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  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Pictures
    2. Style
    3. Portability
    4. Build Quality
    5. Controls
    6. In The Box
  5. Sound
    1. Frequency Response Accuracy
    2. Raw Frequency Response
    3. Soundstage
    4. Dynamics
  6. Active Features
    1. Battery
    2. Voice Assistant
    3. App
  7. Connectivity
    1. Wired
    2. Bluetooth
    3. Wi-Fi
  8. Comments

ION Pathfinder 280 vs ION Pathfinder 320

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

ION Pathfinder 280
ION Pathfinder 320

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Mar 13, 2025 03:41 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Mar 13, 2025 03:41 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
ION Pathfinder 280 Picture
ION Pathfinder 320 Picture
  1. Recommended in 1 article:
  2. Parties

Variants

  • Pathfinder 280 (Black)
  • Pathfinder 320 (Black/Red)

Our Verdict

ION Pathfinder 280

ION Pathfinder 320

The ION Pathfinder 320 and the ION Pathfinder 280 are both pretty similar party speakers with access to graphic EQs and other customization features through the ION Sound XP app. The 320 can reproduce a more extended low-bass, making it more suitable for genres with lots of bass mixed in, such as EDM and hip-hop. It also has a longer battery life. However, it doesn't get quite as loud as the 280.

0

Main Differences for

Threshold 

0.10

Music 

6.8
6.7

Dynamics 
 

8.9
7.5

Soundstage 
 

5.7
6.3

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Style Photo  

ION Pathfinder 280 Style Photo
ION Pathfinder 320 Style Photo

RGB Lights  

Yes
Yes

Show text

Portability 
 

7.0
6.7

Dimensions Photo  

ION Pathfinder 280 Dimensions Photo
ION Pathfinder 320 Dimensions Photo

Volume 
 

2,703 in³ (44,294 cm³)
3,478 in³ (57,000 cm³)

Weight 
 

23.8 lbs (10.8 kg)
22.7 lbs (10.3 kg)

Power Source 
 

AC & Battery
AC & Battery

One-Hand Carry 
 

Yes
Yes

Show text

Build Quality 
 

7.0
7.0

Build Quality Photo  

ION Pathfinder 280 Build Quality Photo
ION Pathfinder 320 Build Quality Photo

Material Quality 
 

Good
Good

Water Resistance 
 

Waterproof (IPx5)
Waterproof (IPx5)

Dust Resistance 
 

Unspecified
Unspecified

Impact Resistance 
 

Unspecified
Unspecified

Floats In Water 
 

Unspecified
Unspecified

Show text

Controls 
 

7.0
7.0

Controls Photo  

ION Pathfinder 280 Controls Photo
ION Pathfinder 320 Controls Photo

Controls Photo 2  

ION Pathfinder 280 Controls Photo 2
ION Pathfinder 320 Controls Photo 2

Ease Of Use 
 

Great
Great

Feedback 
 

Great
Great

Music Play/Pause 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)

Call Answer/End 
 

No
No

Volume Up/Down 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)

Track Next/Previous 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)

Microphone On/Off 
 

No
No

Additional Controls 
 

Yes
Yes

Show text

In The Box 
 

In The Box Photo  

ION Pathfinder 280 In The Box Photo
ION Pathfinder 320 In The Box Photo

Show text

Sound

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

6.5
6.5

Frequency Response Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Slope 
 

-0.59
-1.41

Std. Err. 
 

2.91 dB
4.21 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

73.4 Hz
54.2 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

16.3 kHz
12.0 kHz

Show text

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw Frequency Response Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Binaural Recording @ 1m 
 

Binaural Recording @ 2m 
 

Soundstage 
 

5.7
6.3

Directivity Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Directivity Index 
 

4.31 dB
3.18 dB

Stereo 
 

No (mono)
No (mono)

Show text

Dynamics 
 

8.9
7.5

Dynamic Range Compression  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

100.5 dB SPL
96.1 dB SPL

DRC @ Max Volume 
 

1.13 dB
2.89 dB

Show text

Active Features

Battery 
 

7.1
7.0

Battery Life 
 

68.0 hrs
117.9 hrs

Charge Time 
 

7.0 hrs
12.9 hrs

Power Saving 
 

No
No

Charging Port 
 

AC
AC

Battery Powered 
 

Yes
Yes

Show text

Voice Assistant 
 

0.0
0.0

Alexa 
 

No
No

Google Assistant 
 

No
No

Speakerphone 
 

No
No

Siri 
 

No
No

Voice Assistant 
 

No
No

Voice Activation 
 

No
No

Microphone Mute 
 

No Microphone
No Microphone

Far-Field Performance 
 

No Assistant
No Assistant

Ambient Noise Performance 
 

No Assistant
No Assistant

App 
 

6.3
6.3

App Picture  

ION Pathfinder 280 App Picture
ION Pathfinder 320 App Picture

App Name 
 

ION Sound XP
ION Sound XP

iOS 
 

Yes
Yes

Android 
 

Yes
Yes

EQ 
 

Graphic + Presets
Graphic + Presets

Stereo Pair Mode 
 

Yes
Yes

Party Mode 
 

No
No

Multi-Room 
 

No
No

Show text

Connectivity

Wired 
 

Aux Input 
 

Yes
Yes

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Other Ports 
 

Yes
Yes

Show text

Bluetooth 
 

6.5
7.4

Bluetooth 
 

Yes
Yes

Bluetooth Version 
 

5.0
5.0

Bluetooth iOS Latency 
 

322 ms
157 ms

Bluetooth Android Latency 
 

245 ms
124 ms

Bluetooth Range 
 

278.9 ft (85.0 m)
331.4 ft (101.0 m)

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

No
No

Show text

Wi-Fi 
 

0.0
0.0

Wi-Fi Version 
 

No Wi-Fi
No Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi Frequency Band 
 

No Wi-Fi
No Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi 
 

No
No

Apple AirPlay 
 

No
No

AirPlay Latency 
 

N/A
N/A

Google Chromecast 
 

No
No

Chromecast Latency 
 

N/A
N/A

ION Pathfinder 280

ION Pathfinder 320

Comments

  1. Comparison

ION Pathfinder 280 vs ION Pathfinder 320: Main Discussion

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