FiiO SP3 Review

UI & Usage

Everyday use

Once taken out of the box, it only takes a few minutes to setup the FiiO SP3. 

Plug the DC supply, link the two speakers together with the provided cable, then connect the main speaker to your source and you’re good to go! If by any chance you happen not to get any sound for the speakers, just click the input buttons, chances are that you’re not playing the right input. Out of curiosity, I even connected the FiiO SP3 directly to my Macbook, and as expected, it worked flawlessly.

Once done, all I had to do was to set the right volume level at the back of the speaker – 80% in my case and then volume control from the source – and adjust the bass level according to my tastes. The scale goes from -8dB to 0dB, but in my case that translated in “no bass” to “some bass” – yes those aren’t Devialet’s Phantom, but more on that later.

Then, you’ll have to choose between the classic 0° rubber pad, or the 7° ones. Something that may seem trivial on paper, but during my test, I could really feel a difference in my setup, the inclined pads providing a real advantage in terms of soundstage, which is wider and better defined, even more so in a desktop configuration.

Last but not least, let’s talk about the RGB lightning: if not vital, this option really gives a distinctive touch to the SP3. Sadly, you can’t sync the Led with your music as all you’ll be able to do is switch between the various LED modes – still cool though if you like the dancing lights.

I don’t own a FiiO R7 but on a clean desktop – mine isn’t – this might be one of nicest combo you can get in terms of versatility and compactness. Compared to my KEF LS50 Wireless, the difference is striking and the KEF looked simply gigantic once I put them back; but on my wife’s desktop, they replaced a set of Sonos One and this time the SP3 looked much more adequate, tiny even.

Bundle

Inside the box

With just two inputs, I didn’t expect the FiiO SP3 to come with an extensive bundle. That’s, indeed, the case. But on the other hand, I have to point out how everything provided looks and feels premium.

Inside, you will find :

• the FiiO SP3
• a DC power supply + power plug
• a braided cable used to connect the main and secondary speaker
• one RCA to 3.5mm cable, quite useful as you can either use it for the RCA, or the 3.5mm input depending of the source
• some documentation
• and (drum roll) two pairs of rubber base, two with a 0 angle and two with a 7 angle – the bravura piece of that bundle – more on that later.

Again, if the power supply isn’t particularly eye-catching, the provided cable are, on the other hand, especially impressive. Not only do they come with solid, fancy looking, termination, they also seem future-proof thanks to their impeccable braiding.

Specifications

For the nit-pickers and nerdy ones here, I’m giving the specs and technical sheets. For all the others, you can just go to the next page to see how the SP3 performs.

Carbon Fiber Woofer + Silk Tweeter

For their first speakers, FiiO chose a conservative setup, one woofer + one tweeter in a dual-way configuration.

For lows and mids, FiiO employs a 3.5 inch carbon fiber midwoofer, designed to projet a larger soundstage thanks to the mechanical prowess of this material. Lighter than the steel, stiffer than the aluminium, carbon fiber allows the woofer to offer rapid transient response and reduce non-linear distortion. Each fiber is just 0.007mm thick, but braided together, this wrinkle-free diaphragm annihilate unwanted secondary vibrations.

Inside the woofer, you’ll find FiiO new “asymmetrical internal and external magnetic circuits”, a fancy way to describe the speaker topology: in addition to the classic internal magnet, surrounded by the voice coil, the SP3 gets an additional external magnet, giving the speaker more magnetic power (up to 1.2 Tesla)

For the highs, the SP3 gets an in-house developed 1-inch silk tweeter. A step-up compared to many competitors, that comes with a KSB copper-clad aluminum voice-coil and a soft sound-absorbing dome, allowing the tweeter to reach down to 800 Hz frequencies – impressive.

Power-wise, the FiiO SP3 uses a two-channel class-D amplifier, outputting 10W for the highs and 30W for the lows. Peak power can reach 100W, but on a daily basis, 40W should be plentiful on a desktop, at least it was during my testing. On top on that, the 2-way second order active filter manage should avoid drivers overload and minimize, once again, the distortion. We’ll have to check that in real-life though.

Add to that a directional acoustic waveguide, directly carved in the case, and on a daily basis, you should not get more than 2-3dB of loss when listening 15° off-axis.

So far so good, let’s plug them now.

Full specs

• Model: FiiO SP3
• Type: active speakers
• Output power: 40W per speaker (30W for the bass / 10W for the treble)
• Crosstalk: 84 dB
• Signal to Noise Ratio: 96dBA
• Crossover point: 3400Hz
• Frequency response: 65Hz – 20 kHz
• Drivers: 1x 3.5” carbon fiber midwoofer/ 1x 1” silk tweeter
• Inputs: 1x RCA / 1x 3.5mm jack

• Sensitivity: 85dB
• Dimensions: 165 x 120 x 130mm
• Weight: 1.8 kg (main) / 1.6kg (secondary)
• Price: $329

The article continues on Page Three, after the click here

Page 1: about FiiO, design, layout

Page 2: UI, Usage, Bundle, Specifications

Page 3: Sound performances