The Rockster Go 2 infuses the bass with plenty of energy and delivers clear mids. During The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” the speaker pounds out the bass triplets and sub-bass quarter notes, giving the song its underlying structure. It also keeps the bass tight and avoids overemphasis. The mids are clear in the mix, giving the synth melody the bite it needs. But there’s a lack of brilliance that takes some of the life out of the upper vocal harmony and makes the light drum hits sound flat.
At around 60% volume, the speaker is plenty loud and more than sufficient to fill a space of approximately 100 to 150 square feet. If you push the volume any higher, the speaker begins to distort the lower frequencies, with every bass triplet in “Silent Shout” crackling. This tune is especially demanding in that frequency range, so it’s possible to push higher volumes on other tracks without the same distortion.
(Credit: Mark Knapp)
Kendrick Lamar’s “Loyalty” shows the Rockster Go 2’s shortcomings a little more plainly. This song relies on deeper sub-bass notes than “Silent Shout,” and the speaker isn’t up to the task of playing most of them. It hits the kick drum well, but only one or two of the sub-bass notes in the song come through clearly. Meanwhile, the vocals are loud and clear but harsh due to excessive emphasis on the upper mids.
That overemphasis in the upper-mids hits Bill Callahan’s “Drover,” as well. Callahan’s baritone vocals are full and weighty, but there’s more rasp to his voice than there should be, and some of the background static of the room noise is too present. While this lets the guitars and fiddle stand out in the mix, they still lack the brilliance that would bring them to life. The cymbals suffer the same issue. On the flip side, the kick drum that patters eighth notes through much of the song sits at just the right level in the mix.
This frequency response isn’t ideal for orchestral music, but it sometimes hides its shortcomings surprisingly well. In the opening to John Adams’ The Gospel According to the Other Mary, the strong midrange helps the lead vocalist stand out and gives the horns some refreshing bite, making the track sound more dynamic. However, the deeper bass instruments are missing, and the choir still sounds a little hollow due to the weak high end.
Despite its shortcomings, the speaker’s weighty bass and mids can make for fun listening on the go. The Dynamore mode isn’t the most neutral listening experience; it effectively simulates wider stereo separation, with panned instruments easily highlighting the broadened effect. With the widened soundstage, it’s easier to tune into and enjoy different instruments on tracks—something that’s usually difficult on compact Bluetooth speakers like this.
