Fender just released its first headphones and Bluetooth speakers, but I feel like it forgot something Marshall and Orange knew

Date:
Tue, 06 Jan 2026 15:04:20 +0000

Description:
Fender-branded consumer products are finally here, as of CES 2026, but they miss a key ingredient.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Fender has unveiled two Bluetooth speakers at CES 2026 They're joined by over-ear wireless headphones boasting a 100-hour battery They aren't made by Fender, but by another company licensing the name

You probably know Fender as a legendary guitar brand, ubiquitous for its Stratocasters, Telecasters and Jazzmasters, as well as its amplifiers and pedals. But as part of CES 2026 we're now seeing consumer products bearing
the name, designed not just for music performers but for music listeners.

Headlining this line-up are two Bluetooth speakers, under the title ELIE, an acronym for Extremely Loud, Infinitely Expressive. There's the $299 ELIE E6, with a 60W power output and 15-hour battery life, and the $399 E12 which doubles the output and adds three hours of power. Exact release dates and international availability are yet to be confirmed.

The exact audio specs of these speakers have yet to be confirmed, but they have built-in subwoofers for detailed and powerful bass. They offer Bluetooth connectivity, letting you pair two speakers in a stereo mode or up to hundred in a cacophonous-sounding multi mode, and there's also a 3.5mm AUX jack connection. A handle ensures they're extra portable.

A neat feature is that the ELIE products have an XLR plug, so in theory you can plug in your guitar and use these as portable amplifiers. Obviously, they won't quite match actual portable amps, but they could come close, and it's something I'd be curious to check out with my own Strat.

However, with ELIE the makers may have missed a trick that rival music companies Orange and Marshall knew when shifting from amp to speaker. The likes of the Orange Box and Marshall Middleton II retain that amp DNA,
looking like pint-sized versions of the stacks that'd adorn the sides of a stage at a gig. The Fender ELIE models are... boxes, basically. Fender, but
to strap around your face (Image credit: Fender)

The other release is the first wireless headphones to bear the Fender name, called the Fender Mix (styled to 'MIX' in the marketing) which are due to go on sale at some point in the future for $299. These use 40mm drivers and have lots of the features you've come to expect in the best headphones : noise cancellation, spatial audio, 3.5mm connectivity, and the ability to listen
via USB-C as well as 3.5mm.

The official battery life is 52 hours with ANC on or 100 hours off, and apparently you can keep using them once they're at 0% using a wired connection. The jam, it seems, never ends.

At a glance, the Mix look like your standard Bluetooth headphones; not to
harp on about Marshall, but its own over-ears again maintain that guitar-amp aesthetic, and some might call Fender's options slightly uninspired in comparison. However we can't judge a speaker by its cover, so we'll need to test these inaugural models to see if they can live up to the brand's iconic status.

These three products mark the debut of the consumer-facing Fender Audio
brand, which is technically owned by Fender but is operated by a Singaporean company called Riffsound. They were actually announced a month before CES,
but the brand made it clear in its initial reveal that CES would mark their 'true' unveiling and why not? CES is a great Las Vegas showcase and one befitting a rock 'n' roll legend such as Fender.

Because another company is using the name, it's not quite clear how close these and future products will stick to the Fender style, and how much of the brand's musician- and guitar-specific amplification tech will be used in
these consumer products. Again, the proof will be in the pudding ie. the testing. But I don't expect a licensing deal like this to be taking place
just for three gadgets; we'll likely see more in the future.

TechRadar will be extensively covering this year's CES , and will bring you all of the big announcements as they happen. Head over to our CES 2026 news page for the latest stories and our hands-on verdicts on everything from wireless TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops, smart home
gadgets, and the latest in AI.

And dont forget to follow us on TikTok and WhatsApp for the latest from the CES show floor!



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/audio/fender-just-released-its-first-headphones-and- bluetooth-speakers-but-i-feel-like-it-forgot-something-marshall-and-orange-kne w


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