Fender muscles in on budget PA market with Fighter 10 and 12 powered speakers
Bands and performers looking for a cheap pair of powered speakers for rehearsal spaces or small concert venues aren’t always spoiled for choice. At Summer NAMM 2017, Fender unveiled a new series of boxes – the Fighter Series. These might be an interesting option for bands, solo performers, and DJs in need of a new PA rig.
Available in 10-inch and 12-inch configurations, the Fighter series are equipped with 1,100W Class “D” power amplifiers and 1-inch titanium horn-loaded HF compression drivers. Fender has also implemented dynamic limiting circuitry in both speakers. That means signals are always monitored for available headroom and overall gain is adjusted to prevent distortion or overload – even at concert volume.
Additionally, the speakers come with three input channels, a two-band equalizer for each of the three channels, and Bluetooth audio streaming. This means there’s plenty of space to connect your mixer, microphones, and other music gear you have – including your smartphone, tablet, laptop, or another smart device with music on it.
The Fighter series are named like this because they come in rugged wood enclosures, with grilles made of perforated steel. Other performance features include a loop output with a subwoofer crossover, as well as a dual tuned-port system.
Although they are descendants of Fender’s professional audio line, the Fighters are priced affordably and are within reach of bands and performers. They are likely to appreciate the extra input channels, Bluetooth connectivity, and if they’re as ruggedly built as Fender say, you won’t have to carry them about wearing silk gloves.
Price and release date
Fender will be launching its new powered speakers this month, priced at $299 for the Fighter 10 and $350 for the Fighter 12. With these prices, the Fighters are in direct competition with Mackie‘s Thump12 and Thump15 powered speakers, as well as certain Behringer models. The German brand’s Eurolive series also features Bluetooth input, Class “D” amplification, and integrated mixers.
Still, Fender is smart to be competing on the budget end of the PA speakers market, which isn’t saturated with options. We expect the company’s strong, world-famous brand will contribute to robust sales.
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