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Even though Fender Audio isn’t steeped in the world of Bluetooth audio, the Elie 12 makes a statement as part of the brand’s entry lineup. It’s a do-it-all speaker that somehow combines minimalist design with maximalist function and sound.
Fender Audio is technically a licensee of the larger Fender brand. That company has been around for decades and has remained a staple name in the music industry. Part of Fender Audio’s team comes from the larger brand, but its focus remains on consumer audio outside of music gear.
The Elie 12 was debuted at CES 2026 when I originally demoed it. At the time, I was blown away at how good Fender Audio’s new speakers could sound, and it’s been one of the products I’ve been looking forward to the most.
Much of that hasn’t changed. The only difference is that I’ve now spent some quality time with the largest release of the two speakers.
Fender’s Elie 12 and Elie 6, for that matter, will stand out almost immediately among many Bluetooth speakers. Both speakers come in either black or white, and carry a signature solid maple top to accent the overall modern look. An articulating faux-leather handle sits over that maple trim, adding to the overall look.
The boxy look is slightly reminiscent of Marshall’s design language, but different enough that it carries its own identity. In the same way that Marshall famously uses cues from its music gear lineup, Fender Audio ties a lot of Fender’s history into the look of these chunky speakers.
Riddled along the top are knobs and buttons that really nail down the “amp” feel. General Bluetooth controls are on the left, and the right carries a lot of the extras. That includes tone dials for bass and treble, and input selection.
The points of contact feel good, though I would have liked to see metal knobs and buttons rather than the matte plastic. They still give good feedback, and the knobs have plenty of resistance without wobble. Every point of contact feels very tactile.
One of the best design decisions made was to trigger power by turning the volume knob. No holding a button down and waiting for blinking lights to let you know you’re good to go.
A little red “Fender” logo riddles the bottom of the speaker grille, giving the Elie 12 a nice little elevating touch. That grille spans across the entire front face, and it gives the speaker such a clean look. The back is just as clean, with a small USB-C charging port at the bottom and several input selections on the back.
Fender Audio chose to market this towards not just listeners, but creators to an extent. The Elie 12 has support for up to two wireless mics and a combo jack for both XLR and 1/4″ connections. With the input selection on the top, you can choose between mics (XLR), instruments (1/4″ TS), and stereo line audio (1/4″ TRS). For a little extra power, the speaker supports 48V phantom power. A 3.5mm jack is also available for combined output to a recording device.
This speaker has some heft. That’s sort of expected, as good speakers don’t tend to sit on the lighter side. Fender’s Elie 6 is a better option for those who want something lighter. In my use case, I don’t expect to carry this around everywhere. The handle makes it more than convenient to take this from point A to point B without much hassle.
Fender’s Elie 12 takes on a look that probably won’t strike a chord with everyone, but I find it to be one of the best-looking speakers available. It looks like a little guitar amp, and it even plays the part.
Of course, design isn’t everything. It needs to sound great.
If you want to dig into the technical details, Fender Audio has a full spec list available on its site. The rundown is pretty simple; it has a max output of 120W with support for Bluetooth 5.3 and SBC, AAC, and LC3 codecs. In essence, it gets very loud and supports spatial audio, with the ability to link multiple Fender Audio speakers for stereo or group playback.
On my Pixel 10, I have the option to play with LE Audio to boost performance a bit.
What I’ve found is that the volume knob works on an exponential increase, not linear. From 0% to around 50%, volume moderately increases to comfortable listening levels if you’re right next to it. From 50% to 100%, there’s a larger difference. At 65%, it gets very loud and closer to that 120W output rating.
Fender puts you in charge of the Elie 12’s sound signature with the bass and treble knobs at the top. The bass kicks hard at just about any level, but that can be brought down a bit. Doing so clears up the audio somewhat, and more of the high-end can be reintroduced. It still seems like the low ends do tend to dominate even at minimal levels, so the sound tends to lean a little bass-heavy.
When balanced, the speaker sounds really good. It does feel like there is some headroom lost in comparison to wired audio, but that’s to be expected. I tested a lot of my tracks with Spotify lossless on Bluetooth and using a USB-C DAC connected through the rear 1/4″ TRS jack. Obviously, the wired method sounded much better.
Using that as a reference for its full potential, the Elie 12 sounds very good. Details are present even if the bass seems to be a tad heavy throughout volumes. For a battery-powered speaker, it does a fantastic job of projecting sound and recreating it well.
Even using Bluetooth, the speaker punches above its weight. And truth be told, most users are going to use Fender Audio’s Bluetooth speaker for Bluetooth. Still, the option to input instruments, mics, and line audio is a massive plus.
The QoL details are there, too. Whenever the speaker is powered on, a quick guitar strum effect plays. When connected, you hear a different tone. I love that little detail.
As far as battery is concerned, the Elie 12 is rated for around 15 hours of playback. For its size, I would say that’s reasonable. If it’s cutting close for your use case, be aware that it does have quick charging and can get another 2 hours of power with a 15-minute charge. You can always tell how much you have left with a battery indicator light array above the play button. If all four are lit up, you’re near fully charged.
With that product positioning towards audiophiles and creators, the Elie 12 is priced at $399.99. The best comparison for something like this would be JBL’s Boombox 4. At $150 more, it brings slightly more raw power but doesn’t offer the same functionality.
For those like me who would love a very simple portable guitar amp solution, as well as a powered Bluetooth speaker that I can move around as I wish, the Elie 12 offers that. On top of that, it looks incredibly clean while offering actual function. I really can’t complain about much other than the hefty price.
Fender Audio’s Elie 12 is currently available for pre-order, though it’s expected to be available any day now.