ION Audio Tailgater Tough Bluetooth Speaker System
INTRODUCTION
- Thank you for purchasing the Tailgater® Tough. 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
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
SETUP
Charging and Battery Information
- For the quickest charging time, power off Tailgater® Tough 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 5 hours, depending on the specifications of your 5V, 2A adapter.
The battery charging LEDs will fill to display the battery life percentage:
- When fully charged (>95%), all 5 LEDs will be lit.
- When the battery level falls below 95%, the rightmost LED will turn off
- When the battery level falls below 60%, the two rightmost LEDs will turn off.
- When the battery level falls below 40%, the three rightmost LEDs will turn off
- When the battery level falls below 20%, only the leftmost LED is on (4 off).
- If no audio is played through the Tailgater® Tough 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 the audio signal or press any button. When the Tailgater® Tough speaker is connected to a Bluetooth audio output device and no audio is playing from any source, the speaker will automatically power off after 60 minutes have passed.
Here are some other recommendations for getting the longest life from the internal battery.
- General 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 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.
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. For best product longevity, store the 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.
Repair - If the battery fails to charge, contact ION Audio at ionaudio.com
Outdoor Use and Care
Important: The metal bars can be used to tie the speaker down with bungee cords or straps (not included) or to carry the speaker. The metal bars are not designed for permanent or semipermanent suspended applications. Though Tailgater® Tough is water-resistant and able to tolerate splashing water, please review the tips below to get the best performance from your Tailgater® Tough:
- Bring Tailgater® Tough indoors during extreme weather.
- Please do not place Tailgater® Tough in standing water.
- Please do not connect the power adapter to a Tailgater® Tough in a wet environment. Make sure the power input, power adapter, and power outlet are all completely dry before making any connections.
FEATURES
Front Panel
- Click the control below to jump to that section
- Power Button
- Press and hold this button to turn Tailgater® Tough on and off. Double-press this button to enable or disable voice prompts.
- 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 Operation > Pairing a Bluetooth® Device to learn how to connect a Bluetooth device.
- Previous / Next Buttons
- Press these buttons to adjust the main volume. The volume will be synchronized with your connected Bluetooth device. In FM mode, press these buttons 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 and hold these 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.
- Play/Pause Button
- Press this button to start and stop Bluetooth or USB audio
- Radio Button
- Press this button to select FM radio mode. Operation > Use the Radio to learn more.
Rear Panel
- Click a control below to jump to that section
- USB-A Charge 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 (not included) is inserted. See Operation > Using the USB Charge Port for more information. - Aux In
Connect a CD player, MP3 player, or other audio source to this 1/8” (3.5 mm) input. - USB-C® Charging Port
Connect the USB-C® end of the included cable to Tailgater® Tough 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 Setup > Charging and Battery Information for more information. - Mic In
Connect a microphone (not included) to this input using a 1/4″ (6.35 mm) cable. Press the MIC In -/+ buttons to control the mic volume. - Mic In -/+ Buttons
Press these buttons to adjust the microphone volume.
OPERATION
App Control
IMPORTANT: 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:
- Open the Apple App Store or Google Play on your device. Then, search for the ION Sound Control® app.
- 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.
- Connect your device to Tailgater® Tough via Bluetooth. See Operation > Pairing a Bluetooth® Device to learn how to do this.
- Open the ION Sound Control® app. If prompted, allow the app to access your device’s Bluetooth and Location Services.
- Follow the steps on the screen to find and connect to your Tailgater® Tough. Once connected, you can control various functions of the speaker, such as:
- Source Selection: Select the source to use (Bluetooth, USB, FM, or Aux).
- Volume: Adjust the speaker’s volume.
- Mic Volume: Adjust the volume of the Mic input.
- EQ: Adjust the speaker’s equalization.
- FM Radio Stations and Preset Selection: Use the app to save radio preset stations. The presets on the app will sync with the presets on Tailgater® Tough.
- Voice Prompts: Enable or disable the voice prompts.
- Battery Life: Check the speaker’s battery life status.
- Over-The-Air Firmware Updates: Stay up to date with the latest firmware installation. Press and hold the Source button on Tailgater® Tough to view the firmware version.
- Support: Visit ionaudio.com, contact Technical Support, and view Warranty information and Frequently Asked Questions.
Pairing a Bluetooth® Device
- Turn on your Bluetooth device.
- Power on Tailgater® Tough by holding down the Power button for 2 seconds.
- Press the Bluetooth button to pair.
- Navigate to your device’s Bluetooth setup screen, find TAILGATER TOUGH, and connect.
- The Bluetooth 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”.
- To disconnect a paired device, do any of the following:
- Turn off 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.
Linking Two Speakers
- If you would like to play music from a Bluetooth device, you can first “link” two Tailgater® Tough speakers together in order to listen to your music in stereo. One Tailgater® Tough will serve as the left speaker and the other will serve as the right speaker
To link two Tailgater® Tough speakers together:
- Power on the speakers and press the Bluetooth button on each of them. Do not connect to a Bluetooth device until the Stereo-Link™ is successful.
- After you hear the voice prompt “Bluetooth pairing,” double press the Bluetooth button on each speaker to enter Stereo-Link™ mode and the speakers will automatically connect.
- 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 linked, the primary (left) speaker will enter Bluetooth pairing mode. Navigate to your Bluetooth device’s setup screen, find TAILGATER TOUGH, 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 will play the right channel. Playback controls are active on both speakers.
- To disconnect two speakers or cancel linking between the two, double-press the Bluetooth button on either speaker.
Using the Radio
- To use the radio, press the Radio button and FM radio will be selected. While in FM mode, briefly press the Previous 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.
- To save a radio station as a preset, ION Sound Control® app. To recall a previously saved preset, briefly press the Play/Pause button to cycle between the 6 presets.
Using the USB Charge Port
To use the USB charge port:
- Connect a USB type-A cable to the USB Charge Port on the rear panel of your Tailgater® Tough speaker (see image).
- Connect the other end of the cable to the charging input on your smartphone, tablet, or other compatible device
TROUBLESHOOTING
- 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.
- If 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. 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 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 Tailgater® Tough via Bluetooth:
- Have your audio device (e.g., smartphone or tablet) and Tailgater® Tough as close together as possible while trying to connect. Make sure both the audio device and Tailgater® Tough are unobstructed by walls, furniture, etc.
- Double-press the Bluetooth button to disconnect Tailgater® Tough from any other audio device and restart the search process. If this does not work right away, power off Tailgater® Tough and then power it back on. See Operation > Pairing a Bluetooth® Device for more information
APPENDIX
Technical Specifications
| Speakers | Low Frequency: 6.5″ (165.1 mm) woofer High Frequency: 2.0″ (50.8 mm) tweeter |
| Frequency Response | 55 Hz – 15 kHz (-3 dB) |
| Bluetooth | Profile: A2DP, AVRCP |
| Bluetooth Version: 5.0 | |
| Range: Up to 100 ft. (30.5 m) * | |
| Stereo-Link® Range: Up to 75 ft. (22.9 m) between speakers | |
| Battery | Capacity: 2600mAh/11.1V, 28.86Wh Battery Life: Up to 10 hours ** Charge Time: Up to 5 hours |
| Power | Cable: USB-A to USB-C® Charging Cable Input Voltage: 5V DC, 2A |
| Dimensions (width x depth x height) | 12.38” x 7.25” x 11.25” 31.4 x 18.4 x 28.6 |
| Weight | 10.05 lbs. 4.6 kg |
For more manuals by ION Audio visit, ManualsLibraryy
ION Audio Tailgater Tough Bluetooth Speaker System-FAQs
How many watts is the ION Tailgater Tough?
The ION Tailgater Tough is a 65W portable, all-weather wireless speaker.
How do I disable energy-saving mode on my ION speaker?
To exit energy-saving mode, simply turn a knob or press any button on the speaker or remote control. This will reactivate the display, lights, and audio playback.
Why won’t my ION speaker turn on?
If the speaker does not power on while plugged into AC power, there may be a hardware issue. Contact ION support for assistance.
How do I charge the ION Tailgater Tough?
Use the included USB-A to USB-C® cable and connect it to a 5V, 2A power adapter (not included). Charging may take up to 5 hours, depending on the adapter’s specifications.
What does EQ mean on the ION speaker?
EQ stands for equalization, which allows you to adjust the speaker’s sound settings. You can also enable or disable the Boom feature for enhanced bass.
Can I use the ION speaker while charging?
While it is possible, it is recommended not to use the speaker while charging to ensure a faster and more efficient charge.
How do I reset my ION Tailgater speaker?
To reset the speaker to factory settings, press and hold the Control Knob for 5 seconds. The speaker will power cycle, completing the reset process.
Can I link multiple ION speakers together?
Yes, but only certain models can wirelessly stereo-link. For example, the Total PA Extreme can be paired with one additional Total PA Extreme by holding the repeat/link button on both speakers.