Ion Total PA Ultimate - High-Power Speaker System Manual

INTRODUCTION

Thank you for purchasing the Total PA Ultimate. 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.

Box Contents

Total PA Ultimate
Power Cable (5 ft. / 150 cm)
(2) Microphones with Cable (15 ft. / 450 cm)
Mic Holder Clip
Speaker Stand
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.

Quick Start

1. Make sure all items listed in the Box Contents are included in the box. Look in the box under the foam sheet for the power cable and microphones.
2. Study the Connection Diagram.
3. Make sure all input devices (such as microphones, CD players, or digital media players) are turned o with their volume settings set to "zero."
4. Connect all devices as shown in the Connection Diagram.
5. Switch everything on in the following order:
   1. Audio input devices (e.g. microphones, instruments, CD players)
   2. Total PA Ultimate
6. When you are finished using Total PA Ultimate, switch everything o in the following order:
   1. Total PA Ultimate
   2. Audio input devices

SETUP

Unit Stand Installation

1. Fully extend the speaker stand tripod legs on a flat, stable surface.
   
2. Raise the mounting pole up to the appropriate height needed and tighten the side adjustment knob.
   
3. Insert the pin into the bottom pin-hole so the mounting pole stays at your set height.
4. On the Total PA Ultimate, adjust the bottom knob counter-clockwise so the screw is not blocking the opening.
5. Line up the Total PA Ultimate mounting hole with the speaker stand pole and place on the pole.
6. Tighten the mounting knob clockwise on Total PA Ultimate to secure it to the pole.

Connection Diagram

Items not listed under the Box Contents are sold separately.

FEATURES

Rear Panel
Click a control below to jump to that section.

1. Display
   This screen shows information relevant to Total PA Ultimate's current operation.
   Note: The Display comes with a plastic protector on it. Remove this for optimal viewing.
   
2. Control Knob
   Turn this knob to adjust the Main Volume (overall output) of the loudspeaker. Push this knob to select and make adjustments to the Mic 1 Volume, the Mic 2 Volume, Source Volume (USB, Bluetooth signal, and aux input), Echo Effect, Low EQ, and High EQ. The volume of Total PA Ultimate does not affect your Bluetooth device volume. For the best sound quality, set your input source volume to 100% and use the Source and Main Volume control of the speaker to adjust the volume. See the section Using the Control Knob for more details.
3. Next Track
   When USB or Bluetooth is selected as the audio source, press this button to go to the next track in the playlist.
4. Previous Track
   When USB or Bluetooth is selected as the audio source, press this button to go to the previous track in the playlist. Press the button again within one second to skip to the previous track.
5. Play/Pause
   When USB is selected as the audio source, press this button to play/pause the currently selected track. Double press this button to stop playback and return to the beginning of the track list. Press and hold for 5 seconds to turn voice prompts on or off.
   When Bluetooth is selected as the audio source, press this button to play/pause the currently selected track.
6. Stereo-Link / Repeat
   Press and hold this button to start stereo linking to another Total PA Ultimate. In USB mode, press this button to repeat a single track, folder, or all tracks. See the section Linking Two Speakers for more details.
7. Source Button
   Press this button to select the audio source to use: USB, AUX, or Bluetooth. The default source when powering on Total PA Ultimate is Bluetooth. The USB source is only selectable if a USB drive is plugged into Total PA Ultimate; otherwise, the Source button will toggle between Bluetooth and Aux.
8. Lights Button
   Press this button to select how the lights on the front panel function. See the section Light Mode for more details.
   Note: For the best lighting e ect, you may need to adjust the volume of your device and/or the Source volume.
9. USB Charge/Playback Port
   You can use this port for charging a USB device, such as a tablet or smartphone. To charge a device that is streaming music via Bluetooth, pause the music first and then wait for it to reconnect after the USB cable is inserted.
   Connect your USB flash drive here to play music. Press the Stereo-Link / Repeat button to cycle through the five repeat/shu e options. See the section USB Mode for more details.
   Note: Your USB drive cannot be more than 128 GB and it must contain playable MP3 files in order for its data to appear properly in the Display. When you connect a USB drive with MP3 files, Total PA Ultimate will order the files alphabetically by folder on the root directory and then by track name in the folder.
10. Mic Inputs (1/4" / 6.35 mm & XLR)
    Connect a microphone or mic-level source to these inputs.
11. Aux Inputs (1/8" & XLR)
    Connect a CD player, MP3 player, or other audio source to these line-level inputs.
12. Mix Out (XLR)
    Connect this output to a speaker, mixer, or recorder.
13. Clip LED
    The Clip LED will flash red if the signal from the input jacks or Media Panel audio source is clipping (distortion from an overly loud signal). If this happens, decrease the setting of the Main Volume or the volume for the Aux/Mic Input (if a loud device is plugged into either).
14. Power Switch
    Flip this switch to toggle the speaker's power on or off.
15. Power Cable Input (IEC)
    Insert the included power cable here to power the unit.

OPERATION

Using the Control Knob

The Control Knob defaults to controlling the Main Volume for all channels. Press the Control Knob to toggle through di erent functions. Rotate the Control Knob to change the selected setting:

If there is no activity on the Control Knob for 5 seconds, the function will go back to Main Volume.
To factory reset the speaker to default settings, hold down the Control Knob for 5 seconds. The speaker will power cycle and the reset will be successful.

Pairing a Bluetooth Device

1. Power on the Total PA Ultimate by flipping the power switch on/off.
   
2. When the unit is first turned on, it will automatically enter Bluetooth pairing mode. If necessary, press the Source button to select Bluetooth mode. If voice prompts are enabled, you will hear "Bluetooth Pairing."
   
3. Navigate to your device's Bluetooth setup screen, find Total PA Ultimate, and connect. Do not connect to iPA161_BLE; this is reserved exclusively for connecting to the ION Sound Control app. When connected, the Bluetooth icon on the display will flash and you will hear "Bluetooth Connected".
   Note: If you experience trouble in connecting, select "Forget this Device" on your Bluetooth device and try to connect again.
4. To disconnect, turn o Bluetooth from your device's Bluetooth settings.

Linking Two Speakers

Linking Two Speakers (Stereo-Link)

1. Power on both Total PA Ultimate speakers by flipping their on/o switches. Make sure they are in Bluetooth pairing mode and not connected to a device.
   
2. Press and hold the Stereo-Link / Repeat button on one speaker (the primary speaker which will control both) and then the Stereo-Link / Repeat button on the secondary speaker to enter Stereo-Link mode. Once a link has been established, the word LINK will appear on both speaker displays.
   
3. Connect to the primary speaker via Bluetooth.
   To disconnect, double press the Stereo-Link / Repeat button.
   Note: The speakers should be within 85' (29.5 m) of each other to properly link.
   Note: Total PA Ultimate is not compatible with previous ION PA models. To link to a previous model, you will need to use an XLR cable (not included). Connect the XLR cable to the MIX Out XLR port on the Total PA Ultimate to the XLR In port on the previous model.

Light Mode

Press the Light button to toggle between ten modes for the LEDs on Total PA Ultimate.

Note: For the best lighting e ect, you may need to increase the volume of your connected device or input source.

• Crazy Rainbow: A rainbow of colors will rise from the side lights. The tweeter lights will match the top-most side LEDs. The woofer lights will cycle in a circle of rainbow colors.
• Starlight: The LEDs will flash a random color and slowly fade. This e ect uses beat sync. The number of "stars" appearing will be based on the song volume (the louder the song, the more LEDs will flash).
• Beat and Rise: The sidelights will rise from the bottom to the top as the song volume changes. The tweeter and woofer lights will pulse to the beat of the song.
• Solid: All LEDs will stay the same color (the color can be adjusted from the ION Sound Control app). By default the color is blue. There are the 15 colors that can be selected from the ION Sound Control app.
• Rising Pulse: The side lights rise and fall, cycling through colors in sync with the beat of the music. The tweeter and woofer lights pulse in and out with complimentary colors.
• Breathing Color: All LEDs use the same color, fading in and out while cycling through the full color spectrum.
• Rain Drops: The side lights drop a color from the top to the bottom. Once the color hits the bottom, the woofer and tweeter lights will pulse with the same color as the raindrop color.
• Double Color: One side of the LEDs (including 2 from the woofer and 1 from the tweeter) will show one color while the other side of the LED will light up with a nearby color on the full color spectrum.
• Fire Pit: The tweeter and woofer lights flicker red, yellow, and orange and the side lights rise up and down based on the volume of the music.
• Random: The side LEDs cycle through the full color spectrum randomly, changing every 5- 7 seconds.
• Off: All LEDs are off.

USB Mode

When a USB drive with compatible files is inserted into the USB Charge/Playback Port, Total PA Ultimate 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. Total PA Ultimate 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. Press and hold the Next and Previous buttons to fast forward or rewind within the song.

Note: The USB drive must have playable MP3 files for it to appear on the media panel's display.

Press the Stereo-Link/ Repeat button to cycle through the repeat/shuffle options.

Repeat settings (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.

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 Total PA Ultimate via Bluetooth. See the Pairing a Bluetooth Device 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. Select the Total PA Ultimate 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 Mic 1/2 volume.
• Source Selection: Select the source to use: Bluetooth, USB, or Aux.
• Source Volume: Adjust the incoming volume for Bluetooth, USB, and Aux sources.
• EQ: Adjust the speaker's equalization.
• Mic Echo: Turn the mic echo effect on/off.
• Mic Volume: Adjust the volume of the Mic input.
• Voice Prompts: Enable or disable the voice prompts.
• Support: Visit ionaudio.com, contact Technical Support, and view Warranty information and Frequently Asked Questions.
• Light Effect: Choose the lighting effect.
• Over-The-Air Firmware Updates: Stay up to date with the latest firmware installation.

TROUBLESHOOTING

If the sound is distorted

Try lowering the volume control of your sound source, musical instrument, or microphone. Also, try to reduce the overall volume of Total PA Ultimate using the Control Knob.

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 too much bass

Try adjusting the EQ control on your sound source or on Total PA Ultimate to lower the bass level. This will allow you to play the music louder before clipping (distortion) occurs.

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 you cannot connect your audio device to Total PA Ultimate via Bluetooth:

• Have your audio device (e.g., smartphone or tablet) and Total PA Ultimate as close together as possible while trying to connect. Make sure both the audio device and Total PA Ultimate are unobstructed by walls, furniture, etc.
• Reset the Bluetooth connection on Total PA Ultimate to disconnect Total PA Ultimate from any other audio device and restart the search process. If this does not work right away, power off Total PA Ultimate 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 Total PA Ultimate before, find Total PA Ultimate 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 Total PA Ultimate o and back on and try pairing again once it reappears in your available devices list.
  Note: If Total PA Ultimate 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 o 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 Stereo-Link / Repeat 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 a ected by walls, obstructions, and movement. For optimal performance, place the product in the center of the room so it is unobstructed by walls, furniture, etc.

ionaudio.com/support

Documents / Resources

References

• Sound Experiences | ION Audio
• Support : ION Audio

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