for the long run
Living with the Halo
Everything you need to know about your speaker, from first setup to years down the road.
Start here
1
Plug in
Connect the power cable at the back and flip the switch. Give it five seconds without touching the top — that's when the buttons calibrate.
2
Connect
Open the George Vanadium app. It walks you through your WiFi and gives your Halo a name.
3
Play
Start music from Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal or anything else and pick the Halo as the speaker. Or switch to Bluetooth or Aux with the GV button.
That's it. Everything below is for later.
The controls
Five touch buttons on top. The LED underneath tells you which input is active.
- Volume up / down — tap, or hold to go faster
- Play/pause — works when music is loaded
- GV icon — switches input: Bluetooth (blue), WiFi (white), Aux (green)
- Settings icon — switches EQ profile
- GV + Settings together, two seconds — puts the Halo back into WiFi setup mode
Don't hold any button longer than six seconds — it confuses the touch calibration. If that happens: switch off, wait ten seconds, switch on.
Contents
In the box
One Halo speaker. One EU power cable. That's it. The fuse is already installed.
If anything is missing or damaged when you unpack, email hello@georgevanadium.com and we'll sort it out immediately.
Playing music
Over Bluetooth
Once WiFi setup is done, switch to Bluetooth using the GV button. Open your phone or laptop, find your Halo in the Bluetooth list (its name or SoundSystem_XXXX if you haven't renamed it), and pair. From then on, it connects automatically when both are on.
The Halo behaves like any Bluetooth speaker, an incoming phone call pauses the music.
Over WiFi
Use apps that support streaming to your network speakers, Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, and others. Select the Halo as your playback destination in each app.
WiFi playback continues until the source stops or you play from a different app on a different device. The Halo doesn't get interrupted by phone calls.
Over Aux
Connect any audio source with a standard 3.5mm cable to the Aux input on the back. Switch input to Aux using the GV button.
Day to day
Some things happen automatically:
- When you turn the Halo off and on again, it remembers which input it was on.
- When music stops playing, the Halo drops into a quiet standby. There's no timer, it just waits.
- The illuminated switch stays lit as long as the Halo has power.
Using the app
The George Vanadium app does three things:
- WiFi setup, required for the first time you use the Halo.
- Renaming your Halo, call it whatever fits your space.
- Multi-room setup, connect multiple Halos to play the same music in different rooms, or different music in each.
For daily listening, you don't need the app. Once everything is set up, your phone, laptop, or streaming service takes over.
Where to put it
A few things to keep in mind:
- Air must move underneath. The Halo breathes through its base. Don't place it on deep pile rugs, thick blankets, or anything that seals the bottom.
- Keep it away from water. No bathrooms, no kitchen counters near the sink.
- Room temperature up to 40°C is fine. Beyond that, the electronics don't like it.
- No need to unplug during thunderstorms, the Halo has a built-in fuse.
Cleaning and care
The wood cabinet takes a soft damp cloth with a drop of gentle detergent when it needs it. Wring out the cloth well, avoid water pooling on the surface.
The fabric around the cabinet is best treated with a dry cloth. Gentle wiping is enough for dust.
If something spills, dry it as quickly as you can. Water is not the Halo's friend.
Connecting to a different WiFi network
If you change your WiFi network, or want to move the Halo to another network, put it back into WiFi setup mode.
To do this, hold the GV icon and the Settings icon at the same time for two seconds. The LED will start blinking white, the Halo is looking for a new connection.
Open the app and follow the same setup you did the first time.
If something isn't working
No sound
Check the basics first:
- Is the power cable plugged in?
- Is the switch on the back turned on?
- Is your phone or laptop connected via Bluetooth, WiFi, or Aux?
- Is the volume up on both the Halo and your source?
If all of those check out and there's still no sound, contact hello@georgevanadium.com.
Touch buttons not responding
Turn the switch off, wait ten seconds, turn it back on. Don't touch the top for the first five seconds after powering on, that's when the buttons calibrate.
WiFi setup won't complete
Email hello@georgevanadium.com. We'll help you sort it out. Every home network is a little different, and there are a few things we can check together.
Anything else
Write to hello@georgevanadium.com. You'll get a reply from Patrick or someone from the workshop. We built each Halo by hand, so we know them well.
Warranty and repairs
Every Halo comes with a two-year warranty and a lifetime repair programme. See the warranty page for details.
If something needs fixing, don't try to open the Halo yourself. Email us first, we'll figure out what makes sense.
Questions
Anything else about your Halo? Write to hello@georgevanadium.com. It comes directly to us.