One of the best portable speakers I tested is $40 off for Black Friday: Get this music powerhouse in a small package

Jack Wallen/ZDNET

What's the deal? 

The Fender Teufel Rockster Go 2 is available during Amazon's Black Friday sale for $90 (save $40). 

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ZDNET's key takeaways

The Fender Teufel Rockster Go 2 is available now on Amazon for $90.This Bluetooth speaker produces huge sound with little distortion and offers plenty of battery life per charge.The sound quality is midrange, lacking deep bass and sometimes focuses on too-blended mids and highs.

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Perfect sound isn't always necessary. This is especially true when using Bluetooth speakers, which sacrifice true audiophile sound for convenience. Sometimes, however, what needs to take precedence is a lot of sound from a small package.

You might be working in your garden or the garage, hosting a small gathering, or hanging out in the woods. At those times, you need volume without the usual size associated with a device that goes to 11.

Also: The best Black Friday deals live now

When such times arrive, you'll be happy you purchased a Fender Teufel Rockster Go 2 Bluetooth speaker. It's small (roughly 8" x 4") and can crank up the decibels. No, it's not going to fill a warehouse with glorious sound, but you'll get more out of the device than its size would suggest. Even though the sound won't put a smile on an audiophile's face, it will certainly do the job -- and do it well.

The specs

Wide-band driver - 50mmPassive radiator - 1 @ 64mmFrequency range - 60Hz to 20,000HzAcoustic principle - One-way systemEnclosure type - ClosedBattery life - 15 hours at medium volumeAmplifier - Class D with two channelsGoogle Fast Pair compatibleConnection - Bluetooth with AAC supportCompatibility - Android, iOS, and WindowsPrice on Amazon - $90 (on sale for $40 off)  Jack Wallen/ZDNET

My experience

Once I had the Fender X Teufel Rockster Go 2 connected to my Pixel 9 Pro (which took five seconds), I tapped play on my go-to testing song, "Analog Kid" by Rush.

Knowing this speaker's frequency range bottoms out at 60Hz, I was prepared for the speaker to lack a good amount of low-end (especially the punch of a kick drum). That assumption was correct; the bass on this speaker isn't exactly a pulse-racing experience. There is bass, but it doesn't quite reach the depths some music genres demand (such as metal and rap).

Again, I expected that.

Also: I swapped my high-end soundbar for a JBL, and it surprised me in the best way

What surprised me was how loud this small speaker can get. It can reach uncomfortable levels of sound, especially in a small room. I had the speaker on my desk, pushed play on Devin Townsend's single "Jainism", and maxed out the volume, only to find it far too uncomfortable.

After notching the volume down a bit, all was good. At the halfway mark, the volume was loud enough, so the sound hit me hard, but it wasn't uncomfortable to my ears; and even at that max volume, the speaker barely showed any signs of distortion, which is especially important for larger rooms or outdoor use.

Jack Wallen/ZDNET

As I mentioned, the sound won't impress an audiophile. Instead of a nice, smooth separation of instruments and voices, you get a wall of sound that blends everything together. This makes for a very narrow soundstage.

There's also an "immersive" mode, but I found that setting added too many mids, which notched the sound quality down a bit. That "immersive" mode is great for things like podcasts, audiobooks, and other media where the speaking voice needs to take precedence, but for certain genres of music, it doesn't quite hit the mark.

Of course, you have to understand that I can be a bit too discerning at times, especially when it comes to EQ curves; unfortunately, the Fender Teufel Rockster Go 2 doesn't have a mobile app that allows for EQ customization. You get what you get, and that's it.

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Still, again, this isn't a speaker you buy because you want to hear music exactly as the artists intended. This speaker is best for making big noise without taking up too much space. To that end, the Fender Teufel Rockster Go 2 succeeds better than most speakers of its size.

ZDNET's buying advice

Do you need a Bluetooth speaker that can pump up the volume to decibel levels capable of filling a space without distortion? The Fender Teufel Rockster Go 2 for $130 is a great option, and it's an even better buy thanks to the $30 discount during October Prime Day. Although I might ding the speaker for a lack of deep, resonant bass and a too-narrow soundstage, this speaker produces a sound that will easily satisfy most people.

So, as long as you don't expect studio-monitor-quality sound, you'll be thrilled with this speaker. As a bonus, if you enjoy listening to podcasts, this speaker will bring those voices to life with volume enough for you to listen in any room of your house, without missing a single sentence.