ION Audio Pathfinder
TM
Go User Guide 2
INTRODUCTION ........................................................................ 4
Box Contents ....................................................................................................... 4
Support ................................................................................................................. 4
SETUP .........................................................................................5
Outdoor Use and Care ...................................................................................... 5
Charging & Battery Information ..................................................................... 5
FEATURES .................................................................................. 7
Front Panel .......................................................................................................... 7
Display .................................................................................................................. 9
Rear Panel .......................................................................................................... 10
OPERATION ............................................................................... 11
Bluetooth Connecting with Pathfinder
TM
Go .............................................. 11
Stereo-Link
TM
: Syncing Two Speakers ......................................................... 12
Using the Radio ................................................................................................ 14
USB Playback Mode .......................................................................................... 15
Using the USB Charge Port ............................................................................. 16
Connecting an Audio Device Using the Aux Input ................................... 16
App Control ........................................................................................................ 17
TROUBLESHOOTING ............................................................... 18
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ION Audio Pathfinder
TM
Go User Guide 3
APPENDIX ................................................................................ 20
Technical Specifications ................................................................................ 20
Trademarks & Licenses .................................................................................... 21
ION Audio Pathfinder
TM
Go User Guide 4
Thank you for purchasing the Pathfinder
TM
Go. 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
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 i
onaudio.com.
For additional product support, visit i
onaudio.com/support.
INTRODUCTION
ION Audio Pathfinder
TM
Go User Guide 5
Outdoor Use and Care
Though Pathfinder
TM
Go is water-resistant and able to tolerate splashing water, please review
the tips below to get the best performance from your Pathfinder
TM
Go:
•
Bring Pathfinder
TM
Go indoors during extreme weather.
•
Please do not place Pathfinder
TM
Go in standing water.
•
Please do not connect the power adapter to a Pathfinder
TM
Go 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.
Charging & Battery Information
For the quickest charging time, power o Pathfinder
TM
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 l
ightning bolt icon on the display will light up when Pathfinder
TM
Go 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 Pathfinder
TM
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.
SETUP
ION Audio Pathfinder
TM
Go User Guide 6
Here are some other recommendations for getting the longest life from the internal battery.
G
eneral Usage 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 30–80% 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 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.
ION Audio Pathfinder
TM
Go User Guide 7
Front Panel
Click a control below to jump to that section.
1. Power Button
Press and hold this button to turn Pathfinder
TM
Go on and o.
2
. Boom Button
TM
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 O
peration >
B
luetooth Connecting with Pathfinder
TM
Go to learn how to connect a Bluetooth device.
Press and hold this button to enable or disable voice prompts.
FEATURES
9
9
1
2
6
7
78
3 54
ION Audio Pathfinder
TM
Go User Guide 8
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 o.
6
. Stereo-Link
TM
/ Repeat Button
See O
peration > Stereo-Link
TM
: Syncing Two Speakers to learn more.
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 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 O
peration > Using the
R
adio 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.
ION Audio Pathfinder
TM
Go User Guide 9
Display
The Pathfinder
TM
Go display shows information related to its current operation, including:
• B
attery Indicator ( )
The battery icon displays the battery life percentage. When fully charged, the battery
icon will be completely filled.
• S
tereo-Link
TM
Icon ( )
T
he Stereo-Link
TM
icon will display when Pathfinder
TM
Go is linked to another speaker.
The Stereo-Link
TM
icon will be o when a single speaker is used. See Operation > Stereo-
Link
TM
: Syncing Two Speakers below for instructions on how to link two speakers.
• B
luetooth Icon ( )
The Bluetooth icon will display when a device is paired to Pathfinder
TM
Go. See Operation
>
Bluetooth Connecting with Pathfinder
TM
Go to learn how to connect a Bluetooth
device.
• S
ource Icons (FM, AUX, USB)
These icons will indicate whether Pathfinder
TM
Go is in FM, Aux, or USB playback modes.
• L
ightning Bolt Icon ( )
The lightning bolt icon will display when Pathfinder
TM
Go is connected to a power outlet.
• B
OOM Icon
The BOOM icon will display when the B
oom Button
TM
is pressed. The icon will be o
when the function is deactivated.
• R
adio 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.
ION Audio Pathfinder
TM
Go User Guide 10
Rear Panel
Note: Pull the tab on the protective rubber panel to release it and access the rear panel ports.
1. U
SB-A Playback / Device Charging Port
Connect a USB drive here for USB mode playback. See O
peration > USB Playback Mode
for more information.
Pathfinder
TM
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 O
peration > Using the USB
C
harge Port for more information.
2. A
ux Input
Connect an MP3 or other audio player to Pathfinder
TM
Go here using a 1/8” (3.5 mm)
auxiliary cable (not included). See O
peration > Connecting an Audio Device Using the
A
ux Input for more information.
3. U
SB-C® Charging Port
Connect the USB-C® end of the included cable to Pathfinder
TM
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).
1 2 3
ION Audio Pathfinder
TM
Go User Guide 11
Bluetooth Connecting with Pathfinder
TM
Go
1. Turn on Pathfinder
TM
Go by holding down the Power button for 2 seconds. Pathfinder
TM
Go will automatically enter Bluetooth pairing mode.
2. Navigate to your device’s Bluetooth setup screen, find P
athfinder Go, and connect. The
B
luetooth 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
TM
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 P
lay/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.
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.
When you disconnect a Bluetooth device, you will hear “Bluetooth disconnected” if voice
prompts are enabled.
OPERATION
1 - PRESS AND HOLD
2
PATHFINDER
TM
GO
ION Audio Pathfinder
TM
Go User Guide 12
Stereo-Link
TM
: Syncing Two Speakers
If you would like to play music from a Bluetooth device, you can first “link” two Pathfinder
TM
Go speakers together in order to listen to your music in stereo. One Pathfinder
TM
Go will serve
as the left speaker and the other will serve as the right speaker.
Note: Pathfinder
TM
Go can also be linked with ION Audio Pathfinder
TM
320° speakers.
T
o link two Pathfinder
TM
Go speakers together:
Note: When you begin the Stereo-Link
TM
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
TM
/ Repeat button on both speakers to enter Stereo-Link
TM
mode. You will hear a tone and the S
tereo-Link
TM
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.
Once the speakers are linked, the S
tereo-Link
TM
icons on each speaker’s Display will be lit
solid.
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. The B
luetooth 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 P
ATHFINDER GO, and connect.
When the connection is successful, you will hear "Bluetooth Connected" from the primary
speaker (if voice prompts are enabled), and the B
luetooth 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.
1 - PRESS AND HOLD
3 - PRESS
(primary speaker)
2 - PRESS AND HOLD
4
PATHFINDER
TM
GO
(speaker 1 & 2)
ION Audio Pathfinder
TM
Go User Guide 13
T
o 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
TM
mode will power o all connected speakers. Pathfinder
TM
Go speakers powered o in Stereo-
Link
TM
mode will automatically enter Stereo-Link
TM
mode the next time they are powered on
and begin searching for secondary speakers to connect to.
ION Audio Pathfinder
TM
Go User Guide 14
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 Pathfinder
TM
Go User Guide 15
USB Playback Mode
When a USB drive with compatible files is inserted into the U
SB-A Playback / Device
C
harging Port, Pathfinder
TM
Go 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.
Pathfinder
TM
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 P
lay/Pause button to start or stop USB playback.
• Press the P
revious 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 S
tereo-Link
TM
/ Repeat button to cycle through the repeat/shue options
(abbreviations will show on the display):
o Play the current USB track on repeat (O
nE). This is the default mode when powered
on.
o Play the tracks in random order (r
An).
o Play all the tracks on the USB drive on repeat (A
LL).
o 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
PRESS
PRESS
(Play/Pause Playback)
PRESS TO CYCLE
(OFF, ALL, FOLDER, ONE, RANDOM)
PRESS
(Previous/Next Track)
ION Audio Pathfinder
TM
Go User Guide 16
Using the USB Charge Port
T
o use the USB charge port:
1. Connect a USB type-A cable to the U
SB Charge
P
ort on the rear panel of your Pathfinder
TM
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
TM
Go
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 V
olume Up/Down (+/-) buttons to adjust
the Aux volume.
Note: Pathfinder
TM
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
TM
Go will revert to the audio mode
it was in before the Aux connection, either Bluetooth or USB Playback mode.
ION Audio Pathfinder
TM
Go User Guide 17
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
TM
app.
2. Follow the on-screen instructions to download and install the app. Once downloaded, the
I
ON Sound Control
TM
app will appear on your device's home screen.
3. Connect your device to Pathfinder
TM
Go via Bluetooth. See Operation > Bluetooth
C
onnecting with Pathfinder
TM
Go to learn how to do this.
4. Open the ION Sound Control
TM
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
TM
Go. 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.
• E
Q: Adjust the speaker's equalization.
• V
oice Prompts: Enable or disable the voice prompts.
• L
ights: Change the light modes.
• B
attery Life: Check the speaker’s battery life status.
• S
upport: Visit ionaudio.com, contact Technical Support, and view Warranty information
and Frequently Asked Questions.
ION Audio Pathfinder
TM
Go User Guide 18
I
f 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.
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 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 B
OOM function is enabled, and disable it by pressing the
B
OOM button
TM
to disable it.
I
f you cannot connect your audio device to Pathfinder
TM
Go via Bluetooth:
• Have your audio device (e.g., smartphone or tablet) and Pathfinder
TM
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
TM
Go from any other audio
device and restart the search process. If this does not work right away, power o
Pathfinder
TM
Go and then power it back on. See Operation > Bluetooth Connecting with
P
athfinder
TM
Go 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 Pathfinder
TM
Go before, find Pathfinder
TM
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 U
npair or Forget. Turn
Pathfinder
TM
Go o and back on and try pairing again once it reappears in your available
devices list.
Note: If Pathfinder
TM
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.
TROUBLESHOOTING
ION Audio Pathfinder
TM
Go User Guide 19
I
f 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
TM
mode. To stop the audio dropouts, exit Stereo-Link
TM
mode by double-pressing
the B
luetooth button. Alternatively, you can wait for your unit to link to another speaker if
there is one within range.
ION Audio Pathfinder
TM
Go User Guide 20
Technical Specifications
O
utput 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 65 Hz – 16 kHz (-3 dB)
Bluetooth * Profile: A2DP, AVRCP
B
luetooth Version: 5.0
R
ange: Up to 100 ft. (30.5 m) *
S
tereo-Link
TM
Range: Up to 100 ft. (30.5 m) between speakers
USB Audio: 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 mm x 165 mm 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 Pathfinder
TM
Go User Guide 21
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.
