Audio Operation

To switch on the speaker, press and hold the on/off button (6) until the LEDs of the status indicator (11) light up briefly in succession. If power is supplied via a rechargeable battery, the battery state of charge is briefly indicated.

To switch off the speaker, press and hold the on/off button (6) until the LEDs of the status indicator (11) light up briefly in succession and then go out.

The speaker will switch off automatically after 20 min if no connection can be established via Bluetooth® or Multi-Speaker Sound in this time and there is no playback via other media (or playback is paused).

You can control the volume by pressing the Volume up (4) or Volume down (3) buttons. When the speaker is switched on, the volume is always set to low.

The speaker has the following audio features:

  • Playback of devices connected via Bluetooth® (set by default)
  • Playback of a USB storage medium via the output port for external devices (16)
  • Playback via Multi-Speaker Sound
  • Transmission of the current playback (Bluetooth® or USB) via Multi-Speaker Sound to another device with this feature

If it fits, you can store the connected device (e.g. a smartphone) in the cavity of the carrying handle (1).
Note: Please note that devices that are too small or too large may fall out of the cavity.

You can identify the current audio feature by looking at the middle LED on the status indicator (11):

  • Blue: Playback of a Bluetooth® signal
  • Light blue: Playback of a Multi-Speaker Stream
  • Purple: Transmission of the current playback via Multi-Speaker Sound
  • LED off: Playback of a USB storage medium

When the speaker is switched on, playback via Bluetooth® is set by default. To switch from another audio feature to Bluetooth®, briefly press the Bluetooth® button (5).

  • To establish a new connection: Start a search for a connection if no saved audio source is available or an available connection to an audio source via Bluetooth® needs to be ended and a new connection needs to be searched for. To do so, press and hold the Bluetooth® button (5) for longer than 0.5 s.
    During the search, the middle LED of the status indicator (11) will quickly flash blue.
    Activate the new connection via the external audio source. For smartphones, that is generally possible via the settings in the Bluetooth® menu. The speaker will appear as an available device under the name GPB 18V‑6 C xxxx. Please observe the operating instructions for your audio source/smartphone.
  • To reconnect: If the speaker has already been connected to an external audio source (e.g. a smartphone) via Bluetooth® and if this audio source is available, a connection to this audio source will automatically be established. Whilst a connection is being established, the middle LED of the status indicator (11) will slowly flash blue.
    If the saved audio source is unavailable, a search for a connection will start automatically after 2 min.

If the connection has been established successfully, a rising audio signal will sound and the middle LED of the status indicator (11) will light up continuously.

If the connection is interrupted or ended, a falling audio signal will sound. The speaker switches off automatically after a total of 20 min.

The audio source connected via Bluetooth® can also be controlled via the speaker:

  • To select a track, briefly press the seek button (scan up) (9) or the seek button (scan down) (8) until the required track has been reached.
  • To start, interrupt or continue playback, press the relevant playback/pause button (10).
  • To fast-forward or rewind within a track, press and hold the seek (scan up) button (9) or the seek (scan down) button (8) until the required place in the track has been reached.

For playback via the USB port, open the protective cap of the connector compartment (17). Insert the USB medium (e.g. stick) into the output port for external devices (16) on the speaker.

When you insert the USB storage medium, an audio signal will sound. If the storage medium cannot be read, the speaker will switch to the default audio feature (playback via Bluetooth®).

The audio source connected via USB can also be controlled via the speaker:

  • To select a track, briefly press the seek button (scan up) (9) or the seek button (scan down) (8) until the required track has been reached.
  • To start, interrupt or continue playback, press the relevant playback/pause button (10).
  • To fast-forward or rewind within a track, press and hold the seek (scan up) button (9) or the seek (scan down) button (8) until the required place in the track has been reached.
  • To start or end Shuffle, press the seek button (scan up) (9) and the seek button (scan down) (8) simultaneously.

Note: By default, MP3 files from the top file level or the top folder of the storage medium are read and played. It may not be possible to read files stored in sub-folders. File formats other than MP3 will not play.

After removing the USB storage medium, reattach the protective cap of the connector compartment (17) to protect against dirt/debris.

To switch from another audio source to playback via Multi-Speaker Sound, briefly press the Multi-Speaker Sound button (7). During the search for a connection, the middle LED of the status indicator (11) will flash light blue. If the connection has been established successfully, a rising audio signal will sound and the middle LED will light up bright blue continuously.

If the connection is interrupted or ended, a falling audio signal will sound. The speaker switches off automatically after a total of 20 min.

If an audio source is being played via Bluetooth® or the USB connection, this playback can be retransmitted to additional devices with the Multi-Speaker Sound feature (e.g. GPB 18VH-6 SRC). To do this, press and hold the Multi-Speaker Sound button (7) for longer than 0.5 s. As confirmation, the middle LED of the status indicator (11) will light up purple and an audio signal will sound.

To end transmission via Multi-Speaker Sound, press and hold the Multi-Speaker Sound button (7) for longer than 0.5 s. As confirmation, an audio signal will sound. Multi-Speaker Sound is also ended if the audio source for playback is changed (e.g. from Bluetooth® to a USB storage medium).