Music is the cornerstone of a good time. Whenever you’re poolside, outdoors barbecuing, or gathering anywhere socially, the tunes you have on can set the mood and improve the experience. From classic rock hits to popular pop and dance medleys, to melodious classical notes, whatever it is you enjoy, musical spirit is always welcome.

Me? I love a fantastic guttural roar. The grating tones of hardcore screams, and metal, guitar metal, blaring at the highest volume possible. Some would call me obnoxious, and they’d probably be right, but when it’s time to party, nothing hits like those breakdowns. You might be wondering why my taste in music is relevant or even necessary. Well, don’t you worry your pretty little head, I’ll explain all shortly.

The biggest point I’m trying to make is that I love music, understandably. I listen while I’m writing, working, swimming, exercising, playing games, relaxing, smoking cigars, mowing the lawn, doing yardwork, or chilling at the beach. I don’t think I could lead a life without melodies.

Regardless of what you listen to, when you are listening, you want to do it on something that sounds good. I’m talking about clear audio, no distortion, plenty of bass — enough to feel it anyway — and excellent support for a wide range of audio settings. It’s just too much fun to play with the equalizer and change those tones on the fly.

You could grab any cheap or accessible Bluetooth speaker, sure. Or, you could spring for something a little more equipped to handle whatever you throw at it. A Bluetooth speaker that has some oomph to it.

And that brings us full circle to our review. Today, we’re taking a close look at the Fender X Teufel Rockster GO 2. A real sleek-looking banger of a Bluetooth speaker that’s the collaboration of two greats in the audio industry. Fender needs no introduction and, well, Teufel, if you don’t know the brand, you should.

Fender X Teufel Rockster GO 2 Review: Getting started

Let’s get this out of the way right now. I’m not an audiophile in the sense that I need my experiences to be pristine, lossless, and the best-of-the-best quality at all times. Maybe if I were listening in a studio and wanted the pure, unfettered version of whatever audio stream I’m experiencing, but not here. 

When I’m outside, jamming on my patio, grilling up some burgers, enjoying a stogie, or swimming in the pool, I just want my music to sound good.

The Fender X Teufel Rockster GO 2 delivers.

If you want to obsess over the numbers and specifications and get down with someone who really knows the ins and outs of the internal speaker components and can tell you the difference between every part of a speaker or audio system, you want to look elsewhere.

I approach my reviews from the stance of the average person, spending their hard-earned money on tech they might enjoy, and who’s looking for a decent experience all around.

Again, the Fender X Teufel more than delivers.

How? The price is reasonable, especially when compared to other Bluetooth speakers on the market. The specs are excellent, including the rugged nature of the speaker and IP67-certified waterproof design. The style is a standout, and the Rockster GO 2 will certainly turn some heads. And the sound‌ is top-notch, above and beyond what most comparable Bluetooth speakers provide.

But let’s get into the nitty-gritty.

What is the Fender X Teufel Rockster GO 2?

The Fender X Teufel Rockster GO 2 is a portable, rugged speaker with a stylish design and some pretty impressive battery life. You can take it with you to the beach, to the park, to a friend’s or family’s house, in your backyard, on vacation, you name it. It’s IP67 dust and waterproof certified and even has an impact-resistant design, which is great if you drop it — and it’s portable, so that’s probably going to happen at some point.

It can handle up to 28 hours of battery life on a medium volume (Eco-Modus) with USB-C charging, including fast-charging. You’re looking at about 10 to 15 hours on higher volumes. It also has a flexible and tough carrying strap, which you attach yourself, that makes it easy to lug around.

On the very bottom, you’ll find a ¼-inch threaded port for compatibility with GoPro mounts. I don’t really have a use for that, but it’s awesome to see. You could connect it to a mount to bring it along for whatever activity you’re doing. Imagine attaching it to a bike, backpack, or other gear while you’re outdoors.

How does it work?

On the rear are two buttons, one for syncing Bluetooth connections and the other a power button. You can press and hold power to turn the speaker on or off, or tap it once to see the battery life — represented by four white LED indicators. On top of the Rockster GO 2 are your usual audio controls, volume up and down, play-pause, and a Dynamore button to engage the wide soundstage mode. Dynamore substantially boosts the audio volume to fill open areas without sacrificing quality.

You can also press and hold the play-pause button with either the volume up or down buttons to change music tracks in a playlist.

As you turn it on or off, or connect via Bluetooth, it makes satisfying and charming guitar sounds, to the point where I almost want to keep powering on and off to hear them over and over.

Rockster GO 2 review: Design

With Teufel’s exceptional German engineering for the audio components and Fender’s more traditional American design, the collaboration is a solid one. Rockster GO 2 works swimmingly. It sounds phenomenal. It looks sexy.

Inside the speaker are two aluminum full-range drivers and a passive bass radiator, which delivers deep, punchy stereo sound. You can feel this beast when it’s popping, too. No, it’s not a surround or home theater experience, but the bass is enough to make a difference, which is not something I’ve found with a lot of Bluetooth speakers. Everyone who has been to visit when the Rockster GO 2 was playing music has commented on its power and punch at least once. It’s impressive to hear.

You can even connect multiple Rockster GO 2 speakers for true stereo sound, from two speakers up to 100. Obviously, I didn’t have 100 speakers handy to test this out, but I trust what Teufel is saying.

It supports Android, iOS, and Microsoft connectivity. And because it’s Bluetooth-enabled, it will connect with anything Bluetooth-ready. For example, I connect my Samsung TV to the Rockster GO 2 while I’m outside smoking, and I can watch movies, shows, and other content with the audio passing through the speaker. With the amount of cars and trucks that go by our house throughout the evening, revving engines and blaring exhaust, it’s nice to be able to actually hear what I’m watching for a change.

How does the Rockster GO 2 sound?

It sounds excellent. 

As I’ve already mentioned, I used this speaker for many things and really put it through its paces. Not only did I listen to every type of music imaginable, and with nearly all equalizer settings possible — custom included — I also connected it to a wide range of additional devices. My Rockster GO 2 synced with TVs, tablets, gaming consoles, like the Steam Deck and an Anbernic retro console, other audio equipment, and more.

Bluetooth connectivity is standard at this point, and I’d imagine there are only a handful of folks out there who don’t know what it is. It makes connecting the device fairly intuitive and quick, although the technology does have shortcomings at times. Bluetooth can be finicky when connecting certain devices across versions, disconnections or glitches happen, and other frustrations occur. If you’ve ever used a Bluetooth device before, you know exactly what I’m talking about. But with the Rockster GO 2, these events were minimal, if present at all. Every time I wanted it to connect to a device, even my outdoor TV, it did so seamlessly. Every time I wanted to disconnect, it worked, no problem. I also didn’t have any syncing issues during playback, ever, which I’m pretty happy about.

Crystal clear for all audio streams and genres

Metal, the music I love and listen to, can be a tough medium to get right on little speakers like this. If the bass is too high, it can make the vocals sound washed out. If the treble and clear notes are too high, it sounds almost unnatural. Treble too low, and it sounds like music is playing three blocks over. Never mind the crazy guitar solos. I’m happy to report the Rockster GO 2 handles hard rock, butt rock, metal, and high-octane beats like a champ.

But how does it sound with more mainstream music? Again, excellent. The beats are much more than you’d expect out of a device this size, and the audio quality puts comparable portable speakers to shame. It’s exciting watching the little centerpiece (the passive radiator) of the speaker bounce around and dance to the music. If you grab one of these, you have to check out some reggae, pop, or 80s classics. Those genres also sound remarkable on this little gadget.

And my zany children soaked and splashed the front of the speaker more than I’d care to admit. It continued to work and sound just fine. Even wet, the bass kept pumping, the audio was clear, and everything was all dandy. I have another unnamed Bluetooth speaker that, while waterproof, suffers immensely from worsening audio quality when it gets wet. Yes, it continues to work fine; the moisture just dampens the quality and volume. That doesn’t happen with the Rockster GO 2. It’s the perfect little poolside, riverside, lakeside, or beachside companion.

What’s the verdict, and the price?

At $130, the Fender X Teufel Rockster GO 2 is more than reasonable. Sure, that’s a bit more expensive than the cheapest options you’ll find on Amazon, but the quality here is way more elevated.

The Rockster GO 2 is ultra-portable, sounds excellent, looks attractive, pairs with multiple Rockster GO 2 speakers if you want a stereo setup, or have friends with one, and works well via the wireless connections with so many devices. Throw in the IP67 dust and waterproof rating, the rugged strap, the threaded mount port, and the Dynamore technology, and this little beast goes above and beyond the competition in so many ways.

Rockster GO 2 review: Price

As someone with a limited budget would I spend the money on this speaker over other options? Yes, unequivocally. Bose SoundLink Max is $400 at full price, JBL CHARGE 5 is $180 at full price, the Soundcore Boom 2 by Anker is $250 at full price, and probably the cheapest option in the range, Soundcore Anker 3 at $60, doesn’t even come close to the same audio quality.

I still can’t get over Rockster GO 2’s price. Most brands would charge an arm and a leg for something like this, to pretentious levels, especially with the stylish design. I would buy multiple Rockster GO 2 speakers at full cost. So, if you can find this on sale or grab it at a discount, it’s an absolute must.

As it stands, I’m going to get at least one more to sync them up and play true stereo audio outside.

One thing is clear to me when using the Rockster GO 2, more than anything else. Teufel Audio and Fender really, really love music, probably even more than I do.

• Recommended Buy: Yes.
• For Who: Music enthusiasts like me who want to jam out, anywhere, anytime, with excellent quality audio and a nice punch.
• Alternative: Fender X Teufel Rockster CROSS
• MSRP: $130