ION Pathfinder 320 vs Tailgater Tough

Which Speaker Is Better?

Products

ION Pathfinder 320
ION Tailgater Tough

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Mar 13, 2025 03:41 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Jul 15, 2025 07:54 PM

Amazon.com
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Our Verdict

ION Pathfinder 320

ION Tailgater Tough

The ION Tailgater Tough and ION Pathfinder 320 are similar speakers, but you may prefer one or the other, depending on your needs. The Tailgater is smaller and more portable, with a slightly more balanced frequency response. It also has lower Bluetooth latency with iOS and Android devices, so it's a better choice for watching movies on a paired phone. The Pathfinder 320, however, gets louder and reproduces more consistent sound from different angles around the speaker. Its controls are also easier to use, and with almost 118 hours of battery life on a single charge, it lasts a lot longer than the Tailgater.

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Variants

  • Pathfinder 320 (Black/Red)
  • Tailgater Tough (Black/Red)

Check Price

Black/Red
Pathfinder 320
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black/Red
Tailgater Tough
Amazon.com
Black/Red
Pathfinder 320
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Black/Red
Tailgater Tough
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Black/Red
Pathfinder 320
B&H
Black/Red
Tailgater Tough
B&H
Black/Red
Pathfinder 320
BestBuy.com
Black/Red
Tailgater Tough
BestBuy.com

Main Differences for
Music

Threshold 

0.10

Music 

6.7
6.4

Soundstage 
 

6.3
4.7

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

6.5
6.8

Dynamics 
 

7.5
6.8

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Style Photo  

RGB Lights  

Yes
No
Show Text 

Portability 
 

6.7
8.2

Dimensions Photo  

Volume 
 

3,478 in³ (57,000 cm³)
1,008 in³ (16,524 cm³)

Weight 
 

22.7 lbs (10.3 kg)
9.9 lbs (4.5 kg)

Power Source 
 

AC & Battery
Battery & USB

One-Hand Carry 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

7.0
7.0

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
6.9

Controls Photo  

Controls Photo 2  

Ease Of Use 
 

Great
Good

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  

Show Text 
Sound

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

6.5
6.8

Frequency Response Graph  

See details
See details

Slope 
 

-1.41
-0.63

Std. Err. 
 

4.21 dB
3.31 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

54.2 Hz
52.6 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

12.0 kHz
10.2 kHz
Show Text 

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw Frequency Response Graph  

See details
See details

Binaural Recording @ 1m 
 

Binaural Recording @ 2m 
 

Soundstage 
 

6.3
4.7

Directivity Graph  

See details
See details

Directivity Index 
 

3.18 dB
6.22 dB

Stereo 
 

No (mono)
No (mono)
Show Text 

Dynamics 
 

7.5
6.8

Dynamic Range Compression  

See details
See details

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

96.1 dB SPL
90.6 dB SPL

DRC @ Max Volume 
 

2.89 dB
2.85 dB
Show Text 
Active Features

Battery 
 

7.0
8.7

Battery Life 
 

117.9 hrs
13.8 hrs

Charge Time 
 

12.9 hrs
3.7 hrs

Power Saving 
 

No
Yes

Charging Port 
 

AC
USB-C

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
Show Text 

App 
 

6.3
6.3

App Picture  

App Name 
 

ION Sound XP
ION SOUND CONTROL

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
Yes

Other Ports 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Bluetooth 
 

7.4
8.2

Bluetooth 
 

Yes
Yes

Bluetooth Version 
 

5.0
5.3

Bluetooth iOS Latency 
 

157 ms
74 ms

Bluetooth Android Latency 
 

124 ms
66 ms

Bluetooth Range 
 

331.4 ft (101.0 m)
334.6 ft (102.0 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/Red
Pathfinder 320
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black/Red
Tailgater Tough
Amazon.com
Black/Red
Pathfinder 320
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Black/Red
Tailgater Tough
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Black/Red
Pathfinder 320
B&H
Black/Red
Tailgater Tough
B&H
Black/Red
Pathfinder 320
BestBuy.com
Black/Red
Tailgater Tough
BestBuy.com

ION Pathfinder 320

ION Tailgater Tough

Comments

  1. Comparison

ION Pathfinder 320 vs ION Tailgater Tough: Main Discussion

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