We always do our best to cheer on wireless bluetooth speaker bundles that perform despite the obstacles they face in ensuring convenient wire-free setup, crisp theater sound, and an expectation of good battery life. I enjoyed using the Rocksteady Stadium Speaker bundle, consisting of 2 speakers and a subwoofer, as it really provided solid, immersive sound quality. For a compact bluetooth speaker system, Rocksteady did the job right. While there was a troubleshooting issue with bluetooth, this "portable speaker kit in a box" worked fantastic.
The Rocksteady Stadium 2-Speaker and Subwoofer Pack does its best work for portable, wireless home theater use that suits those who want the least wire clutter possible. They just want the system to work, set, and forget, which Rocksteady does fantastically. The subwoofer offers good thump in a small package. Each wireless speaker provides bi-directional, immersive sound quality that when combined together, offer suitable excitement for both movies and music.
Solid in build quality and streamlined in looks, the speaker bundle is definitely a cut above from your standard generic wireless speakers. It’s expandable, configurable, and channel customizable for various room configurations.
Pros
Cons
The Rocksteady Stadium Speaker Bundle is made from solid plastic with each speaker revealing a sleek, rectangular shape. Black is the only color available. Design accents for the bluetooth subwoofer include a metallic grille and rubberized bottom base.
Operation is fairly simple and flexible. You can connect additional speakers and subwoofers with one touch and set the stadium speakers to either the left or right channels for balanced stereo sound. Each bluetooth speaker and subwoofer have a long-lasting battery (up to 16 hours) and a fast-charging USB-C port.
The subwoofer controls are similar as well, including a power button, a Bluetooth 5.0 pairing button, a USB-C port, and a 3.5mm auxiliary port. You can also adjust the bass volume level along the subwoofer's top panel. Volume and Play/Pause/Track buttons help customize the deepness of the bass and offer additional music controls.
The speakers have a tweeter, a mid-bass driver, and bass drums on the front face, allowing for true bi-directional sound. The power button, channel selector, auxiliary port, and USB-C port are located on the back. The top of the wireless speaker includes a Bluetooth 5.0 pairing button and a “Stadium Mode” button for setup and sound configuration. Volume and Play/Pause/Track buttons provide individualized control for each bluetooth speaker.
We’ll get to the Bluetooth troubleshooting process that I experienced, but first let’s focus on the Rocksteady speaker system’s sound quality. It was quite enjoyable, both in cinematic and music form. For the current generation of wireless bluetooth speaker sets, you can only get so much from sound and clarity. Keep in mind wireless bluetooth speaker systems have come a long way since their first iterations. The Rocksteady Stadium speakers absolutely do their best to entertain, especially in movies.
We played The Lost World: Jurassic Park at full volume and full bass. The subwoofer, located next to the monitor, offered solid, pulsating tones that had no problem mimicking the sequential thump of a T-Rex’s stride. The wireless speakers, distanced about 14 ft. apart, provided bi-directional and immersive home theater sound.
But there was a catch, especially with high bass - the chaos of dinosaur noises and people yelling and screaming felt a bit muted and underwhelming, battling against a background of flying debris and orchestra music. I attribute this to the satellite speakers being a bit too far apart and with some volume and positioning adjustments, immersive sound felt more "synchronized". On another note, the satellite speakers include convenient slots for wall hanging, so be sure to test distances before mounting the speakers to the wall.
In Close Encounters of the Third Kind, we pitted Rocksteady to the scene where Richard Dreyfus sat in his truck experiencing a UFO. With the rattle of mailboxes, sunburning light effects, and a gyrating truck full of debris, the Rocksteady wireless speakers will feel fantastic to most listeners.
Rocksteady’s wireless stadium subwoofer never failed to deliver a solid performance. It pulsed nicely and did its best to shake the room regardless of one being chased by dinosaurs or aliens. I really enjoyed the commitment that the bluetooth subwoofer offered during peak action sequences. As mentioned in Jurassic Park, you may be better off lowering the subwoofer bass so it doesn't overtake the satellites.
Moving over to music, we tried a number of samples from different genres with various results. AC/DC’s Thunderstruck lit up the room, offering Angus Young’s guitar solo on a silver platter of sound. Elle Fitzgerald’s calming voice in Dream a Little Dream of Me was clear but sounded a bit suppressed when she hit certain chords.
Perhaps this is just due to it being an older song with less enhancements at the time of its recording. The classic, but much more recent dance hit by The Vengaboys, We Like to Party! never failed to deliver vocals when filling our largest room of 16x18. Overall, it’s not to say the satellites underperformed, but seemed temperamental to certain vocals.
Midway into the Rocksteady speaker tests, something went astray. Initially, the bluetooth setup process was fairly straight forward. Rocksteady also recommended in their documentation to pair the subwoofer first and then set it as the designated host speaker. After this is completed, you’ll pair the left and right wireless satellites. A blinking "Stadium Mode" indicator should synchronize with the other speakers, telling you that the satellites would be taking commands from the subwoofer.
I felt that the included documentation for both the bluetooth subwoofer and speakers seemed lacking in terms troubleshooting. This is because any speaker can be the primary host and each speaker can also pair directly to any bluetooth device. As mentioned before, the subwoofer should be paired first (designated as the host), then the satellites. If a speaker drops connection, the documentation keeps it relatively simple - reset and reconnect. But what happens when you get different combinations of connection problems, lights flashing, and certain speakers not working?
As mentioned above, once paired, things went initially smooth. Both the wireless subwoofer and speakers operated flawlessly together during movies and music. Suddenly, toward the end of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the left speaker failed to connect. The battery power was fine, it just decided to quit, resulting in a flashing bluetooth indicator. Repairing had failed. Subsequent additional rounds to pair resulted in different permutations of speakers working and not working.
With the troubleshooting process for each speaker and the sequence of reset steps, combined with the confirmation sounds and lights, you sort of find yourself in a sort of "pairing dyslexia"; unsure of what to do next since each pairing attempt resulted in a different speaker working properly.
I’d like to stress that Rocksteady is a proven brand and according to research, many users have not had problems. It could have been Bluetooth, OS/iOS version, or general hardware incompatibilities. This should not take away from the sound system’s overall performance. Once solved, Rocksteady’s Stadium Speaker Bundle was back to performing well. Perhaps the documentation can be more accommodating to this matter in the future.
My editor tested the speakers as well, he agreed that the setup process was fickle. However, once you are all paired, and sort of memorize the power up sequence, the general every day usage became more acceptable. Like any new tech, there is a learning curve it seems, but it would be nice if it all 'just worked'.
With all that being said, Rocksteady still proves that you can offer a solid bluetooth speaker system ready to go for virtually any small event, home cinema experience, and party entertainment DJ system. The speaker system provides an easy overall control and performance experience to those not looking to nitpick professional sound quality.
The Rocksteady Stadium 2-speaker and subwoofer pack comes with a 30-day money back guarantee that allows you to return the product in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt. There’s one-year limited warranty that covers defects in materials and workmanship under normal use and service for a period of one year from the date of purchase.
To obtain warranty support, you need to contact [email protected] and provide proof of purchase, product serial number, and a description of the problem. You may also need to take the product, or deliver the product prepaid, in either its original packaging or your own, to any factory Rocksteady Service facility or fulfillment center.
You can also visit the Rocksteady Audio website for more information and FAQs about the product features, specifications, setup, troubleshooting, etc.
Rocksteady’s Stadium bluetooth wireless speaker system offered captivating sound, an initially smooth setup, and an overall experience that was enjoyable for everyday music or movie hobbyists. Especially for various room configurations, Rocksteady’s bluetooth speakers can be adjusted and expanded accordingly, providing the right mix of sound and cinematic effects to suit most users. It’s flexible enough to take anywhere, allowing it to fit easily in a box, case, or bag for travel.
While the $369.99 price point seems high vs. its sound quality, it’s one of the lowest you can ask for when searching for affordable sound immersion capabilities. The setup was seamless and I fault the bluetooth troubleshooting as some kind of quirk that I experienced on my own. Overall Rocksteady’s Stadium 2-Speaker and Subwoofer Pack will certainly earn its place in any room of the home, office, or hall.
