ION speakers are among the speaker brands that allow you to connect more than one speaker at a time. This can come in handy when you’re with a large crowd or in a big area.
Did you know that some ION speakers can link more than 10 speakers? How do they do that? That is what this article will show you.
Today, we will be looking at how to link ION speakers for the ultimate listening experience. This might seem hard, but following the instructions will have you listening to your music in no time.
We will look at how to tell if your speakers can link, the number of speakers you can link, and the possible problems you can encounter.
The speakers come with a user guide or instruction manual that will be your best friends. You can also try downloading the ION app (on both Android and iOS devices).
If you still have trouble linking or have a hard time understanding the instructions in the manual, this guide is here for you. It will help simplify these procedures, so let’s dive in!
Can You Connect 2 Different ION Speakers Together?
You can easily connect two different ION speakers by making a wired and wireless connection. Before linking your speakers together using a wireless connection, you first have to make sure they are compatible.
Go through the ION Stereo Link Compatibility Chart. This chart will help you find the different speakers that can link together. You’ll see whether the speakers you want to pair are compatible.
If they are, you can easily connect them by following the Quick Start Guide. You can find pairing instructions in this guide to guide you through the connection process.
If the speakers cannot be linked to each other through a wireless connection, you can turn to a wired connection. This will require the use of XLR cables.
Choose the speaker that will be the primary one and use its XLR cable to connect to the input port on the receiving speaker, and you are good to go.
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How Many ION Speakers Can You Link?
The number of ION speakers you can link depends on the model. Different models have different capabilities that determine how many speakers they can support.
The ION Stereo Link Compatibility Chart lists the multiple models and the number of speakers you can link. For example, some of the more powerful models can link to as many as 100 devices that are identical to that speaker.
Some of the speakers with this ability include:
- Tahiti Speaker Pair
- The Acadia Speaker
- Bright Max speaker
- Solar Rock Multi-Sync speakers
Other speakers can only link to one speaker that is identical to that speaker. Such speakers also have the feature to link to another product on the compatibility chart if they are on the same list.
Examples of these speakers are the:
- Total PA Premier
- Total PA Supreme
- Total PA Glow 3
Other speakers are compatible with 9 different speakers. You will, however, only be able to pair them with just 1 other product at a time.
How To Link Ion Speakers Together – Step-by-Step Guide
You will first need to make sure that the speakers you want to link are compatible. Incompatible speakers will not link; confirm with the compatibility chart before you start.
Once you are sure the speakers are compatible, you will need to choose one of the speakers to be a “primary” speaker, and the other becomes the “secondary” speaker.
The primary speaker will connect to the secondary speaker, acting as the sender, with the secondary speaker being the receiver.
- Power the speakers on. Start by turning both speakers on. Make sure they are not connected to Bluetooth or will not connect to Bluetooth until you are ready. You might need to switch off any nearby Bluetooth devices to prevent this.
To set up the secondary speaker:
- Put the secondary speaker on pairing mode. Most ION speakers will automatically enter pairing mode once turned on. There are, however, situations in which this might not work. If this happens, you can turn pairing mode on manually by:
– Pressing and holding the Mode button on the speakers. Select Bluetooth, which will be marked “bt” on the speaker’s display, and the pairing mode will turn on.
– Some have a Bluetooth button on the side or at the top that you can press to turn Bluetooth on and into pairing mode.
There can be different instructions to follow depending on the ION speakers you have. Check your user guide or instruction manual to find the best method for your speakers.
For the primary speaker:
- Prepare for linking. Press the “Link” button on the primary speaker to turn it into Stereo Link Mode.
- Wait for the connection. You should wait for it to connect to the secondary speaker’s Bluetooth. You may need to wait up to a minute for the linking.
- Connect to Bluetooth. Once the two speakers are linked, you can then connect to Bluetooth using the primary speaker. It is now ready to connect to another device to start playing your music.
There are different linking instructions depending on the ION model you have. Check your manual for further instructions if you have a problem.
You can also link the speakers using XLR male-to-female cables:
Plug the cable to the Mix Out on the primary speaker and connect the other end to the Line In or AUX In on the secondary speaker.
Turn on AUX mode on the secondary speaker and use Bluetooth on the primary speaker.
Why Won’t My Ion Speakers Link Together?
Did you try linking your speakers but have no results? Here are some possible reasons why the speakers will not link and how you can fix that.
1. The Speakers Are Connected To a Bluetooth Device
Linking ION speakers together can be a bit challenging, so you need to make sure there is no exterior interference. One of the reasons you have trouble linking your speakers could be that one or both speakers are already connected to a different Bluetooth device.
You can prevent this by switching off any nearby device during linking. Turning off the pairing mode will also prevent the speakers from connecting to other devices.
Only turn on pairing mode when you are ready to start linking and make sure other devices will not interfere with the connection.
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2. The Speakers Are Connected To Each Other Through Bluetooth
Linking the speakers is not the same as establishing a Bluetooth connection. Your speakers might have already established a Bluetooth connection to each other and are already paired. You will need to undo this before you start linking.
Choose the primary speaker between the two and turn it off. This will break the Bluetooth connection and prepare them for linking.
Make sure your secondary speaker is not connected to another device. You can do this by disconnecting other devices or turning off pairing mode. You might need to “Forget device” if this is the case if it keeps reconnecting.
Turn the primary speaker on again and connect it to your device through Bluetooth. You can then put the speaker on “Link” mode to allow it to link with the secondary speaker.
Turn Bluetooth pairing back on in the secondary speaker if you had turned it off. You can now link your speakers easily if the secondary speaker is not connected to another device.
It is also important to turn other Bluetooth devices off while doing this to prevent confusion (the device that is already connected to the primary speaker should not be a problem).
3. The Speakers Are Not Compatible
There will be no way to make a successful link if your speakers are incompatible. You cannot link any ION speakers together, you need to make sure that they are compatible.
ION has a compatibility chart that will help you determine whether the speakers you have can connect to each other or not.
Last Words
Linking your ION speakers can seem daunting, but as we have seen, you can do it. Follow the above instructions to find out how to link ION speakers without a problem.
The guide will also help you determine why you might have problems linking your speakers and show you how to fix this problem.
If in doubt, check your manual for instructions you might have missed. I hope that has helped you learn how to link ION speakers, and you can now enjoy your music.