Audio Device Using the Aux Input for more information.
3. USB-C® Charging Port
   Connect the USB-C® end of the included cable to Pathfinder™ Go here, then connect the USB-A end to a 5V, 2A USB power adapter (sold separately) and plug it into a power outlet, or your computer (powered on).

OPERATION

Bluetooth Connecting with Pathfinder™ Go

1. Turn on Pathfinder™ Go by holding down the Power button for 2 seconds. Pathfinder™ Go will automatically enter Bluetooth pairing mode.
   
2. Navigate to your device's Bluetooth setup screen, find Pathfinder Go, and connect. The Bluetooth icon will appear in the display, and you will hear "Connected" (if voice prompts are enabled).
   
   Note: Do not connect to iSP165_BLE; this is reserved exclusively for connecting to the ION Sound Control™ app. If you experience trouble in connecting, select "Forget this Device" on your Bluetooth device and try to connect again.
3. Now you can use the buttons on the front panel to control audio playback:
   • Press the Play/Pause button to play or pause the current track.
   • Press and quickly release the + button to increase the volume.
   • Press and quickly release the - button to decrease the volume.
   • Press the > button to skip to the next track.
   • Press the < button to revert to the beginning of the current track. Repeat this action within 1 second to skip to the previous track.

To disconnect a paired device, do any of the following:

• Turn off Bluetooth from your device's Bluetooth settings. The speaker will enter Bluetooth pairing mode to make it available for another device.
• Double-press the Bluetooth button to disconnect and re-enter pairing mode.
• Briefly press the Bluetooth button to disconnect and enter Aux mode.

When you disconnect a Bluetooth device, you will hear "Bluetooth disconnected" if voice prompts are enabled.

Stereo-Link™: Syncing Two Speakers

If you would like to play music from a Bluetooth device, you can first "link" two Pathfinder™ Go speakers together in order to listen to your music in stereo. One Pathfinder™ Go will serve as the left speaker and the other will serve as the right speaker.
Note: Pathfinder™ Go can also be linked with ION Audio Pathfinder™ 320° speakers.

To link two Pathfinder™ Go speakers together:
Note: When you begin the Stereo-Link™ process, any connected Bluetooth devices will be automatically disconnected. You can also disconnect your device prior to beginning by double-pressing the Bluetooth button.

1. Press and hold the Stereo-Link™ / Repeat button on both speakers to enter Stereo-Link™ mode. You will hear a tone and the Stereo-Link™ and Bluetooth icons on each speaker's Display will begin flashing while they search for each other.
   Note: The linking process can take up to 30 seconds to complete. The closer the two speakers are to each other, the quicker the link is established.
   Once the speakers are linked, the Stereo-Link™ icons on each speaker's Display will be lit solid.
2. Press and release the Bluetooth button on either speaker to select Bluetooth mode and begin the Bluetooth pairing process. The speaker you use for Bluetooth pairing will serve as the primary speaker. The Bluetooth icon on the primary speaker's Display will flash to indicate it is searching for a Bluetooth device to pair with.
3. Navigate to your Bluetooth device's setup screen, find PATHFINDER GO, and connect.
   When the connection is successful, you will hear "Bluetooth Connected" from the primary speaker (if voice prompts are enabled), and the Bluetooth icon on the Display will be lit solid.
   When audio playback begins, you should hear it through both speakers. The primary speaker will play the left channel while the secondary speaker plays the right channel. Playback controls are active on both speakers.

To disconnect two speakers or cancel linking between the two, double-press the Stereo-Link™ / Repeat button on either speaker.
Note: Pressing and holding the Power button on the primary speaker while in Stereo-Link™ mode will power off all connected speakers. Pathfinder™ Go speakers powered off in Stereo-Link™ mode will automatically enter Stereo-Link™ mode the next time they are powered on and begin searching for secondary speakers to connect to.

Using the Radio

To use the radio, press the Source button so that FM is selected and shown on the display.

While in FM mode, briefly press the Previous and Next buttons (</>) to move to the previous or next station. Press and hold the </> buttons to seek for the next strongest station in that direction.

To save a radio station as a preset:

1. Press and hold the Play/Pause / Presets button.
   
2. Use the </> buttons to select a preset number, 1–12, shown on the display.
   
3. When you have selected the desired preset number, quickly press and release the Play/Pause / Presets button again to save it.
   

To recall a previously saved preset, briefly press the Play/Pause / Presets button to cycle between the 12 presets.

USB Playback Mode

When a USB drive with compatible files is inserted into the USB-A Playback / Device Charging Port, Pathfinder™ Go will automatically switch to USB mode. If the USB drive has already been inserted and you are using another mode, press the Source button until USB mode is selected.

Pathfinder™ Go will automatically play the first compatible MP3 file. Files are played in alphabetical order of what is on the root level, then alphabetical by folder, and then alphabetical by track name. Media playback will stop when all media has been played on the USB drive.
Note: The USB drive must have playable MP3 files for it to appear on the media panel's display.

While in USB playback mode, you can use the following buttons on the front panel to control playback:

• Press the Play/Pause button to start or stop USB playback.
  
• Press the Previous and Next buttons (</>) to skip to the previous or next USB track. Press and hold these buttons to fast forward or rewind within the track.
  
• Press the Stereo-Link™ / Repeat button to cycle through the repeat/shuffle options (abbreviations will show on the display):
  • Play the current USB track on repeat (OnE). This is the default mode when powered on.
  • Play the tracks in random order (rAn).
  • Play all the tracks on the USB drive on repeat (ALL).
  • Play the current folder's tracklist on repeat (FOLd). The folder used is based on what song is playing when it is activated. For instance, if a song playing is on the root level, selecting FOLd will repeat only songs at the root level. If a song is in folder "A", then only songs in folder "A" will be repeated.
    

Using the USB Charge Port

To use the USB charge port:

1. Connect a USB type-A cable to the USB Charge Port on the rear panel of your Pathfinder™ Go speaker (see image).
   
2. Connect the other end of the cable to the charging input on your smartphone, tablet, or other compatible device.

Connecting an Audio Device Using the Aux Input

1. Connect a 1/8" (3.5 mm) auxiliary cable to the input on the rear panel of Pathfinder and connect the other end to an audio device such as an MP3 or CD player. The speaker will automatically switch the audio source to Aux mode but will maintain all Bluetooth connections.
2. Press play on your device's music player. Use the Volume Up/Down (+/-) buttons to adjust the Aux volume.
   Note: Pathfinder™ Go speaker volume controls act independently from your connected device. Lower the volume on your device if signal distortion occurs.
3. Disconnect the Aux cable to exit Aux mode. Pathfinder™ Go will revert to the audio mode it was in before the Aux connection, either Bluetooth or USB Playback mode.
   

App Control

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 Control™ app.
2. Follow the on-screen instructions to download and install the app. Once downloaded, the ION Sound Control™ app will appear on your device's home screen.
3. Connect your device to Pathfinder™ Go via Bluetooth. See Operation > Bluetooth Connecting with Pathfinder™ Go to learn how to do this.
4. Open the ION Sound Control™ app. If prompted, allow the app to access your device's Bluetooth and Location Services.
5. Follow the steps on screen to find and connect to your Pathfinder™ Go. Once connected, you can control various functions of the speaker, such as:
   • Source Selection: Select the source to use (Bluetooth, USB, FM, or Aux).
   • Volume: Adjust the speaker's volume.
   • EQ: Adjust the speaker's equalization.
   • Voice Prompts: Enable or disable the voice prompts.
   • Lights: Change the light modes.
   • Battery Life: Check the speaker's battery life status.
   • Support: Visit ionaudio.com, contact Technical Support, and view Warranty information and Frequently Asked Questions.

TROUBLESHOOTING

If the unit is not charging:
Make sure the USB-A to USB-C® charging cable is properly connected to the power input, the power adapter, and the power outlet.

If the sound is distorted:
Try lowering the volume control of your sound source.

I hear a hum when cables are connected:

• Disconnect cables from the input jacks to see if it's a faulty cable.
• Make sure the signal cables are not placed near power cables.
• Connect all audio equipment power cables to outlets which share a common ground.

If there is a high-pitched whistling noise when using microphones:
This is probably feedback. Point the microphone away from the speaker.

If you can't hear the microphone over the music volume:
Turn down the music volume from your 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. You can also check to see if the BOOM function is enabled, and disable it by pressing the BOOM button™ to disable it.

If you cannot connect your audio device to Pathfinder™ Go via Bluetooth:

• Have your audio device (e.g., smartphone or tablet) and Pathfinder™ Go as close together as possible while trying to connect. Make sure both the audio device and Pathfinder TM Go are unobstructed by walls, furniture, etc.
• Double-press the Bluetooth button to disconnect Pathfinder™ Go from any other audio device and restart the search process. If this does not work right away, power off Pathfinder™ Go and then power it back on. See Operation > Bluetooth Connecting with Pathfinder™ Go 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 Pathfinder™ Go before, find Pathfinder™ Go 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 Pathfinder™ Go off and back on and try pairing again once it reappears in your available devices list.
  Note: If Pathfinder™ Go 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 Bluetooth button. Alternatively, you can wait for your unit to link to another speaker if there is one within range.

Technical Specifications

Specifications are subject to change without notice.
* Bluetooth and wireless reception and range are affected by walls, obstructions, and movement. For optimal performance, place the product so it is unobstructed by walls or furniture and is raised off the ground.
** Battery life may vary based on temperature, age, and volume usage of product.

ionaudio.com/support