What's New for Festool in 2020

[AlexThePalex]

3. Its only a bluetooth speaker, so you need a phone or sysrock to drive it. Used all day, everyday, it will eat into a phone's data allowance.

Bluetooth is only between the phone and the speaker, that can't eat into your data allowance, can it?

 

[Euclid]

Well, it would if you were streaming the content, music or whatever - rather than stuff you had downloaded, saved or imported. But that wouldn't be the speaker's fault...

 

[AstroKeith]

3. Its only a bluetooth speaker, so you need a phone or sysrock to drive it. Used all day, everyday, it will eat into a phone's data allowance.

Bluetooth is only between the phone and the speaker, that can't eat into your data allowance, can it?

In my experience the preferred source is radio, and so this is where the data usage would come in. Using Spotify etc would also use it up I think. So you've got to manage your phone data usage, keep the unit changed up overnight.

I sent a few questions about it to Festool UK. The response showed they knew less than me about it, and worse they didnt attempt to find out the correct answers.

I really think they ought to stick to tools.

 

[FestitaMakool]

I agree with you AstroKeith.
If: Festool had dressed the inside of the systainer with MDF, and utilised that space as an resonance chamber. That would have been something. But this is just a veeeery late attempt to join the party with a everyday Bluetooth speaker mounted on a plastic lid connected to a plastic box.

I have the SysRock as a part of a promotion with my Kapex. It is ok for the $59 more that I paid for the Kapex than without. But I would never have paid more. There’s much much better alternatives out there. I got the Makita DAB radio a long time ago, it’s cost was half the SysRock, and the sound is threefold better.
I would look out to see if it shows up as a promotional item.

 

[Doug S]

Think I would prefer the bluetooth speaker to have the speakers in the front of the systainer so it could go anywhere in the stack instead of having to go on top.

 

[AlexThePalex]

In my experience the preferred source is radio, and so this is where the data usage would come in. Using Spotify etc would also use it up I think. So you've got to manage your phone data usage, keep the unit changed up overnight.

I sent a few questions about it to Festool UK. The response showed they knew less than me about it, and worse they didnt attempt to find out the correct answers.

I really think they ought to stick to tools.

A good site radio is quite normal these days in the line up of a tool manufacturer. I know some radios from Makita, DeWalt, Bosch and Milwaukee, and they're all very good. Festool's attempts are pretty feeble in comparison.

I don't understand why they never made a good radio in a Sys 2 format, with big stereo speakers in it. The DeWalt and Milwaukee radios around that size are excellent. But Festool only gives you this beercan sized Sysrock with a mono speaker. No thanks.

This bluetooth speaker does need an external audio source to drive it. But you can hardly blame them for giving you a piece of equipment that uses the latest technologies. Whether you're gonna use up your data plan or not is your choice, there are other ways to get music. I got 30 GB in mp3's on my phone. You can also listen through WiFi when that's available, and not every data plan is that costly these days.

By the way, I would never buy this or use this. I doubt an empty systainer makes a good resonance box for a speaker. And as many Festool things, it is way to expensive for what it offers. I think Festool systainers make good toolboxes, but are not suited as a base for every single thing you can imagine. I have two entry level studio monitors which I carry in a sys3 to the site, and they give me a better sound hooked up to my phone than this TopRock can ever produce, for less than half the price.

 

[Gregor]

I have two entry level studio monitors which I carry in a sys3 to the site, and they give me a better sound hooked up to my phone than this TopRock can ever produce, for less than half the price.

Do you have a link to these monitors?

 

[GavsterUK]

I'm a bit of a BOSE fan...but having played with the TopRock for a while now i can confirm its pretty darn good and of course if your feeling splash you can buy two and link em up to get some pretty good stereo! and of course its just a sys top so will pop on your other sys3 stuff. again  Don't knock it till you've seen it? [big grin] [big grin]

 

[AlexThePalex]

I have two entry level studio monitors which I carry in a sys3 to the site, and they give me a better sound hooked up to my phone than this TopRock can ever produce, for less than half the price.

Do you have a link to these monitors?

[member=53905]Gregor[/member], sorry didn't see your question before.
https://www.thomann.de/gb/behringer_ms16.htm

 

[AstroKeith]

I'm a bit of a BOSE fan...but having played with the TopRock for a while now i can confirm its pretty darn good and of course if your feeling splash you can buy two and link em up to get some pretty good stereo! and of course its just a sys top so will pop on your other sys3 stuff. again  Don't knock it till you've seen it? [big grin] [big grin]

Hi,
perhaps you can answer a question Festool UK failed to. What is "stereo quality sound"? A single TopRock is supposed to have this. A single unit has 6 speakers in it, so does it on its own produce stereo? (albeit not so good as having two units of course).

Also can a SysRock be used as a bluetooth source for a TopRock?

TIA
Keith

 

[Gregor]

sorry didn't see your question before.

No worries, nothing urgent.

Thanks for the link, price-wise it looks way more interesting. Though having bluetooth and operating on batteries is certainly a plus, to not trip over cables.

But product-wise the Festool offering would been more interesting would they not be in the form of a systainer lid but:

- as a box (current thickness is OK) with integrated kickstand for floors and a hook to hang on walls
- fitting snugly inside normal systainers for transport
- fitting inside an systainer³ attic lid top (instead of the flap)
- can attach a 18V battery (in case days get longer) with the ability to charge the internal battery from the external one
- multiple ones stack with an electrical an connection so they all can be charged using just one cable / wall wart (or from one 18V battery)
- list price would be reasonable for two of these in a bundle

Then I could see myself buying them, as they would be versatile.
But as a systainer lid for 200 bucks per pop...? Not that likely.

 

[jeh]

I'm going to wait until I've heard one of these before taking the expensive plunge. Festool are a tool designer and manufacturer after all. Their previous audio offerings don't sound that good IMHO. Worries for me,

1. Its squeezed into the lid, and so I suspect the bass performance will suffer
2. What is the internal battery life? Can the battery be replaced since if it is used every day, the lithium battery will die within two years.
3. Its only a bluetooth speaker, so you need a phone or sysrock to drive it. Used all day, everyday, it will eat into a phone's data allowance.
4. its sound is described as "stereo quality sound". So does one unit provide stereo? It says you can have two to fill a room with stereo sound, but what are those 6 speakers doing in the one unit. I'd hope for some sort of stereo in one box.
5. Can a sys rock be used as a bluetooth source?

No need to wait as the design compromised the quality before it was off the drawing board. Clipping on top of a systainer is the only benefit I can see. You can do a lot better for 1/2 the money.

 

[GavsterUK]

I'm a bit of a BOSE fan...but having played with the TopRock for a while now i can confirm its pretty darn good and of course if your feeling splash you can buy two and link em up to get some pretty good stereo! and of course its just a sys top so will pop on your other sys3 stuff. again  Don't knock it till you've seen it? [big grin] [big grin]

Hi,
perhaps you can answer a question Festool UK failed to. What is "stereo quality sound"? A single TopRock is supposed to have this. A single unit has 6 speakers in it, so does it on its own produce stereo? (albeit not so good as having two units of course).

Also can a SysRock be used as a bluetooth source for a TopRock?

TIA
Keith

I'll try my best to answer!
I'd say its definitely stereo! How you actually define it I'm no expert but as i said i have a £300 BOSE Speaker of similar size and this is comparable!
Compared to the Sys-Rok this is night and day.

Compared to to the other "Site Radios" out there I'd say the sound quality is more akin to what you'd expect for in your living room from Sonos or BOSE. To be fair on price in UK they are all £100 plus and indeed nigh on £200 for Dewalt so in our opinion the moneys right.

pass on if it can "fed" from the Sys-rok I doubt it. I will try at some point.

But hey I'm just a humble dealer [unsure]

 

[AstroKeith]

I'm a bit of a BOSE fan...but having played with the TopRock for a while now i can confirm its pretty darn good and of course if your feeling splash you can buy two and link em up to get some pretty good stereo! and of course its just a sys top so will pop on your other sys3 stuff. again  Don't knock it till you've seen it? [big grin] [big grin]

Hi,
perhaps you can answer a question Festool UK failed to. What is "stereo quality sound"? A single TopRock is supposed to have this. A single unit has 6 speakers in it, so does it on its own produce stereo? (albeit not so good as having two units of course).

Also can a SysRock be used as a bluetooth source for a TopRock?

TIA
Keith

I'll try my best to answer!
I'd say its definitely stereo! How you actually define it I'm no expert but as i said i have a £300 BOSE Speaker of similar size and this is comparable!
Compared to the Sys-Rok this is night and day.

Compared to to the other "Site Radios" out there I'd say the sound quality is more akin to what you'd expect for in your living room from Sonos or BOSE. To be fair on price in UK they are all £100 plus and indeed nigh on £200 for Dewalt so in our opinion the moneys right.

pass on if it can "fed" from the Sys-rok I doubt it. I will try at some point.

But hey I'm just a humble dealer [unsure]

Thanks for this. A bit more positive!

 

[Mr Speaker]

As someone who just 3 months ago bought a SYSROCK, I think there should be a generous trade in option.. And for gen II, they should have the USB port also on the inside, as I would put this TOPROCK top on a SYSHUB bottom and charge a phone inside the Systainer. I do not understand why the phone charging would be done outside the systainer. But I am interested in the sound quality.

 

[amcore]

Festool has just released a new limited edition Set.
https://www.festool.se/produkter/nyheter/nyheter/205746---inst-sys3orgm89

 

[Cheese]

I just received news from a Festool rep that the Positioning Aid, 205316, will NOT be available on October 1st but will be delayed until at least November 1st.  [sad]

Also mentioned was they had product to fill only 1/3 of the pre-orders so the rest of the pre-orders would be filled at a later date.  [eek]

Shades of the PRO 5 saga.

[attachimg=1]

[attachimg=2]

 

[ChuckM]

No matter what reason they're going to give for the delay (if true), I'll take it. But please, please don't blame it on Covid-19 or the supply chain.

The sky is not falling with delays like that. I was hoping to use it for a project due for final sanding around the first week of Oct. I guess I'll resort to hand sanding -- for one more time.

 

[FestitaMakool]

We’re seeing September releases pushed to October here too. So a month forward all over the supply chain seems plausible.

 

[rj_mccall]

Festool has just released a new limited edition Set.
https://www.festool.se/produkter/nyheter/nyheter/205746---inst-sys3orgm89

Interesting bit of kit, thanks for sharing! Hopefully doesn’t fall victim to the NAINA. Always enjoy the limited sets Festool produces