Ion Bright Max Plus - Portable 360 Bluetooth Speaker Manual

Introduction

Thank you for purchasing the Bright Max^TM Plus. At ION, your entertainment is as important to us as it is to you. That's why we design our products with one thing in mind—to make your life more fun and more convenient.

Note: Before you first use the product, please fully charge the battery. 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 micro-USB cable to connect the unit to a power adapter (not included) connected to a power outlet and let it charge for up to 5 hours. This helps ensure the longest life for your battery.

Box Contents

Bright Max^TM Plus
Micro-USB Cable (3 ft. / 100 cm)
Quickstart Guide

Outdoor Use and Care

Though Bright Max^TM Plus is water-resistant and able to tolerate splashing water, please review the tips below to get the best performance from Bright Max^TM Plus:

• Bright Max^TM Plus must only be used outdoors with power outlets or extension cords that are rated for outdoor use.
• Bring Bright Max^TM Plus indoors during extreme weather.
• Please do not place Bright Max^TM Plus in standing water.
• Please do not connect the power adapter to Bright Max^TM Plus 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.

Connection Diagram

Items not listed under the Box Contents are sold separately.

Features

Top Panel

Power Button: Press and hold to turn Bright Max^TM Plus on and off.
Double-press to disable or enable voice prompts.

Note: Bright Max^TM Plus will automatically power off after 15 minutes if no audio is playing.

Bluetooth Button: Press and hold to disconnect a Bluetooth device.
Double-press to enter Bright Max^TM Plus Multi-Sync^TM mode. See Bluetooth Connecting with Bright Max^TM Plus to learn how to connect via Bluetooth and sync multiple compatible speakers.
Dual-Connect^TM Audio allows 2 devices to simultaneously connect to the speaker via Bluetooth.

Note: Dual-Connect^TM Audio cannot be used in Multi-Sync^TM mode.

Ambient Sounds Button: Press this button to enter Ambient Sounds mode.
When enabled, press the Play/Pause button to play or pause the ambient sounds. Press the </> buttons to cycle between ambient sounds.
To exit Ambient Sounds mode, either press this button again or press the Bluetooth button to return to Bluetooth mode.

Lights Button: Press this button to cycle between light modes. Press and hold this button to freeze on a color during color cycling mode.

– / + Volume Buttons: Press these buttons to decrease or increase the speaker volume.

< / > Track Buttons: Press these buttons to go to the previous/next track on a Bluetooth connected device. When in Ambient Sounds mode, press these buttons to cycle between ambient sounds.

Play/Pause Button: Press this button to play or pause on a connected Bluetooth device.
Hold Play/Pause to trigger your device's smart assistant. Speak your command into the microphone located below Play/Pause.

Rear Panel

1. Aux In: This stereo 1/8" (3.5 mm) input can be used to connect a CD player, MP3 player, or other audio source.
2. Micro-USB Speaker Charging Port: For fastest charging, power off Bright Max^TM Plus and use the included micro-USB cable to connect the speaker to (A) a USB power adapter (DC 5V, not included) connected to a power outlet, or (B) your computer (powered on).

A solid red LED will appear next to the power button to indicate that the speaker is charging. When charging is complete, the red LED will turn off.

Operation

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 XP^TM app.
2. Follow the on-screen instructions to download and install the app. Once downloaded, the ION Sound XP^TM app will appear on your device's home screen.
3. Connect your device to Bright Max^TM Plus via Bluetooth. See the Bluetooth Connecting with Bright Max^TM Plus to learn how to do this.
4. Open the ION Sound XP^TM 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 Bright Max^TM Plus.
   If you are having issues connecting, tap Help with setting up? for additional tips.
6. Select the Bright Max^TM Plus icon to go to the next screen, where you can use the app to control various functions of the speaker such as:
   • Volume: Adjust the speaker volume and microphone volume.
   • Voice Prompts: Enable or disable the voice prompts.
   • Lights: Change the light mode and colors.
   • EQ: Change the speaker's equalization.
   • BT Connection: Shows the Bluetooth connection status and track control.
   • Ambient Sounds: Shows the selection of ambient sounds to choose from.
   • Multi-Syncing: Displays the Multi-Syncing instructions.
   • Battery Status: Displays the battery level.
   • Support: Visit ionaudio.com, contact Technical Support, and view Warranty information and Frequently Asked Questions.

Bluetooth Connecting with Bright Max^TM Plus

Connecting to one Bright Max^TM Plus Speaker:

1. Power on the Bright Max^TM Plus by holding down the Power button for 2 seconds. Bright Max^TM Plus will automatically enter Bluetooth pairing mode.
2. Navigate to your device's Bluetooth setup screen, find Bright Max Plus, and connect. When connected, the Bluetooth LED will be lit solid blue and you will hear "Connected".
   Note: Do not connect to ISP138B_BLE; this is reserved exclusively for connecting to the ION Sound XP^TM app. If you experience trouble in connecting, select "Forget this Device" on your Bluetooth device and try to connect again.
3. To disconnect, turn off Bluetooth from your device's Bluetooth settings, or press and hold the Bluetooth button.

Syncing multiple Bright Max^TM Plus Speakers:

1. Connect to one Bright Max^TM Plus speaker using the steps above. This will be the "primary" speaker.
2. Double-press the Bluetooth button on the primary speaker to enter Multi-Sync^TM mode. The Bluetooth LED will change from blue to solid white to indicate it is in Multi-Sync^TM mode.
   Note: Bright Max^TM Plus speakers should be within 100' (30 m) of each other to properly sync. The closer the speakers are, the faster they will sync.
   Note: To exit Multi-Sync^TM mode, double-press the Bluetooth button again.
3. Power on any other speakers. Press and hold the Bluetooth button on the secondary speakers to disconnect any currently connected Bluetooth sources.
4. Double-press the Bluetooth button to enter Multi-Sync^TM Mode for the secondary speakers. The Bluetooth LED will begin flashing green and the secondary speakers should automatically sync to the primary speakers.
5. Once a successful sync is established, the Bluetooth LED on the secondary speaker will be lit solid green, and you will hear "Synced" from the "secondary" speaker.
   Note: The Bluetooth range will be determined by the distance that your Bluetooth device is to the "primary" speaker. See Technical Specifications for Bluetooth and Multi-Sync^TM ranges.
   Tip: Bright Max^TM Plus can sync audio with other Multi-Sync^TM-compatible ION Audio speakers. To find out more, visit ionaudio.com.

Using Smart Connect Mode with a Smart Assistant

Smart Connect Mode allows you to connect and speak commands through Bright Max Plus to Android and iOS devices that have a smart assistant.

1. Connect to your device via Bluetooth (see Bluetooth Connecting with Bright Max^TM Plus).
2. Press and hold Play/Pause on Bright Max Plus to enter Smart Connect Mode. If music is playing at the time, it will be paused. The device's default native sound will be heard through Bright Max Plus (if your device's settings are set to play a sound).
3. Speak commands to Bright Max Plus at a normal volume within 1 meter away from the microphone. The smart assistant should reply to the spoken commands and will be heard through the Bright Max Plus.
4. After the smart assistant has spoken a reply or if no command is given, the smart assistant will "stop listening" based on the device's native settings and will exit Smart Connect Mode. If music was playing prior to Step 2, the music will un-pause and continue to play.
   To disconnect, press and hold Play/Pause again.

Bluetooth Dual Connect

This feature allows for 2 devices to connect via Bluetooth simultaneously.

Note: This feature does not work in Multi-Sync Mode.

1. Connect your Bluetooth device "A" to Bright Max Plus as seen in Bluetooth Connecting with Bright Max^TM Plus.
2. Connect your Bluetooth device "B" to Bright Max Plus by selecting Bright Max Plus. Connecting to device "B" will not disrupt the music that is playing from device "A".

Note: If play is pressed on device "B's" media player app, the music on device "A" will pause, and the music on device "B" will play through Bright Max Plus. If play is pressed on device "A's" media player app, the music on device "B" will pause, and the music on device "A" will play through Bright Max Plus.

Ambient Sounds

Bright Max^TM Plus includes 10 ambient sounds that may be used for relaxation, sleep, study, and more.
To enter Ambient Sounds mode, press the Ambient Sounds button ().

When enabled, press the Play/Pause button to play or pause the ambient sounds.
Press the </> buttons to cycle between ambient sounds:

• Babbling Brook
• Ocean Waves
• Rain Forest
• Rain
• White Noise
• ASMR-Inspired Brushing
• Bonfire
• Dreamscape
• Tibetan Bowls
• Traffic

To exit Ambient Sounds mode, either press the Ambient Sounds button () again or press the Bluetooth button to return to Bluetooth mode.

Light Modes

To cycle between light modes, press the Lights button ():

• Candle Flicker
• Candle Color Solid, High
• Candle Color Solid, Medium
• Candle Color Solid, Low
• Color Cycling/Phasing: Slowly phases though multiple colors. While color cycling, press and hold the Lights button to freeze on the current color. Press and hold the Lights button again to return to color cycling.
• Color Cycling/Beat Sync: Slowly phases through multiple colors and reacts to the beat of music being played.
• Off

Troubleshooting

If the unit is not charging: Make sure the micro-USB 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.

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 Bright Max^TM Plus via Bluetooth:

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

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.