ION Audio Trailblazer™ Roar User Guide 2
I
NTRODUCTION ........................................................................ 4
Box Contents .............................................................................................................. 4
Support ......................................................................................................................... 4
SETUP .........................................................................................5
Charging and Battery Information ..................................................................... 5
Outdoor Use and Care ............................................................................................ 6
FEATURES .................................................................................. 7
Front Panel .................................................................................................................. 7
Rear Panel .................................................................................................................. 10
OPERATION ............................................................................... 11
App Control ................................................................................................................. 11
Pairing a Bluetooth® Device ................................................................................. 12
Linking Two Speakers ............................................................................................ 13
Using the Radio ......................................................................................................... 15
USB Playback Mode ................................................................................................ 16
Using the USB Charge Port .................................................................................. 17
Light Modes ................................................................................................................ 17
TROUBLESHOOTING ............................................................... 19
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ION Audio Trailblazer™ Roar User Guide 3
APPENDIX ................................................................................ 20
Technical Specifications ...................................................................................... 20
Trademarks & Licenses ......................................................................................... 22
ION Audio Trailblazer™ Roar User Guide 4
Thank you for purchasing the Trailblazer™ Roar. 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 batteries. Your unit was
purposely shipped with a reduced battery charge to ensure safe transit. For optimal charging,
power o 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
Trailblazer™ Roar
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
.
INTRODUCTION
ION Audio Trailblazer™ Roar User Guide 5
Charging and Battery Information
For the quickest charging time, power o Trailblazer™ Roar 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 l
ightning bolt icon on the display will light up when Trailblazer™ Roar is
connected to a power source and charging. The b
attery 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 Trailblazer™ Roar 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.
When the Trailblazer™ Roar speaker is connected to a Bluetooth audio output device and no
audio is playing from any source, the speaker will automatically power o after 60 minutes
have passed.
SETUP
ION Audio Trailblazer™ Roar User Guide 6
Here are some other recommendations for getting the longest life from the internal battery.
G
eneral
U
sage
Fully charge the battery before using it.
Avoid full discharge of the battery if possible. Li-Ion batteries are maintenance-
free, and the battery will last longest when operating between 30 and 80 percent
charged.
Do not use the product while charging the battery.
Do not charge the battery in exceedingly hot (greater than 90°F/32°C) or
exceedingly cold (less than 32°F/0°C) temperatures.
S
torage 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.
For best product longevity, store product with a 50% battery charge.
If you leave the battery level low and do not charge it for 6 months, it may
permanently lose capacity.
R
epair If the battery fails to charge, contact ION Audio at ionaudio.com.
D
isposal Bring the unit to a recycling center or dispose of in accordance with local
ordinances.
Outdoor Use and Care
Though Trailblazer™ Roar is water-resistant and able to tolerate splashing water, please review
the tips below to get the best performance from your Trailblazer™ Roar:
• Bring Trailblazer™ Roar indoors during extreme weather.
• Please do not place Trailblazer™ Roar in standing water.
• Please do not connect the power adapter to a Trailblazer™ Roar in a wet environment. Make
sure the power input, power adapter, 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 aected by water and cause a risk of electric shock.
ION Audio Trailblazer™ Roar User Guide 7
Front Panel
Click a control below to jump to that section.
1
. Power Button
Press and hold this button to turn Trailblazer™ Roar on and o.
2
. Display
This screen shows information relevant to the current operation on Trailblazer™ Roar.
Note: The Display comes with a plastic protector on it. Remove this for optimal viewing.
FEATURES
1 2
ION Audio Trailblazer™ Roar User Guide 8
3
. Lights Button
Press this to cycle through the dierent light modes. See L
ight Modes for more details.
4
. 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 O
peration > Pairing
a
Bluetooth® Device to learn how to connect a Bluetooth device.
Press and hold this button to enable or disable voice prompts.
5
. Source Button
Press this button to cycle between FM, USB, and Aux modes.
6
. Stereo-Link™ / Repeat Button
See O
peration > Linking Two Speakers to learn more about linking two Trailblazer™
Roar
speakers together using this button.
In USB playback mode, press this button to cycle between repeat modes. See O
peration >
U
SB 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 P
revious or Next button to go to the beginning of
the current track or skip to the following track, respectively. Press the P
revious button
again within one second to skip to the previous track.
3
4
5
6
7
ION Audio Trailblazer™ Roar User Guide 9
8
. Play/Pause / Presets Button
Press this button to start and stop Bluetooth or USB audio.
In FM mode, use this button to save and recall radio presets. See O
peration > Using the
R
adio to learn more.
9
. EQ Button
Press this button to cycle through the Low, Mid, and Hi EQ frequencies. Then press the
V
OL +/– buttons to adjust the EQ frequency settings. If no changes are made within five
seconds, Trailblazer™ Roar will exit EQ adjustment.
1
0. Volume Up/Down Buttons
Press these buttons to adjust the speaker’s volume. Press and hold V
OL + or – to navigate
Bluetooth tracks.
Press and hold both V
OL + and – buttons for 5 seconds to reset the speaker to factory
settings.
1
1. Mic Up/Down Buttons
Press these buttons to adjust the microphone volume.
8 9
10
11
ION Audio Trailblazer™ Roar User Guide 10
Rear Panel
Click a control below to jump to that section.
Note: Pull the tab on the protective rubber panel to release it and access the rear panel ports.
1
. USB-A Charge/Playback Port
You can use this port for charging external USB devices, 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 (not included) is inserted. See O
peration >
U
sing the USB Charge Port for more information.
You can also connect a USB flash drive here to play music. See O
peration > USB Playback
M
ode for more information.
2
. Aux In
Connect a CD player, MP3 player, or other audio source to this 1/8” (3.5 mm) input.
3
. USB-C® Charging Port
Connect the USB-C® end of the included cable to Trailblazer™ Roar 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). See S
etup > Charging and Battery Information for more
information.
4
. Mic In
Connect a microphone (not included) to this input using a 1/4" (6.35 mm) cable. Press the
M
IC +/- buttons to control the mic volume.
1 2 3 4
ION Audio Trailblazer™ Roar User Guide 11
App Control
IMPORTANT: To ensure the best possible experience with the app, use the most current
Android OS or iOS on your device.
F
ollow 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 I
ON Sound
C
ontrol™ app.
2. Follow the on-screen instructions to download and install the app. Once downloaded, the
I
ON Sound Control™ app will appear on your device's home screen.
3. Connect your device to Trailblazer™ Roar via Bluetooth. See O
peration > Pairing a
B
luetooth® 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. Follow the steps on screen to find and connect to your Trailblazer™ Roar. Once connected,
you can control various functions of the speaker, such as:
• S
ource Selection: Select the source to use (Bluetooth, USB, FM or Aux).
• V
olume: Adjust the speaker's volume.
• M
ic Volume: Adjust the volume of the Mic input.
• E
Q: Adjust the speaker's equalization.
• V
oice Prompts: Enable or disable the voice prompts.
• B
attery Life: Check the speaker’s battery life status.
• O
ver-The-Air Firmware Updates: Stay up to date with the latest firmware installation.
Press and hold the S
ource button on Trailblazer™ Roar to view the firmware version.
• S
upport: Visit ionaudio.com, contact Technical Support, and view Warranty
information and Frequently Asked Questions.
OPERATION
2
TRAILBLAZER™ ROAR
1 - PRESS AND HOLD FOR 2 SECONDS
3
ION Audio Trailblazer™ Roar User Guide 12
Pairing a Bluetooth® Device
1. Turn on your Bluetooth device.
2. Power on Trailblazer™ Roar by holding down the P
ower button for 2 seconds. When the unit
is first turned on, it will automatically enter Bluetooth pairing mode. If necessary, press the
Source button to select Bluetooth mode. The Bluetooth icon on the display will flash to
indicate the speaker is ready to pair and if voice prompts are enabled, you will hear
“Bluetooth Pairing.”
3. Navigate to your device’s Bluetooth setup screen, find T
RAILBLAZER ROAR, and connect.
The B
luetooth icon will appear in the display, and if voice prompts are enabled, you will
hear “Bluetooth Connected”.
Note: If your Bluetooth device prompts for a pairing code, enter “0000”.
T
o disconnect a paired device, do any of the following:
• Turn o 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.
Once you have disconnected, the Bluetooth icon will return to flashing, and you will hear
“Bluetooth Disconnected” if voice prompts are enabled.
Tip: Press and hold the Bluetooth button to turn voice prompts on or o.
4
TRAILBLAZER™ ROAR
1 - DOUBLE PRESS
(speaker 1)
2 - PRESS & HOLD
(speaker 2)
3 - PRESS AND RELEASE
(on the primary speaker)
ION Audio Trailblazer™ Roar User Guide 13
Linking Two Speakers
If you would like to play music from a Bluetooth device, you can first “link” two Trailblazer™
Roar speakers together in order to listen to your music in stereo. One Trailblazer™ Roar will
serve as the left speaker and the other will serve as the right speaker.
T
o link two Trailblazer™ Roar 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 S
tereo-Link™
/ Repeat button on both speakers to enter Stereo-Link™
mode. You will hear a tone and the S
tereo-Link™ and Bluetooth icons on each speaker’s
D
isplay 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.
2. Press and release the B
luetooth 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.
3. Navigate to your Bluetooth device’s setup screen, find T
RAILBLAZER ROAR, and connect.
The Bluetooth icon on the primary speaker will flash to indicate it is searching for a
Bluetooth device to pair with.
When the connection is successful, you will hear "Bluetooth Connected" from the primary
speaker (if voice prompts are enabled). 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.
ION Audio Trailblazer™ Roar User Guide 14
To disconnect two speakers or cancel linking between the two, double press the Stereo-
Link
TM
/ Repeat button on either speaker.
Note: Pressing and holding the Power button on the primary speaker while in Stereo-Link™
mode will power o all connected speakers. Trailblazer™ Roar speakers powered o 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.
ION Audio Trailblazer™ Roar User Guide 15
Using the Radio
To use the radio, press the S
ource button so that FM is selected and shown on the display.
While in FM mode, briefly press the P
revious 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.
T
o save a radio station as a preset:
1. Press and hold the P
lay/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
P
lay/Pause / Presets button again to save it.
T
o recall a previously saved preset, briefly press the Play/Pause / Presets button to cycle
between the 12 presets.
PRESS
PRESS - Previous / Next Station
HOLD - Seek
1 - HOLD
2 - PRESS - Select Preset
3 - PRESS
ION Audio Trailblazer™ Roar User Guide 16
USB Playback Mode
When a USB drive with compatible files is inserted into the U
SB Charge/Playback Port,
Trailblazer™ Roar will automatically switch to USB mode. If the USB drive has already been
inserted and you are using another mode, press the S
ource button until USB mode is selected.
Trailblazer™ Roar 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.
Press the N
ext and Previous (</>) buttons to go to the next or previous track. Press and hold
these buttons to fast forward or rewind within the track.
Press the S
tereo-Link™ / Repeat button to cycle through the repeat/shue options
(abbreviations will show on the display):
• Play the current USB track on repeat (O
nE). This is the default mode when powered on.
• Play the tracks in random order (r
An).
• Play all the tracks on the USB drive on repeat (A
LL).
• Play the current folder’s tracklist on repeat (F
OLd). 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.
1 - CONNECT
3 - PRESS
(Previous/Next Track)
4 - PRESS TO CYCLE
(ALL, FOLDER, ONE RANDOM)
2 - PRESS
(Play/Pause Playback)
ION Audio Trailblazer™ Roar User Guide 17
Using the USB Charge Port
T
o use the USB charge port:
1. Connect a USB type-A cable to the U
SB Charge Port on the rear panel of your Trailblazer™
Roar speaker (see image).
2. Connect the other end of the cable to the charging input on your smartphone, tablet, or
other compatible device.
ION Audio Trailblazer™ Roar User Guide 18
Light Modes
Press the L
ight button repeatedly to toggle between one of the modes for the LEDs on
Trailblazer™ Roar.
Note: For the best lighting eect, you may need to increase the volume of your connected
device or input source.
The LED light modes are:
• C
olor Cycle: All LEDs fade in and out starting with one color and cycling through the
color spectrum.
• B
eat Sync: All LEDs cycle through the spectrum of colors in sync with the beat of the
music.
• S
olid: All LEDs stay the same color (the color can be adjusted from the ION Sound
Control™ app). The default color is red unless changed in the ION Sound Control™ app.
• O
ff: All LEDs are o.
PRESS
ION Audio Trailblazer™ Roar User Guide 19
If the unit is not charging: Make sure the USB-C® cable is properly connected to the power
input, the power adapter, and the power outlet.
I
f 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.
I
f there is a high-pitched whistling noise when using microphones: This is probably
feedback. Point the microphone away from the speaker.
I
f you can’t hear the microphone over the music volume: Turn down the music volume from
your source.
I
f you cannot connect your audio device to Trailblazer™ Roar via Bluetooth:
• Have your audio device (e.g., smartphone or tablet) and Trailblazer™ Roar as close together
as possible while trying to connect. Make sure both the audio device and Trailblazer™ Roar
are unobstructed by walls, furniture, etc.
• Double-press the Bluetooth button to disconnect Trailblazer™ Roar
from any other audio
device and restart the search process. If this does not work right away, power o
Trailblazer™ Roar and then power it back on. See O
peration > Pairing a Bluetooth® Device
for more information.
• Reset the Bluetooth connection on your audio device by turning Bluetooth o 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 Trailblazer™ Roar
before, find Trailblazer™
Roar 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 U
npair or
F
orget. Turn Trailblazer™ Roar o and back on and try pairing again once it reappears in
your available devices list.
Note: If Trailblazer™ Roar 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.
TROUBLESHOOTING
ION Audio Trailblazer™ Roar User Guide 20
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 S
tereo-Link™
/ Repeat button. Alternatively, you can wait for your unit to link to another
speaker if there is one within range.
ION Audio Trailblazer™ Roar User Guide 21
Technical Specifications
Output Power 65 W (peak)
Speakers Low Frequency: 6.5" (165.1 mm) woofer
H
igh Frequency: (2) 2.5" (63.5 mm) tweeters
Frequency Response 43 Hz – 17 kHz (-10 dB)
Bluetooth Profile: A2DP, AVRCP
B
luetooth Version: 5.0
R
ange: Up to 100 ft. (30.5 m) *
S
tereo-Link™ Range: Up to 100 ft. (30.5 m) between speakers
USB USB Charge Output: 5V / 1A
A
udio: Music playback from USB drive
S
upported File System: FAT32
S
upported File Type: MP3
M
aximum File Size: 4 GB
M
aximum USB Drive Size: 16 GB
Battery Capacity: 2000mAh/11.1V, 22.2Wh
B
attery Life: Up to 10 hours **
C
harge Time: Up to 3 hours
Power Cable: USB-A to USB-C® Charging Cable
I
nput Voltage: 5V DC, 2A
Dimensions
(width x depth x height)
13.48" x 6.50" x 13.23"
343 x 165 x 336 mm
Weight 7.65 lbs
3.47 kg
Specifications are subject to change without notice.
* Bluetooth and wireless reception and range are aected by walls, obstructions, and
movement. For optimal performance, place the product so it is unobstructed by walls or
furniture and is raised o the ground.
** Battery life may vary based on temperature, age, and volume usage of product.
APPENDIX
ION Audio Trailblazer™ Roar User Guide 22
Trademarks & Licenses
ION Audio is a trademark of inMusic Brands, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
The Bluetooth word mark and logos are owned by the Bluetooth SIG, Inc., and any use of such
marks by ION Audio is under license.
App Store is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
Android and Google Play are registered trademarks of Google Inc. All other product names,
company names, trademarks, or trade names are those of their respective owners.
