FiiO is a brand that every audiophile knows by now: made famous by their excellent portable players, they have been steadily expanding their lineup, and recently they released their first pair of speakers, the FiiO SP3. The first speakers from the famed company do not disappoint, offering playful, soft sound and an excellent stage.. We’re talking small desktop speakers, perfect for a home office setup or even a gamer’s battle station. They intrigued me, and I gladly got my opportunity to test them. Spoiler alert: I am keeping them!
The specs
The FiiO SP3 active speakers feature 3.5-inch carbon fiber mid/bass drivers and 1-inch soft dome tweeters, powered by 30W amplification for the bass and 10W for the treble. They have a soft, sound-absorbing treble dome design along with a directional acoustic waveguide on the tweeters. The bass is delivered through a double diffused S-shape port tube in a rear-ported, bass reflex cabinet. The small, 2.35-liter internal volume is housed in a sturdily constructed pressure die-cast liquid aluminum alloy metal cabinet. LED lighting effects are included and the speakers can be elevated 7 degrees when placed one meter from the listening position using included stands. Connectivity is via rear 3.5mm or RCA analog inputs, along with cables to link the speakers and control volume. Bass and volume gain can also be adjusted on the rear, along with input selection and master/slave designation of each speaker.
Design
Let’s start with how they look. I am personally a big fan of the aesthetics here: FiiO went for the industrial look, as the speakers (at least my pair) are all-black with a thick metal covering them from top to bottom. They are heavy — surprisingly so for their compact size. They look quite stern, although they do have a playful side represented by an RGB LED strip at the bottom. This makes them perfect for gamers, too. Myself, I was never a fan of that aesthetic, so I turned it off.
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Despite being a strictly desktop speaker, the FiiO SP3 don’t have a wireless connection, which just might be their biggest problem. As someone who tries to limit the amount of wires on my desk, I was surprised at first, but it’s definitely not a dealbreaker. After all, all that matters is the sound. But I am sure a lot of potential buyers will be as surprised as I was.
Instead, FiiO doubles down on the audiophile side of their brand. Inside the box, you’ll find the fabric-laced thick cables to connect your speakers to your source. They are indeed high-quality, but that means that hiding them is extra hard. This is where I have to remind you that these are $299 speakers. For that price, I have never encountered a package that nice: everything feels weighty and premium, from the cables to the speakers themselves, clad in their metal armor.
Sound
As you can see, the FiiO SP3 come without a sub, which might disappoint you. Still, their bass response is nothing to sniff at. In fact, by default, they are tuned to maximum bass as if to compensate for a a lack of woofer. No need: they are more than capable of producing rumbling lows. Pretty soon I dialed the bass down to the minimum — otherwise, it got overpowering.
Of course, you can choose to passively plug the 3.5mm cable into an amplifier that comes with a high-quality bass switch. But personally, I am fine without it.
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The mids are likewise impressive, balanced and way better than I expected considering the size of the speakers. There’s no midrange bloom, and the sound is not cold, but exciting and natural. The treble is similar: no harshness, no hint of roughness even at high volume.
Still, make no mistake: these are near-field speakers that require you to be close to them to truly enjoy the sound. They are loud enough to fill my whole apartment up with sound, but they also lose clarity from the distance. They absolutely can be used that way, but just remember that these are first and foremost desktop speakers.
I tested the FiiO SP3 speakers mostly with music, but they are as capable for gaming or movie watching. Sub, once again, would be appreciated, but even without it, every explosion felt powerful.
Verdict
I had a ton of fun with the FiiO SP3. The first speakers from the famed company do not disappoint, offering playful, soft sound and an excellent stage. It’s extremely easy to forget that these are just $299 and start treating them as something more expensive, critiquing this and that. But for the price, it’s very hard to find anything even close to performance like that.