Fender’s First Wireless Headphones Feature a Replaceable Battery
▼ Summary
– Fender Audio, owned by the guitar maker, announced its first wireless headphones, the Mix, at CES 2026, featuring a modular design and a focus on longevity.
– The Mix headphones will launch in 2026 for $299.99 in two colors, a price significantly lower than Sony’s flagship WH-1000XM6 model.
– They boast superior battery life, offering up to 52 hours with ANC and 100 hours without, compared to Sony’s 30 and 40 hours respectively.
– Key features include hidden, accessible compartments for a swappable battery and a USB-C wireless transmitter that enables lossless audio streaming.
– The headphones support multiple connection methods, including Bluetooth, a USB-C cable, a 3.5mm audio jack, and offer fast charging for extended playback.
Fender Audio, the consumer electronics division of the iconic guitar company, has unveiled its inaugural wireless headphones at CES 2026. The new Mix model distinguishes itself with a strong emphasis on durability and user customization, featuring a modular build and a standout user-replaceable battery. This design philosophy aims to extend the product’s lifespan significantly, addressing a common point of failure in modern wireless audio gear.
Priced at $299.99, the Mix headphones undercut premium competitors like Sony’s WH-1000XM6, which launched at $450. They will debut in two colorways: olympic white and skyscraper black. While their hybrid active noise cancellation performance remains untested against class leaders, Fender claims a substantial advantage in endurance. The Mix offers up to 52 hours of playback with ANC active and a remarkable 100 hours with it disabled, surpassing the battery life of many established rivals.
A key innovation lies beneath the removable ear cushions. One side conceals a panel for accessing the swappable battery, while the other houses a dedicated slot for a USB-C wireless transmitter. This transmitter unlocks higher-quality audio options, including lossless 96kHz/24-bit streaming via LHDC and low-latency modes like LC3 and Auracast. For standard wireless use, the headphones connect via Bluetooth 5.3 with SBC and AAC codec support.
The modular design extends beyond serviceability, allowing users to swap the headband and ear cups for different colored components, though additional colors will launch later. Connectivity is versatile, with options for a USB-C cable or a traditional 3.5mm audio jack that functions even with a depleted battery. For quick power-ups, a 15-minute charge is promised to deliver up to eight hours of listening, or approximately double that time with noise cancellation turned off.
Driving the audio are 40mm graphene drivers, chosen for their efficiency to help achieve the extended battery performance. By focusing on repairability and longevity, Fender’s Mix headphones present an intriguing alternative in a market often driven by planned obsolescence, marrying the brand’s legacy of durable instruments with modern wireless convenience.
(Source: The Verge)
