ION iPA103B Audio Highlander 120W 2-Way Portable Speaker User Guide

ION iPA103B Audio Highlander 120W 2-Way Portable Speaker

Introduction

Thank you for purchasing the Highlander™. 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

• Highlander™
• Microphone with cable (8 ft / 250 cm)
• IEC320 C13 Power Cable (6 ft / 183 cm)
• Quickstart Guide
• Safety & Warranty Manual

Rechargeable Batteries
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. Use the included power cable to connect the unit to a power outlet and let it charge for up to 12 hours. This helps ensure the longest life for your battery.

Rechargeable lead-acid batteries are the same type used in automobiles. As with your car battery, how you use this battery has a significant impact on its lifespan. With proper use and treatment, a lead-acid battery can last for years. Here are some recommendations for getting the longest life from the internal battery.

• General Usage
  Fully charge the battery before using it.

• Storage
  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. It is acceptable to leave your sound system plugged in. This will not overcharge the battery.
  If you leave the battery level low and do not charge it for 3 months, it may permanently lose capacity.

• Repair
  If the battery fails to charge, check your fuse near the power cable input. If your fuse is intact and it still will not charge, contact ION Audio at ionaudio.com.

• Disposal
  Bring the unit to a recycling center or dispose of in accordance with local ordinances.

Outdoor Use and Care
Though Highlander™ is water-resistant and able to tolerate splashing water, please review the tips below to get the best performance from Highlander™:

• Highlander™ must be used outdoors only with power outlets or extension cords that are rated for outdoor use.
• Bring Highlander™ indoors during extreme weather.
• Please do not place Highlander™ in standing water.
• Please do not connect the power cable to Highlander™ in a wet environment. Make sure the power input, power cable, 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 affected by water and cause a risk of electric shock.

Quick Setup

1. Make sure all items listed in the Box Contents are included in the box.
2. Read the Safety & Warranty Manual before using the product.
3. Make sure the battery is completely charged prior to first use for maximum battery life.
4. Study the Connection Diagram.
5. Ensure the Main Volume on Highlander™ is at zero.
6. Connect your devices.
7. Raise the volume to a comfortable level.
8. Return the Main Volume to zero when you are finished using Highlander™.

Connection Diagram

Items not listed under the Box Contents are sold separately.

Features

Front Panel

1. Power Button: Turns Highlander™ on or off. When the power is on, the display will show the power icon. Please note that while Highlander™ is connected to a power source, it does not need to be powered on to charge the battery.

2. Bluetooth® Button: Press and release this button to pair to a Bluetooth® device or to disconnect a paired Bluetooth® device. See Operation > Pairing a Bluetooth® Device for more information.

3. Bass Boost: Press this button to enhance the overall bass frequency response.

4. Radio Selector: This button sets the Radio to AM/FM1/FM2 or turns the radio off.

5. Preset Buttons: Store favorite radio stations and quickly tune in to the stations. There are 4 numeric positions to store AM band, FM1 band, and FM2 band presets. See Operation > Using the Radio for more information.

6. Tune/Track Buttons: Press these buttons to tune in to a radio station or go to the previous/next track on a Bluetooth® connected device. To “seek” (jump to the next available station), hold either button down for a few seconds until it starts to seek a station. When powered off and then on again, the unit will remember the last station it was on and start at that station.

7. Play/Pause: Press to play or pause a track from a connected Bluetooth® device.

8. Link: Press and hold this button to start stereo-linking to another Highlander™ speaker. Double press the button to delink. See Operation > Linking Two Speakers for more details.

9. Display: This screen shows information relevant to Highlander™’s current operation.

   • (Charging Indicator): When the power cable is connected, movement of the battery segments shows the battery is charging. When fully charged, all battery segments will be lit without blinking. When the power cable is disconnected, the battery segment shows the level of the battery.
   • (Power Icon): The power icon will be lit when Highlander™ is powered on. The power icon will not be lit when Highlander™ is powered off.
   • (Lightning Bolt Icon): The lightning bolt icon will illuminate when the IEC power cable is connected to wall power.
   • (Bluetooth® Icon): The Bluetooth® icon will not be lit when Highlander™ is first powered on (unless it was previously paired with a device). The Bluetooth® icon will be lit solid when a device is paired to Highlander™.
   • AM/FM Status: When listening to AM or FM radio, the corresponding indicator will appear next to the current station number on the right.
   • Bass Boost Indicator: The Bass Boost indicator will be on when the Bass Boost function is activated, and it will be off when the function is deactivated.
   • Link Status: This indicator will flash when two Highlander’s are in the process of linking and it will remain solid once the link has been established. If you are using only one Highlander™, the indicator will be off.

10. Main Volume Control: This adjusts the speaker’s main mix volume, which includes the Microphone Input, Auxiliary Input, Radio, and the audio of a paired Bluetooth® device.
    Note: The last two segments on the max side of the Main Volume Control knob are red to show that there may be distortion if the knob is turned up this loud.

11. Microphone Input with Volume Control (1/4”): This mono input accepts a 1/4” (6.35 mm) input such as a microphone, guitar, or another musical instrument.
    Note: The last two segments on the max side of the Volume Control knob are red to show that there may be distortion if the knob is turned up this loud.

12. Auxiliary Input: This stereo 1/8” (3.5 mm) input can be used to connect a CD player, MP3 player, or other audio source.

13. USB Charging Ports: Connect your device’s charge cable here to charge it. USB charging only functions when the unit’s power is turned on.

14. NFC (near-field communication): After pressing and releasing the Bluetooth® button, touch and briefly hold your supported and enabled device to the NFC logo to pair the device. See Operation > Pairing a Bluetooth® Device for more information.

Rear Panel

1. Power Cable Input: Insert the included power cable here to charge the unit. Note that the Highlander™ can be used with the power cable while it simultaneously charges the battery.

Operation

Pairing a Bluetooth® Device

1. Turn on your Bluetooth® device.

2. Power on Highlander™. If you have previously connected to another Bluetooth® device, Highlander™ will reconnect. Press and release the Bluetooth® button to disconnect the paired Bluetooth® device.

3. Press and release the Bluetooth® button again to pair to a Bluetooth® device.

4. Navigate to your Bluetooth® device’s setup screen, find “Highlander” and connect.
   Note: If your Bluetooth® device prompts for a pairing code, enter “0000”.

5. To disconnect the paired Bluetooth® device, press the Bluetooth® button.

6. To connect to another Bluetooth® device, repeat steps 3-4.

Tip: If you would like to disable (or enable) the voice prompts, double press the Bluetooth® button.

Pairing a Bluetooth® Device Using NFC
NFC (near-field communication) allows data exchange between devices, such as pairing, by gently bumping them together. Check in your device’s manual to see if this feature is supported.
To use NFC to pair with Highlander™:

1. In order to use NFC, your device must be turned on and unlocked.
2. Enter your device’s Settings menu and check that NFC is turned On (one time step).
3. Power on Highlander™.
4. Press and release the Bluetooth® button on Highlander™ and the Bluetooth® icon will flash (only needed for the first time when NFC pairing with the device).
5. Touch and briefly hold your device to the NFC logo.
6. Follow the pairing instructions that appear on your phone. If a passcode is required, enter “0000”.
7. To unpair, gently bump your device against the NFC logo located on Highlander™’s top panel or disconnect the Bluetooth® connection from your device’s Bluetooth® menu.

*Linking Two Speakers
** If you would like to play music from a Bluetooth® device, you can first “link” two Highlander™s together in order to listen to your music in stereo. One Highlander™ will serve as the left speaker and the other will serve as the right speaker.
To link two Highlander™ speakers together:

1. Press and hold the Link button on both speakers to enter Stereo-Link mode. You will hear a tone, and the word LINK will flash on each speaker’s Display while they search for each other. Once a link has been established, the word LINK will remain on the Display.
   Note: The linking process can take up to a minute to complete. The closer the two speakers are to each other, the quicker the link is established.

2. Once the two speakers are linked, press and release the Bluetooth® button on either speaker to begin the Bluetooth® pairing process. The speaker you use for Bluetooth® pairing will serve as the primary speaker. On its Display screen, the Bluetooth® icon will flash to indicate that Bluetooth® pairing is in process.

3. Navigate to your Bluetooth® device’s setup screen, find Highlander™ and connect. When your Bluetooth® device is connected, the Bluetooth® icon will be lit solid on the primary speaker’s Display, and you will be able to play audio from the Bluetooth® device through your two linked speakers.
   Note: If you would like to reverse which speaker plays the left channel audio and which plays the right channel, press and hold the Bluetooth® button on either speaker.

4. To unpair the Bluetooth® device, press and release the Bluetooth® button on the primary speaker. To disconnect two speakers or cancel linking between the two, double press the Link button on either speaker.

*Highlander™ may be able to link to different speakers in the ION Audio product line. For more information, please visit ionaudio.com.

Using the Radio

Selecting a radio station:

1. Press the Radio button to select AM, FM1, or FM2.
2. Press either of the Tune/Track buttons to select a radio station. To “seek” (jump to the next available station), hold either button down for a few seconds until it starts to seek a station.
   Note: Pause any music that may be playing via Bluetooth® or the AUX input.

Saving a radio station as a preset:

1. Press the Radio button to select AM, FM1, or FM2.
2. Press either of the Tune/Track buttons to select a radio station.
3. Press and hold a numeric Preset button to assign the current station to that preset number. The display will show “SAV” to show the station has been saved.

Recalling a saved radio station preset:

1. Press the Radio button to select AM, FM1, or FM2.
2. Press a numeric Preset button once lightly to go to the stored radio station.

Troubleshooting

• If the unit is not charging: Make sure the power cable is properly connected to the power input and the power outlet.

• 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 Highlander™ using the Main Volume knob.

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

• If there is poor AM reception: When you have a Bluetooth® device that is connected, disconnect your Bluetooth® device in order to listen to AM radio. To adjust AM reception, move the entire unit.

• If you can’t hear the microphone over the music volume: Turn down the music volume from your source.

• If you can’t play music from a flash drive: The USB port is only for charging USB devices.

• If you cannot connect your audio device to Highlander™ via Bluetooth®:

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

• If you would like to stop your speaker from automatically linking when you power it on, make sure you double-press the Link button to exit Stereo-Link mode before you power it off.

• If there is a delay in the audio signal between the left and right speakers when linked, break the link by double-pressing the Link button, and pair them again following the instructions in the Linking Two Speakers section.

Appendix

Technical Specifications

High-Frequency: 3.0” / 76 mm tweeter

Frequency Response| 60 Hz – 17 khz (-4 dB)
Bluetooth ® Specifications| Profile: A2DP, AVRCP

Range: Up to 100 feet / 30.5 meters

Linked Stereo Range| Up to 50’ / 15 m
Microphone Type| Dynamic microphone recommended (included)
Radio Frequency Range| US: 520–1710 kHz (AM), 87.5–107.9 MHz (FM)

Europe: 522–1629 kHz (AM), 87.5–108.0 MHz (FM)

Japan: 522–1710 kHz (AM), 75.5–108.0 MHz (FM)

USB Charging Ports| 2 USB, +5 V, 1 A
Water Resistance Class| IPX5 – protection from a 6.3 mm spray of water (12.5 liters per minute) for 3 minutes, and dust protection to not interfere with normal operation.
Battery| Life: Up to 50 hours* Recharge time: 10 hours Capacity: 12 V, 7.0 Ah, SLA

Dimensions: 5.9” x 2.6” x 3.7” / 65 mm x 121 mm x 94 mm

Power| Connection: IEC

Input Voltage: 100–240 VAC, 50/60 Hz

Dimensions

(width x depth x height)

| 23.1 lbs. / 10.5 kg
Weight| 10.94″ x 14.61″ x 17.76″ / 278 x 371 x 451 mm

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 in the center of the room so it is unobstructed by walls, furniture, etc. Battery life may vary based on temperature, age, and volume usage of product.
*Battery performance varies with the features being used on the unit and volume at which content is being played. In typical usage for audio playback, exclusive of additional features, the Highlander™ battery lasts up to 50 hours.

Trademarks & Licenses
ION Audio is a trademark of ION Audio, LLC, registered in the U.S. and other countries. Facebook is a trademark of Facebook, Inc. 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. All other product names, company names, trademarks, or trade names are those of their respective owners.

ionaudio.com

SUPPORT
Tap or click for technical support: ionaudio.com/support

References

• Sound Experiences | ION Audio
• Support : ION Audio

Read User Manual Online (PDF format)

Read User Manual Online (PDF format)  >>

Download This Manual (PDF format)

Download this manual  >>