The Monster Rockin' Roller 270X is a party speaker fully equipped with an external microphone for karaoke lovers and a built-in bottle opener to enjoy drinks with friends. It also has radio capabilities and even features a Qi wireless charging pad to charge your Qi-compatible devices like your smartphone or earbud case. Despite its bulky design, it has a telescopic handle and wheels that make it easy to wheel it around from one party to the next. It's also rated IPX4 for water resistance, meaning it's certified to withstand small splashes of water, so you don't need to worry about it getting a bit wet from some light rain when bringing it outdoors with you.
Our Verdict
The Monster Rockin' Roller 270X is alright for music. With its default settings enabled, it packs a punchy, boomy bass. That said, you can't feel the deep thump and rumble typically present in bass-heavy music. There's also some unevenness in the mid and treble ranges that causes vocals and lead instruments to sound alternately honky and muddy at times. However, this isn't very noticeable to more casual listeners, and there are EQ presets and bass and treble adjustments you can use to customize its sound to your liking. It also gets pretty loud, though there's some compression present at max volume that affects the quality of your audio at louder volume levels.
- Bass/treble adjustments and EQ presets.
- Gets loud.
- Narrow soundstage.
- Downmixes stereo content to mono.
The Monster Rockin' Roller 270X is disappointing for watching videos and movies. It has high Bluetooth latency with iOS and Android devices, which causes syncing issues between audio and visuals when using the speaker to watch movies and videos. Its soundstage is perceived as narrow and directional-sounding, so audio sounds like it's coming from the front of the speaker and doesn't stretch out much beyond it. It also has to downmix stereo content to mono, which doesn't sound as immersive.
- Bass/treble adjustments and EQ presets.
- Gets loud.
- Low Bluetooth latency with iOS and Android devices.
- Some compression at max volume.
- Narrow soundstage.
- Downmixes stereo content to mono.
The Monster Rockin' Roller 270X is decent for podcasts, though it isn't designed for this use. Despite its bulky and large design, the speaker is portable thanks to its telescopic handle and wheels, so you can wheel your favorite podcasts with you from room to room. It also gets pretty loud. That said, some unevenness in the mid and treble ranges causes voices and dialogue to sound alternately honky and muddy at times. Its soundstage is also narrow and directional-sounding, so your audio doesn't sound as clear from all angles.
- Bass/treble adjustments and EQ presets.
- Gets loud.
- Some compression at max volume.
- Narrow soundstage.
The Monster Rockin' Roller 270X doesn't support voice assistants.
The Monster Rockin' Roller 270X is alright for outdoor use. It's battery-powered and has a telescopic handle and wheels to help transport it outdoors. Its long-lasting battery life of over 64 hours makes it great for long listening sessions spent outside. It's also rated IPX4 for water resistance, meaning it's certified to withstand small splashes of water, so you don't need to worry about it getting a bit wet from some light rain.
- Bass/treble adjustments and EQ presets.
- IPX4 rating for water resistance.
- Gets loud.
- Some compression at max volume.
- Narrow soundstage.
- Downmixes stereo content to mono.
Changelog
- Updated Sep 04, 2024: We've updated the Battery scores and text, as we've reevaluated how the Battery Life, Charge Time, and Power Saving scores are weighted.
- Updated Mar 01, 2023: Added market comparison with the ION Pathfinder 320 to the Battery box.
- Updated Jul 20, 2022: Review published.
- Updated Jul 14, 2022: Early access published.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Monster Rockin' Roller 270X comes in one color. You can find the label for the model tested here.
If you come across any other variants of the Monster 270X, let us know in the discussions, and we'll update our review.
Popular Speaker Comparisons
The Monster 270X is a portable party speaker that, like the ION Pathfinder 280, comes with radio capabilities, mic and mic/guitar inputs, and a telescopic handle and wheels to help transport it. However, unlike the ION and other party speakers we've tested, it also features a Qi wireless charging pad to charge your Qi-compatible devices. It comes with its very own included external microphone too, and there's a bottle opener built into its rear, which is handy when you want to share drinks with friends. Unfortunately, unlike larger party speakers like the JBL ParyBox 310 or the SOUNDBOKS (Gen. 3), it lacks some low-bass, so you can't feel the deep thump and rumble typically present in bass-heavy music like hip-hop or EDM.
See also our recommendations for the best speakers for parties, the loudest Bluetooth speakers, and the best Bluetooth speakers for bass.
The JBL PartyBox 310 is a better speaker than the Monster Rockin' Roller 270X overall. It offers a better-balanced sound profile that can produce a more extended low bass. It can play stereo content without downmixing it to mono and gets louder. That said, the Monster features radio capabilities and comes with an external microphone included in the box. It also features a Qi wireless charging pad to charge your Qi-compatible devices, and its battery lasts significantly longer than the JBL.
The SOUNDBOKS (Gen. 3) is a better speaker than the Monster Rockin' Roller 270X. The SOUDNBOKS can produce a deeper, thumpier, low-bass than the Monster. It gets significantly louder and features two XLR ports to connect an external microphone, guitar, DJ mixer, or other instruments to the speaker. However, the Monster is smaller, making it more portable. It has a longer-lasting battery life and offers a wider and more open-sounding soundstage. It features radio capabilities, too, and a Qi wireless charging pad to charge your Qi-compatible devices.
The Sony SRS-XP700 is a better speaker than the Monster Rockin' Roller 270X overall, though they have different strengths. The Sony can play stereo content without downmixing it to mono, resulting in a more immersive-sounding soundstage. It comes with customizable RGB lights and is compatible with Sony's Fiestable app, which lets you access extra party features of the speaker. However, the Monster is smaller and comes with a telescopic handle and wheels to help transport it, making it much more portable. It also features radio capabilities and has longer-lasting battery life.
The Sony SRS-XG500 is a better speaker than the Monster Rockin' Roller 270X overall. The Sony offers a better-balanced, boomy sound profile that can produce a slightly more extended low-bass. It can also play stereo content without downmixing it to mono, resulting in a more immersive-sounding soundstage. It's smaller and more portable too. Both speakers feature mic/guitar inputs. However, the Monster features radio capabilities and comes with an external microphone included in the box. It also has a Qi wireless charging pad you can use to charge your devices and offers a longer-lasting battery life.
The ION Pathfinder 280 and the Monster Rockin' Roller 270X are similar speakers. The ION offers a slightly more balanced sound profile out of the box and gets louder with less compression present at max volume, resulting in cleaner audio at louder volume levels. It also has a full graphic EQ to tweak its sound to your liking. Both speakers have telescopic handles and wheels to transport them and also feature radio capabilities. However, the Monster comes with mic and mic/guitar inputs and can produce a more extended low-bass than the ION. It also has a Qi wireless charging pad that you can use to charge your devices.
The JBL Boombox 2 is a better speaker than the Monster Rockin' Roller 270X overall. The JBL offers a better-balanced soundstage out of the box and can produce a slightly more extended low-bass. It's smaller, making it more portable. It can also play stereo content without downmixing it to mono, resulting in a more immersive soundstage. That said, the Monster offers more party features. It comes with radio capabilities and mic and mic/guitar inputs. It also has a longer-lasting battery life of almost 65 hours from a single charge.
The Monster Rockin' Roller 270X and the ION Pathfinder 320 are both party speakers with similar overall performances. The ION's battery lasts longer and comes with a full graphic EQ for sound customization, compared to the Monster's bass and treble adjustments. However, only the Monster has microphone and guitar inputs for karaoke fans.
Depending on your listening habits, you may prefer either the Monster Rockin' Roller 270X or the ION Pathfinder Go. They're both party speakers with more portable designs, though the ION is smaller and more lightweight. The ION also features a 3-band graphic EQ for sound customization, while the Monster is limited to bass and treble adjustments. However, the Monster gets louder, and it has microphone and guitar inputs for musicians.
Test Results
The Monster Rockin' Roller 270X is a large, rectangular party speaker. Like the ION Pathfinder 280, it comes with a telescopic handle and wheels to help you transport the party with you wherever you go. It also has triangular LED lights on either side of its controls, and you can adjust their brightness level to your liking. However, the lights don't change colors as they do for the ION.
The Monster Rockin' Roller 270X has alright portability. Like most party speakers, it's large, bulky, and heavy, making it difficult to carry. Thankfully, like the ION Pathfinder 280 and the JBL PartyBox 310, it has a built-in telescopic handle and wheels to help you wheel it around to your next gathering. It's also battery-powered, so you don't need to worry about connecting it to a power source for it to work, so you can place it anywhere convenient.
The Monster 270X has decent build quality. It's mostly made of robust-feeling plastic, and there are metal grilles on the front and sides of the speaker. There's a foldable carrying handle to help you carry the speaker, and there's also a separate telescopic handle and wheels built into the speaker to help you wheel it to your next party. There's even a bottle opener built into its rear so you can enjoy drinks with friends. It's rated IPX4 for water resistance, meaning it's certified to withstand small splashes of water, so you don't have to worry about it getting a bit wet outdoors. Its inputs are protected by small flaps, and there are two velcro strips on its rear to attach the included accessory bag to the speaker. This speaker also comes with an external microphone that's mainly made of plastic, though it doesn't feel very premium. On top of the speaker, there's an anti-skid Qi wireless charging pad you can use to charge your Qi-compatible devices like your smartphone or earbud case.
The Monster Rockin' Roller 270X has a wide selection of well-identified, easy-to-use controls. There's a large volume knob you press when you want to set the speaker to standby mode, which causes the power light to turn green. You can press the light button to turn its LED lights on and control its brightness level. There's a source button to switch between Bluetooth, AUX-IN, and FM Radio, and the speaker emits audible feedback to inform you when you switch sources.
You can use the BASS/TREBLE button to manually adjust its sound profile to your liking. This speaker also features a TWS button, which they call 'True Wireless System'. It lets you connect the speaker to another Monster 270X to play audio simultaneously, though this feature doesn't allow you to create a stereo pair. You can use the buttons numbered 1 to 5 to switch between presets and radio stations, and you can press and hold each button to set your preferred stations.
There are Mic and Mic/Guitar inputs, each with their own gain and echo knobs. There's also Qi wireless charging pad atop the speaker, which you can use to charge your Qi-compatible devices, and the speaker emits audible feedback to let you know when it begins to charge your device. Unfortunately, there's no physical play/pause button, so you need to play and pause your audio via your connected device.
- Monster Rockin' Roller 270X
- User Manual and Quick Start guide
- Microphone
- Attachable pouch
- AC power cable
The Monster 270X's frequency response accuracy is alright. With its default settings enabled, there's some boom in the bass range that adds extra punch and bass to the mix, which is great for fans of bass-heavy music like hip-hop and EDM. However, it still lacks some low-bass, so you can't feel the deep thump and rumble typically present in bass-heavy music. There's also some unevenness in the mid and treble ranges that causes vocals and lead instruments to sound alternately honky and muddy at times. Fortunately, this isn't very noticeable to more casual listeners, and you can tweak its sound profile to your liking using the EQ presets and the bass and treble adjustments featured in its companion app. This isn't enough to boost the low-bass to feel any thump and rumble.
The Monster 270X's soundstage performance is disappointing. It downmixes stereo content to mono to play it since there aren't separate speakers for its left and right channels. As a result, instruments and sound effects in your audio aren’t localized to a pinpoint location. Instead, they sound like they’re coming from the front of the speaker, which doesn't sound as immersive. For instance, if you play a song that usually has the drums on the left and the guitar on the right, the speaker doesn’t playback that distinction. Despite having grilles on its sides, its soundstage is also somewhat directional-sounding since it projects its sound only from the front of the speaker. As a result, sound doesn’t stretch around the Monster 270X as it would with a speaker with a 360-degree design. Instead, your audio sounds a bit different when listening from different angles, like when listening from behind the speaker.
The Monster 270X has a good dynamics performance. This party speaker gets loud enough to fill a large crowded room with sound, making it great for parties. It even gets 3dB louder when plugged into a power source. However, there's a bit of compression present at max volume that degrades the quality of your audio as you bump up the volume, so your audio doesn't sound as clean and clear when the volume is maxed out.
The Monster 270X has excellent battery performance. It lasts almost 65 hours on a single charge. While this is significantly less than the 100 hours of advertised playtime, it's still enough for multiple long listening sessions before needing to recharge it again. Also, battery life varies depending on your usage habits and chosen settings, so your real-world experience may vary. When the Monster 270X is left idle for around 20 minutes, it goes into standby mode, and you can wake it up again through its app or by pressing one of its buttons. If you want a party speaker with a battery life closer to 100 hours, check out the ION Pathfinder 320.
Note: While the Monster 270X comes with an external microphone, there's no built-in microphone for accepting and declining calls or for voice assistant capabilities.
The Monster 270X's Monster Zone Control app isn't bad. It's compatible with both iOS and Android devices and features EQ presets and bass and treble adjustments to tweak the speaker's sound profile to your liking. While you can't pair the Monster 270X to another speaker to create a stereo pair, you can use the speaker's 'True Wireless System' (TWS) feature to connect the speaker to another speaker when you want to amplify its sound across larger areas.
The Monster 270X features an AUX input you can use to wire your devices to the speaker. There's a USB port you can use to charge your devices and an output to connect the speaker to another Rockin' Roller 270X. There's a mic port and a mic/guitar port to connect an external microphone or guitar to the speaker.
The Monster Rockin' Roller 270X has fair Bluetooth connectivity. It has a fantastic range, so your paired device remains connected to the speaker from far away. However, it has poor latency performance with iOS and Android devices, which causes syncing issues between audio and visuals when using the Monster 270X to watch movies and videos. Some apps compensate for latency differently, and your real-world experience may differ.