A quick search for Bluetooth speakers online, and I get dozens upon dozens of options, which quickly becomes pretty overwhelming, even though I review these products for CNET. There are the more popular Bluetooth speaker options, and the safe buys, like the JBL Charge 6 and the Soundcore Boom 2 by Anker, both of which I’ve personally used. But each Bluetooth speaker serves a different purpose, so if I’m buying a new speaker, I need to think about what I want out of it.
What I’m looking for is a versatile speaker. One that’s portable, but sounds high-quality. One that I can use at home and in the office, or toss up at a backyard party. That’s where Rocksteady’s Stadium 2.0 speakers come in. I can connect an unlimited number of high-quality speakers with the Stadium, including a wireless sub-woofer, for any summer activity I’ve got going on. They’re wireless, portable and have up to 30 hours of battery. And even though Memorial Day is over, the Rocksteady Stadium 2.0 is 15% off with the code SUMMERSOUND. The sale goes on until May 31.
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A Bluetooth speaker that can morph from travel companion to full-blown party setup
Rocksteady’s Stadium 2.0 kits all aim to do what most other Bluetooth speakers can’t easily do: scale from a single bedside speaker to a backyard surround sound rig, all without the tangle of cables, and still provide high-quality sound.
You can go with a single speaker ($150), which offers a dual-driver setup (powered tweeter and mid-bass driver) along with dual bass drums, so you get crisp highs, warm mids and some of that low-end thump. I use a single speaker in my bedroom or office, where it’s a relatively confined space, where I don’t need too much.
This is a single Rocksteady Stadium speaker, great for smaller spaces.
If you want to upgrade your listening experience to something punchier, you can add a dedicated subwoofer ($180) to your speaker. You obviously get more bass, and you notice the difference if you’re listening to hip-hop or EDM, or watching a movie with lots of gunfire and explosions. If you want to go this route, I would definitely recommend the speaker and subwoofer pack ($400), which comes with two speakers and a sub.
The two speakers with the subwoofer can easily upgrade your TV audio.
But where the Rocksteady Stadium 2.0 excels is in the four-speaker and subwoofer pack. Yeah, it is a little expensive at $600, but if you have the money, it offers the most versatility because you can connect as few or as many speakers as you need for whatever occasion. This is the setup I use the most for everything from backyard barbecues and parties at Airbnbs to listening parties and movie nights.
While this is the biggest kit they sell, you can always buy additional speakers to add on to the size, although it might mostly be overkill unless you have a large enough space.
Getting the Stadium 2.0 up and running is pretty simple. You can power on any speaker and then hit the Bluetooth icon to pair it to your phone — you should see a unique “Rocksteady_XXXX” ID.
That first speaker will become the host. After that, simply hit the Stadium button on the host and then on each extra satellite speaker, or wireless sub, to add it to the mesh. It takes about 15 seconds to pair all of the speakers into one, and the best thing about it is that your speakers remember this lineup, so the next time you turn them on, they’ll all automatically connect, without you having to re-pair them.
There are buttons to connect to bluetooth, pair with other speakers, pause and play music, skip songs and adjust the volume.
Once you’re all linked up, you can assign each speaker with a left, right or stereo duty designation with a quick toggle, letting you build a two-channel desktop rig for your computer or a bunch of dual-duty speakers for surround-sound in your backyard.
The system keeps all channels in sync up to roughly 150 feet, and each box charges over USB-C, so grabbing any phone brick will top them off for the quoted 30-hour run time. And the four-speaker kit comes with a carrying case, so it’s easy to travel with all your speakers.
In short: no app, no cables, no headache — just place, pair and press play.
On the side you’ll find controls to switch the speaker designation (left, both, right), plug in an aux cable and charge the speaker (USB-C).
Why this deal matters
The Rocksteady Stadium 2.0 is currently on sale for Memorial Day. You can use the code SUMMERSOUND for 15% off. The sale runs until May 31.
