Fender’s direct competitor, Marshall, has been in the business of Bluetooth speakers and headphones for the longest time. Fifteen years later, Fender decided it was not going to sit around and watch a fellow guitar amp maker have all the fun in the consumer speaker arena. Introducing Fender Audio. Debuting at CES 2026, this marks the first time Fender has launched its own dedicated line of Bluetooth speakers and headphones under a newly minted brand. Before this, Fender dabbled in pro-audio gear and licensed collaborations, but this time, it is clearly serious about pushing into the mainstream consumer audio market.
Fender Audio arrives with two flagship products that set the tone for what the brand wants to be: the ELIE Bluetooth speakers and the MIX headphones. This is Fender stepping out from behind the guitar stack and into the living room, the backyard, and wherever else people now listen to music without a cable in sight.
Let’s start with the speakers. The ELIE series, which stands for “Extremely Loud Infinitely Expressive,” comes in two sizes, E6 and E12. Both are portable Bluetooth speakers, but Fender Audio is keen to point out that these are not just portable speakers in the usual sense. Each unit packs built-in subwoofers and uses a Waves SOC implementation that the company claims is a world first in this category. The goal is simple enough. More power, higher efficiency, and sound that stays clean even when things get loud.
Where ELIE really separates itself from the usual grab-and-go speaker is its flexibility. These speakers are designed to handle up to four audio channels at the same time with low latency. You can run Bluetooth from a phone, plug in a wired source via XLR or 1/4-inch input, and still add additional wireless channels using compatible Fender Audio accessories. Stereo pairing is supported for proper left and right separation, and multi-speaker syncing is there if one speaker simply will not do. In other words, this is a Bluetooth speaker that clearly spent some time hanging around musicians.
Then there are the MIX headphones. Fender Audio describes them as modular, and that word is doing a lot of work here. MIX is designed to adapt over time, with components that can be swapped as needs change. The headphones ship with a USB-C transmitter called FWD Tx, which unlocks lossless and low-latency wireless audio modes, including support for Auracast. Inside are 40 mm graphene drivers, hybrid active noise cancellation, dual microphones with environmental noise cancellation, and support for both wired and wireless listening.
Battery life is one of those numbers that usually sounds exaggerated, but Fender Audio is going big here. MIX is rated for up to 100 hours of playback. Whether anyone actually listens that long without a break is another matter, but it does mean charging anxiety is unlikely to be part of the experience.
Behind the scenes, Fender Audio is operated by Riffsound, working under license from Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. The pitch is straightforward. Take Fender’s sonic heritage, apply modern industrial design and contemporary audio engineering, and build products meant for how people listen today. Portable, flexible, and personal.
Fender Audio will be showing off both ELIE and MIX at CES 2026, which feels like a fitting place for a brand that waited a decade and a half before finally joining the Bluetooth speaker party. Better late than quietly watching from the sidelines.
Price: to be announced
Images: Fender Audio.
