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Mel Martin
I think it should. While not a high-end speaker, this feature-packed product would be very happy in a home office or bedroom. With its own amplifiers, and multiple inputs, all you really need is a music source to have a very well-equipped and good-sounding mini system.
For $299.00 I don’t know of any other product that will measure up to this well-built and well- appointed pair of desktop speakers. Frankly, when I was sent these, I did not expect too much, but after hooking them up, and scanning the short manual, I was surprised at the variety of well- thought-out features that make these speakers special. For most people who came over to hear them, they wanted to buy a pair.
FiiO SP3 Active Desktop Speakers Highlights
- The FiiO SP3 Speakers are very well constructed. Each speaker is made from 2 pieces of diecast aluminum.
- There are 2 inputs: RCA and a 3.5 mm line input.
- On the back panel of the right speaker are volume and bass controls, an input selector, and a handy switch that lets you invert which speaker is the right or left speaker.
- A DIN port connects the 2 speakers.
- The speakers feature an RGB light at the bottom. It’s something I could live without, but some may like it. Happily, you can turn it off.
- Even though the speakers have pretty good bass for their size, a subwoofer out would be welcome.
FiiO has been around since 2007, but in that relatively short time, they have had a pretty substantial impact on audiophiles. They make some excellent DAPs for portable music listening, and they had a hit with the desktop R7 which I reviewed last year. These SP3 speakers are a nice companion to the R7, which can be a source of digital music to feed these speakers.
In fact, for my review of the SP3 Speakers, I used my FiiO M15 digital audio player and plugged in my FiiO R7 which I use as a Roon endpoint to feed these speakers. I also used my M15 as a Roon Endpoint to have a wide variety of selections. The unit I was sent does not have Bluetooth, but a step-up model, the SP3 BT does.
Dimensions:
About (excluding base): 6.42” x 4.72” x 5.2” (163 x 120 x 132mm)
Slightly more on the included 0° flat base: 6.69” x 4.72” x 5.2” (170 x 120 x 132mm)
Slightly more when on the included 7° angled base: 7.17” x 4.72 x 5.2” (182 x 120 x 132mm)
Weight:
Primary speaker weight: 4.06 lbs. (1840g)
Secondary speaker weight: 3.66 lbs. (1660g)
Cabinet material:
Aluminum alloy
Cabinet manufacturing method:
Liquid die casting
Crossover:
2-way
Frequency response:
65Hz-20kHz (±2dB)
Speaker impedance:
8Ω
Speaker sensitivity:
85dB (1Vrms) @1kHz
Output power:
30W*2 (woofer)+10W*2 (tweeter)
Inputs:
RCA/AUX
3.5mm mini plug
U.S. Retail Price:
$299.99
U.S. Website:
Company:
SECRETS Tags:
Powered Speakers, FiiO, desktop speakers
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The SP3 Speakers are nice to look at. Diminutive in size, they won’t overwhelm a desktop system and will nicely blend with a computer, or they can be used as a standalone music system.
Driver-wise, FiiO offers one woofer and tweeter in a two-way configuration. The large driver is a 3.5” carbon fiber design, which FiiO claims to give a quick transient response and reduced distortion. The tweeter is a FiiO-designed 1-inch silk dome driver.
All the controls are on the right speaker’s back panel, and the left speaker gets its power from a cable attached to the right speaker. Input switching, bass, and volume controls are all on that back panel, as are the controls for the RGB lighting, which is probably unnecessary.
An argument could be made to put some of the controls (power, volume, input switch, and bass) on the front panel, rather than have to reach around to the back for these adjustments. On the other hand, the current design certainly makes for a clean look.
The speakers have 4 amplifiers, giving an output power total of 80 watts, 30 watts for the bass, and 10 watts for the treble.
The amplifiers are two-channel Class D with a peak total power of 100 watts, but the 80-watt specification is more realistic.
On the back of each speaker is a ducted port for extended bass. The speakers should be placed close to a wall for the best low-end performance.
The FiiO SP3 Speakers are packed in a single box, and well protected by dense foam. Included in the packaging are an AC cord/Power supply, 2 rubberized flat stands, and two 7-degree angled stands to tilt the speakers up. There is the cord connecting the two speakers, a signal cord with 2 RCAs at one end, and a 3.5 mini jack for connection to your source. There’s also a quick start manual.
Connecting everything is easy enough. Connect the power cord to the right speaker, and the other plug into a handy wall outlet. Connect the two speakers via the provided DIN cable. Then connect your source. There is a power button on the back of the right speaker, along with a volume control and a rotary bass control. An RGB button allows you to have a colored LED light glow from the bottom of each speaker. Repeated pressing of the switch gives you different colors, or you can have them off.
Frankly, the speakers were a surprise. The sound is much bigger than their size would indicate. When set to my normal listening volume I could not hear any system noise. The treble was quite enjoyable and not strained, midrange sounded full and pleasant on vocals and choral works. The bass is not going to be deep, but it’s ample given the small enclosure, Since the speaker is a ducted port design, having a rear wall nearby will help enhance the low end, but even standing alone with no rear walls I thought the bass was good for such a small transducer.
Here are some specifics of things I enjoyed:
John Williams, Anne-Sophie Mutter, “Across The Stars”
Across the Stars – John Williams, Anne-Sophie Mutter: This is a fine high-resolution concert with Williams conducting his film music with Ms. Mutter playing the violin. The high frequencies in the music were very clean and undistorted. The bass, while not overpowering did not distort either. The imaging between the speakers was quite good.
Igor Morozov, Evgeny Kachurovsky, Alexis V. Lukianov, PaTRAM Institute Male Choir, Ekaterina Antonenko, “Rachmaninoff: All-Night Vigil”
Rachmaninoff – All-Night Vigil: An excellent 96/24 Chandos recording of this ethereal choral work was really quite nice on these speakers. They preserved a sense of the recording space and provided a sharp image of the chorus spread between the two speakers. The image sounded larger than the speakers’ distance, which is a positive artifact of the driver’s design.
Sonny Rollins, “Go West!: The Contemporary Records Albums”
Sonny Rollins – Go West! A classic jazz album from 1957 re-engineered recently and sounding terrific. It has a very wide separation of the instruments as was the recording style in those days, but it sounds fresh and exciting. The SP3 Speakers did a nice job on these acoustic instruments, and the low thump of the drums was pretty good given the small size of the bass driver.
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The FiiO speakers provide very high value for a low cost. One could do a lot worse and spend the same amount of money.
- Build quality is very solid at this price point.
- Easy to set up.
- Sound is just fine if you have realistic expectations.
- Excellent sound at this price point.
- Front-mounted volume control.
- Headphone jack.
- Will disappoint listeners who want really deep bass and so it needs…
- A subwoofer output (and FiiO should offer a matching Sub for the SP3 Speakers).
Make no mistake, this is not a speaker for your large listening room or home video setup, but as a small bedroom system or in your office next to your computer it does a very nice job. The amplifiers provide plenty of gain, and I never heard the speakers straining or breaking up at volumes that would send most people from the room. Of course, one could buy some KEF Wireless LS50 speakers, for example, that would sound better but at a considerably higher price. And if you don’t get powered speakers, you’ll need to invest in an amplifier which the FiiO builds in.