FIIO SP3 High Fidelity Active Desktop Speakers (Black)

Product Information

They aren’t as dense as monitor speakers, but head-to-head against multimedia speakers, I think the vast majority of you will be more than pleasantly surprised by the perceived quality of the SP3. In my opinion, those are one of those speakers that look better in real life, than in picture, which is no small feat. The product is returned in original condition (with brand’s/manufacturer's box, MRP tag intact, user The device looks modern and will fit well on any modern style desk set up, while being small enough to even be placed on a small bookshelf or similar and not stand out. There are coloured rings around the knobs which change depending on the status of the device and add to the modern vibes of the device.

Usually, the largeness would be the WHOA factor, but in this case, it’s the tininess that is the whoa factor and how they are just a pleasure to use, for treble instances, with horrific quality music. I sometimes use Spotify, but mostly it’s gross quality YouTube streams and so on. You can always place the R7 in landscape position and the display will auto rotate in case that you want to watch a video. Many know FiiO as a manufacturer of portable audio players (DAPs), headphone amplifiers, DACs and IEMs. With its all-new R7 system, the Chinese company is taking aim at desktop and, potentially, small room loudspeaker listening. In addition, the R7 can output audio via Bluetooth using a wide range of different standards — including AAC, SBC, aptX, aptX HD, LDAC and LHDC. The FiiO R7 will be complemented by the FiiO SP3 active speakers, available later this year. You wouldn't call it too analogue and organic sounding but still it is not artificial at all and keeps digital glare under control if not completely absent.

USB DAC mode: for connecting any computer or phone like for example when you are gaming or watching movies on the computer and want to upgrade your audio experience. The innovative double-diffused S-shaped porting tube enhances bass extension and control, resulting in fast bass transients and superior bass quality. This design allows the SP3 to remain compact while still delivering high-quality sound. Efficient 2-Way Active Crossovers The SP3 is quality, top to bottom, and does not feel cheap in the slightest. Oh also! It has some LED lights on the bottom area that change colors. They look snazzy in the dark while I am gaming. A good layout that misses one and only thing: a subwoofer output. An unforgivable oversight in my opinion, especially on a desktop speaker, but maybe that’s just my opinion…

Berkhan had the chance to get a review unit for… review purpose, and was more than pleased by the device, granting the R7 the highly sought-after HFN recommended award. A quote for your reading pleasure: Exceptionally well-built, compact, easy to setup and sound efficient, those speakers fall directly in-line with the rest of the chinese brand’s catalog. The perfect companion of the FiiO R7, but you could even pair them with a small DAP or a computer via a small DAC like the KA5. Of course, they won’t dethrone a set of KEF LSXs or a pair of Genelec 8010APs, but for the price and their contained size, it’s hard to be more demanding. At my office, paired with a good source (in my case the A&K CA1000T), those two small box have been the perfect companion for the past few weeks now – to my own surprise. The tweeter of the SP3 also uses silk as a design material to absorb unwanted sound waves behind the driver, further improving the sound qualities of the driver. In addition, a large cavity behind the tweeter's magnet allows the tweeter to reproduce frequencies down to 800Hz. Moreover, when the tweeter delivers frequencies higher than 20kHz, this cavity and the general design of this loudspeaker allow the release of unwanted sound waves and reduce the resonances generated by the movement of the tweeter. The result is a nice extension of the highs and a smooth and accurate reproduction of them. My only regret? The absence of a subwoofer output – a must for all small speakers in my opinion – for those who might need a little more bass, as the speakers stop at 80Hz in practice. But apart of that, if you just want a pair of versatile, compact active speakers on the cheap, and don’t want to end up with those cheap looking plastic PC speakers, I can wholeheartedly recommend the FiiO SP3. Damn FiiO, what can’t you do now…You can even abandon the built-in AC power supply for an external DC unit, although we found the sound output was perfectly clean straight out of the box.