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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 Klipsch GIG XXL

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

ION Pathfinder 280
Klipsch GIG XXL

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Mar 13, 2025 03:41 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Apr 12, 2024 03:05 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
ION Pathfinder 280 Picture
Klipsch GIG XXL Picture
Bluetooth
Yes
Wi-Fi
No
Speakerphone
No
Voice Assistant
No
Battery Powered
Yes
Bluetooth
Yes
Wi-Fi
No
Speakerphone
No
Voice Assistant
No
Battery Powered
Yes
  1. Recommended in 1 article:
  2. Karaoke

Variants

  • Pathfinder 280 (Black)
  • GIG XXL (Black)

Review

See ION Pathfinder 280 Review
See Klipsch GIG XXL Review
0 
1 

Our Verdict

ION Pathfinder 280

Klipsch GIG XXL

Depending on your listening habits, you may prefer either the ION Pathfinder 280 or the Klipsch GIG XXL. They're both budget-friendly party speakers with RBG lights. The ION has a longer battery life, and its companion app gives you access to a graphic EQ for more control over its sound. It gets louder, too. However, it's not a stereo speaker like the Klipsch, as it has to downmix audio into mono to play it back. The Klipsch brings more bass, too.

0 

Check Price

Black
Pathfinder 280
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
GIG XXL
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
Pathfinder 280
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Black
GIG XXL
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Black
Pathfinder 280
SEARCH
B&H
Black
GIG XXL
SEARCH
B&H
Black
Pathfinder 280
SEARCH
BestBuy.com
Black
GIG XXL
SEARCH
BestBuy.com

Main Differences for
Music

Threshold 

0.10

Music 

6.8
6.9

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

6.5
6.9

EQ 
 

Graphic + Presets
No

Soundstage 
 

5.7
6.6

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Style Photo  

ION Pathfinder 280 Style Photo
Klipsch GIG XXL Style Photo

RGB Lights  

Yes
Yes
Show text

Portability 
 

7.0
7.4

Dimensions Photo  

ION Pathfinder 280 Dimensions Photo
Klipsch GIG XXL Dimensions Photo

Volume 
 

2,703 in³ (44,294 cm³)
2,585 in³ (42,362 cm³)

Weight 
 

23.8 lbs (10.8 kg)
18.2 lbs (8.2 kg)

Power Source 
 

AC & Battery
AC & Battery

One-Hand Carry 
 

Yes
Yes
Show text

Build Quality 
 

7.0
6.4

Build Quality Photo  

ION Pathfinder 280 Build Quality Photo
Klipsch GIG XXL Build Quality Photo

Material Quality 
 

Good
Good

Water Resistance 
 

Waterproof (IPx5)
Unspecified

Dust Resistance 
 

Unspecified
Unspecified

Impact Resistance 
 

Unspecified
Unspecified

Floats In Water 
 

Unspecified
Unspecified
Show text

Controls 
 

7.0
6.9

Controls Photo  

ION Pathfinder 280 Controls Photo
Klipsch GIG XXL Controls Photo

Controls Photo 2  

ION Pathfinder 280 Controls Photo 2
Klipsch GIG XXL Controls Photo 2

Ease Of Use 
 

Great
Great

Feedback 
 

Great
Good

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
Klipsch GIG XXL In The Box Photo
Show text
Sound

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

6.5
6.9

Frequency Response Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Slope 
 

-0.59
-1.11

Std. Err. 
 

2.91 dB
3.42 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

73.4 Hz
54.2 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

16.3 kHz
17.0 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
6.6

Directivity Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Directivity Index 
 

4.31 dB
6.32 dB

Stereo 
 

No (mono)
Yes
Show text

Dynamics 
 

8.9
8.7

Dynamic Range Compression  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

100.5 dB SPL
95.6 dB SPL

DRC @ Max Volume 
 

1.13 dB
0.44 dB
Show text
Active Features

Battery 
 

7.1
6.0

Battery Life 
 

68.0 hrs
5.9 hrs

Charge Time 
 

7.0 hrs
2.5 hrs

Power Saving 
 

No
Yes

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 Microphone

Ambient Noise Performance 
 

No Assistant
No Microphone

App 
 

6.3
0.0

App Picture  

ION Pathfinder 280 App Picture
Klipsch GIG XXL App Picture

App Name 
 

ION Sound XP
No App

iOS 
 

Yes
No

Android 
 

Yes
No

EQ 
 

Graphic + Presets
No

Stereo Pair Mode 
 

Yes
No

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
7.2

Bluetooth 
 

Yes
Yes

Bluetooth Version 
 

5.0
5.0

Bluetooth iOS Latency 
 

322 ms
183 ms

Bluetooth Android Latency 
 

245 ms
159 ms

Bluetooth Range 
 

278.9 ft (85.0 m)
206.7 ft (63.0 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

Check Price

Black
Pathfinder 280
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
GIG XXL
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
Pathfinder 280
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Black
GIG XXL
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Black
Pathfinder 280
SEARCH
B&H
Black
GIG XXL
SEARCH
B&H
Black
Pathfinder 280
SEARCH
BestBuy.com
Black
GIG XXL
SEARCH
BestBuy.com
Back to Top

ION Pathfinder 280

Klipsch GIG XXL

Comments

  1. Comparison
 • Posted 1 year ago

ION Pathfinder 280 vs Klipsch GIG XXL: Main Discussion

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