Fender is most famous for making guitars, but if you count amplifiers (and we do) it was actually making speakers before Stratocasters – but the Fender ELIE 12 ($400) is the first one you’d want sitting on your sideboard.
ELIE stands for Extremely Loud Infinitely Expressive and with 120 watts of power there’s every reason to believe it’ll deliver on the first part, especially considering it has a pair of full-range drivers, two tweeters and a couple of built-in subwoofers to make the most of.
As for the latter, it has separate sound chambers for bass and treble, which Fender reckons creates a wider, more detailed soundstage, while support for 48kHz/24-bit hi-res audio should help too.
At just under 5kg it’s more portable than most guitar amps, but it’s not exactly travel-friendly so it’s a shame there’s only Bluetooth 5.3 and no Wi-Fi. An IP54 rating and a built-in handle does make it easy enough to lug out into the garden without the help of a roadie though.
On battery power the ELIE 12 should last up to 15 hours, although it’ll depend how far your twist the volume dial. A 15-minute charge is enough to extend it by a couple of hours. And if just one doesn’t go loud enough, you can pair as many as 100 of them together.
Fender clearly hasn’t forgotten its roots either so there’s a combined XLR/6.35mm input on the back that means you can plug a guitar in and use the ELIE 12 as a little amp.
If the ELIE 12 is still slightly too big for you there’s also the smaller ELIE 6 ($300), which weighs 2.3kg and has half as much power, but the battery lasts longer; you’ll get around 18 hours between charges.
If you’re in the the market for a new pair of noise-cancelling cans instead, Fender has also introduced the Mix ($300) over-ear headphones, which use 40mm Graphene drivers, support spatial audio, and come with a USB-C transmitter that unlocks lossless (LHDC-V), low-latency (LC3), and Auracast streaming when you plug it into a suitably equipped source.
You’ll get up to 100 hours out of them with the ANC turned off, although that drops to almost half with it switched on. They’ll also work over USB-C and via 3.5mm cable, so you can continue to listen with the latter if the battery conks out.
There’s no word on UK availability of the range yet, but we’ve got our vintage Telecasters crossed that it doesn’t take too long.
- MORE: Best noise-cancelling headphones in 2026 for travel, work, and everything between
