Why I Prefer This $180 Fender Speaker Over Competing Models By Sony And Bose

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• The Fender x Teufel Rockster Cross speaker is disposable now connected Amazon for $250 (currently $200).
• With monolithic sound and an immersive action to punch up nan highs and lows, this speaker is simply a superb action for those who emotion it loud.
• The Rockster Cross immersive action mightiness beryllium a spot harsh for immoderate listeners.

Bluetooth speakers are a dime a dozen. You tin find them connected nan extremity caps astatine your vicinity supplier store, and if we could someway meld nan 80s and now, you'd astir apt find them arsenic artifact surprises successful cereal boxes (yeah, I conscionable aged myself).

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Not each Bluetooth speakers are created equal. Bluetooth speakers are almost ever a "get what you salary for" proposition, meaning inexpensive speakers will often sound for illustration inexpensive speakers. Once you get into nan midrange prices, you'll find plentifulness of speakers that sound beautiful good. And each truthful often, you onshore connected thing for illustration nan Fender Rockster Cross; thing that redefines what a mid-price Bluetooth speaker tin be.

This Bluetooth speaker is nan consequence of a collaboration betwixt guitar marque Fender and Teufel (a celebrated European audio brand). The series, arsenic a whole, consists of 3 different speakers and a backpack. The Rockster Cross is nan mid-sized speaker successful nan lineup.

When I first unboxed this speaker, it instantly conjured images of guitar amps, pinch its grey metallic grill and Fender logo. I wanted to drawback my aged Kramer guitar, transmission nan tone of Randy Rhodes, and crank it up. Speaking of Randy Rhodes, nan opening of "Mr. Crowley" gave maine capable chills done nan Rockster Cross. Oh, yeah.

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Instead, I had to settee for cranking up a opus aliases 2 featuring Mr. Rhodes (RIP). The connection of nan time is "wow."

My experience

When I first connected nan Rockster Cross, I did my accustomed playthrough of Rush's "Signals" album. My first guidance was, "That sounds beautiful good." I cranked up nan measurement beyond what would usually beryllium acceptable extracurricular my office, and my guidance evolved to, "Okay, that's impressive." 

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Then… I deed nan immersive sound fastener connected nan backmost sheet and took a move for nan "OMG." All of a sudden, each way I tossed astatine nan speaker came to life successful ways a Bluetooth speaker should not beryllium tin of.

The Immersive fastener is straight to nan near of nan Power button.

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After going done "Signals," I cranked up Devin Townsend's caller single, "Powernerd," and rejoiced successful nan brilliance of that huffy philharmonic scientist. I cranked nan speaker up yet again and recovered it to grip nan accrued decibels without distortion. Once I deed astir 80 dB, I started worrying astir our cat's comfortableness and turned it down.

Yeah, it handled it acold amended than I would person thought… because this point rocks.

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Okay, let's talk astir nan sound quality. One point I should mention is that I was weaned connected nan mastering of early Van Halen albums, truthful my ears thin to for illustration a bully equilibrium of lows and highs. If you've listened to capable albums mastered successful nan precocious 1970s and early-to-mid 1980s, you understand what I'm talking about.

The Rockster Cross is simply a cleanable lucifer for specified an EQ curve. For some, location mightiness beryllium excessively overmuch successful nan low-to-mid treble (between 2K and 5K). With nan incorrect euphony (at nan correct volumes), that wave scope tin deterioration connected you. If you find that's nan case, disable nan immersive sound feature, and you'll find nan sound a spot much comfortable.

In existent Fender fashion, nan speaker comes pinch a elastic guitar strap.

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As acold arsenic bass is concerned, this babe has plentifulness of punch. Place your manus connected nan speaker, and you tin consciousness nan sub doing its thing. Although nan lows mightiness not beryllium defined capable to please an audiophile, if you want your euphony to sound big, crank it up, and you'll get conscionable that.

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The soundstage (the abstraction betwixt instruments) gets crowded pinch nan Rockster Cross, but that's reasonably communal successful Bluetooth speakers. That's not to opportunity location is nary soundstage pinch this speaker, but if it's your priority, you'll want to look elsewhere (and into overmuch higher value ranges).

One of my favourite choral numbers, "The Long Road" by Ēriks Ešenvalds, was breathtaking arsenic it spilled from nan Rockster Cross. If you've ne'er heard that song, do yourself a favour and perceive to VOCES8's return connected it. It's gorgeous, and this Fender speaker does it justice. Each sound is coming and chopped (which is saying thing because immoderate speakers thin to blend them a spot excessively tightly).

The drawback handles make it easy to transportation nan speaker without worrying that you mightiness driblet it.

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Sound aside, 1 of my favourite aspects of this speaker is nan broadside handles, which let you to drawback and spell without interest that you mightiness driblet nan Rockster Cross. Given nan device's very grippy rubber coating, you tin snatch this up pinch confidence. On apical of that, you don't person to interest astir it sliding disconnected immoderate aboveground it's connected erstwhile nan decibels deed nan rafters.

ZDNET's buying advice

I'm not going to opportunity this is simply a cleanable Bluetooth speaker. It's not. Regularly priced astatine $180, though, I'm hard-pressed to deliberation of a much awesome speaker than nan Rockster Cross. I emotion really this point handles measurement gracefully and ne'er falters successful clarity. Although not everyone will admit nan immersive sound feature, nan modular sound is still bully capable to get nan statement moving, nan group dancing, and nan euphony blasting.

Latest updates:

August 1, 2025: Added a caller comparison floor plan comparing nan Fender x Teufel Rockster Cross to nan Bose SoundLink Plus. The second offers a amended artillery life, has arguably much powerful bass, and is amended suit for recreation acknowledgment to its compact design. However, it is much expensive. Outdated links were besides replaced.