Teufel Rockster Air 2 Review: Your Neighbors Will Hate You

The Rockster AIr 2 in a nutshell

Anyone looking for a high-quality party speaker will not be disappointed with the Rockster Air 2. It is one of the most powerful and flexible models available on the market right now. However, we had to deduct points in the review due to the lack of IP certification and a missing companion app. If you want to use a party speaker at home, you will run into issues with your neighbors as you party late into the wee hours of the morning. Bear in mind that the Rockster Air 2 is unavailable Stateside, hence the pricing in €.

 

Design & build quality

Tipping the scales at 14.2 kg while featuring a form factor the size of a travel backpack, the Rockster Air 2 is immediately recognizable as a party speaker. Thanks to a total of four handles, transporting the speaker around is no problem. Unfortunately, the device lacks castors for easier transportation. The variety of connectivity options and the connection for conventional PA stands also indicate the Rockster Air 2 is not only meant for it to pump out music.

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Pros:

• Simple, timeless design.
• Is easily carried around.
• High variety of connectivity options.

Cons:

• No IP certification.
• No wheels or castors.
• Backpack is too expensive for an additional €120 ($130)

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In the press material and on the homepage, Teufel markets the "Rockster" with a certain "rock-and-roll aesthetic". When unpacked and placed in the living room, however, not much can be seen. I consider this to be positive because the Rockster Air 2 is a rather simple yet large party speaker. The design always reminds me of PA speakers, as they are generally common in the music industry.

With the Rockster Air 2, you only realize how the speaker is meant to pump out music when you turn the speaker around or upside down. This is because there is a slot for PA stands on the underside, allowing the speaker to be used as an active speaker in a DJ setup. At the back, you will find the necessary connectivity options including:

• XLR output to connect additional speakers
• XLR input for a microphone
• 6.3 mm jack for guitars and instruments
• 3.5 mm jack for aux-in
• IEC plug for charging
• Bluetooth 5.1 for wireless connection

What Teufel also does well with the Rockster Air 2 is how easy it is to carry the speaker despite its heft. There is a thick rubberized handle at the top which makes it easy to tote around. Thanks to a recessed grip on the underside, the Bluetooth speaker can also be comfortably carried by two people. Two further recesses on the left and right of the housing are also very practical to place the speaker on stands or to make minor positional adjustments.

There are also several buttons and a large rotary control on top of the Rockster Air 2. The latter controls the volume, while the buttons let you connect devices and switch the speaker on and off. There are also two buttons to control the treble and bass and act as a simple equalizer.

The build quality of the Rockster deserves a positive mention. Teufel uses both high-quality plastic and metal for the chassis, but unfortunately, there is no protection against water and dust. Without IP certification, I would be wary of using the speaker in the rain or by the poolside. I would also prefer to avoid beer or champagne showers as well. In view of the expensive MSRP, I found this omission to be a little disappointing. It becomes even more stark at parties, where it is quite common for speakers to come into contact with liquids.

I also have to criticize the fact that Rockster did not install any wheels or castors on the 14 kg speaker. The backpack holder, which allows you to carry the Bluetooth speaker on your back, is also too expensive with an asking price of slightly below €120. Since the end of 2023, Teufel has also offered a protective cover and a replacement battery. However, these accessories are also too expensive for their function.

App and convenience functions

Teufel does not offer an app for the Rockster Air 2. Since there are no other convenient functions such as multi-pairing or lighting effects, we'll skip this segment!

Sound quality and technology

You may have jumped straight to the sound quality in this review, simply because the Rockster Air 2 is primarily about pumping out good party sound. The Bluetooth speaker offers a maximum output power of 80 W, has a huge cellulose woofer with a diameter of 25 cm, and a tweeter with a diameter of 2.5 cm. If you like, you can also use the Rockster Air 2 as a pair for stereo sound.

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Pros:

• Lots of power, doesn't crack even at high volumes.
• Great functions for musicians.
• Individual inputs can be separately mixed.
• Supports aptX.

Cons:

• No power limitation, therefore rather unsuitable for apartments.
• No streaming functions.
• Stereo sound only available in pairs, making it a whopping €1,400.

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In this review, I would like to evaluate the Rockster Air 2 both as a party speaker and for home use. In my opinion, with an asking price of €700, you can definitely expect buyers to evaluate the speaker not only for use in party basements or in large crowd contexts in general. Let's start with the technology.

Teufel equipped the Rockster Air 2 with a 2-way speaker configuration. A 2.5 cm tweeter is responsible for the treble and a 25 cm woofer for the bass. The latter is said to offer a "Mariana Trench-deep kick bass with high impulse fidelity", while Teufel also speaks of a multifunctional setup for music, stages, parties, and speeches. As the connectivity options already suggest, you can also hook up other instruments and microphones. Teufel uses Class D power amplifiers with 32-bit DSP for these inputs. The manufacturer relies on Class D amplifiers from Texas Instruments.

It is very welcome that Teufel lets you mix the various inputs — Bluetooth, aux, instruments, and a microphone via separate rotary controls. This lets you show off your guitar skills à la Buckethead over a backing track or make announcements in the finest patois over dancehall beats. Or you can choose to sit down with the Rockster Air 2 in the pedestrian zone and cover indie rock songs after puffing away a pack of cigarettes.

Jokes aside, this flexible orientation is, in my opinion, the great thing about the Rockster Air 2 because musicians can use the speaker in a really flexible manner. Unlike many mobile guitar amplifiers with an integrated battery, we have Bluetooth and an insanely long battery life. This can be a major advantage if you like to play your own music as well as other people's songs in a party.

With a maximum volume of 115 dB (at a distance of 1 m), the Rockster Air 2 is extremely well suited for party contexts. The woofer, in particular, makes walls, floors, and the party crowd reverberate and the Teufel still sounds really good when turned up to the maximum. For my review, I drove to a rehearsal room to turn the speaker all the way up. In a room measuring around 15 m², I wouldn't have been able to withstand the maximum volume for more than five minutes. This is no surprise as Teufel advertises the Rockster Air 2 for crowds of up to 80 people in a stereo setup.

However, this enormous power becomes a problem if you want to use the Rockster Air 2 in your own home. It is here I would like to draw another comparison with guitar amplifiers. Many powerful amps have a function with which the power can be reduced to a few watts. That's exactly what I would have liked to have with the Rockster Air 2 in my home.

Even the signal upon turning the speaker on, which is a rather low tone that gets louder, is too loud for me in an apartment building. Although the bass can be easily removed using the two-band equalizer, the floor rattles even at low volumes. If you live in an apartment and want to use your Bluetooth speaker which costs almost €700 to listen to music at home, you really have to be careful so that the neighbors do not knock on your door after a while. I think that's a shame and I would have liked to have had more options to reduce the power for home use.

It is a pity the Rockster Air 2 is difficult to tame, especially as music sounds really good even at low volumes. The background noise is low despite the high performance and thanks to AptX, music can also be delivered to the speaker at sufficiently high resolution.

All in all, the Rockster Air 2 is one of the most powerful and flexible Bluetooth speakers/party speakers available right now. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend it for private use due to its difficulty in controlling its performance level.

Battery and charging

The Rockster Air 2 contains a powerful high-performance LiFePO4 battery, which ensures a long battery life of up to 58 hours at medium volume. According to the manufacturer, up to 31 hours are possible in Eco mode at maximum volume. You can also connect a car battery for longer use. Thanks to a power bank function, you can charge external devices via USB-C.

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Pros:

• Very long and party-ready battery life.
• Removable battery available and car batteries can be connected.
• Power bank function via USB-C.
• Additional battery is relatively affordable at €80 ($86). 

Cons:

• -

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Ideally, you should be able to take a party speaker with you to a festival or on a tour over the weekend. This is certainly possible with the Rockter Air 2. With a runtime of up to 58 hours at medium volume, you can play music or make announcements for an audience from morning to night for almost five days. At maximum volume, you can still achieve 31 hours.

I was surprised by the MSRP of the speaker and the backpack holder: an additional battery for the Rockster Air 2 only costs around €70 ($76). This allows you to conveniently extend the runtime when the battery begins to run low. Unfortunately, Teufel failed to provide backward compatibility with the first Rockster Air model. What's even more annoying? You cannot charge the additional battery externally via USB or using a DC connection. As an alternative to the spare batteries from Teufel, you can also use conventional car batteries to operate the Rockster Air 2.

Another practical feature includes charging external devices via a USB-C port on the Rockster Air 2. The party speaker thus takes on a dual role as a powerful power bank or even as a power station (read our comparison).

Teufel Rockster Air 2

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