In this article, I review the FiiO SP3 BT active desktop speakers. The SP3 BT features a 3.5-inch carbon fibre woofer and a 1-inch silk tweeter. It’s priced at $360.

Disclaimer: This sample was provided by FiiO for an honest review. All observations and opinions here are my own, based on my experience with the product.

FiiO SP3 BT

In the Box

• Primary speaker *1
• Secondary speaker *1
• Power adapter *1
• AC power cable *1
• RCA to 3.5mm audio input cable
• Primary and secondary speaker connection cable
• Instruction manual
• Rubber base *2 pairs (0° and 7°)

The accessories are excellent. Not only are they generous but they’re also good quality. However, I wish there was an RCA to RCA instead of the RCA to 3.5mm and I think a 20° base would have been more useful than the 0° base included.

Design

The FiiO SP3 BT speaker bodies are made from a high-strength die-cast aluminium material with a corrugated surface. They feel reassuringly hefty (the primary speaker weighs 1950g), which is generally a good sign for speakers because it helps reduce distortion.

The 3.5-inch woofer is exposed but the silk dome tweeter has a sturdy protective metal cover. The RGB light panel is at the base of the speaker chassis (more on this later). For now, let’s talk about the rear panel on the primary speaker.

First and foremost is the double-diffused S-shaped porting tube at the top. Damping is placed at the top and bottom of the tube for reduced audible noise and a more robust bass response.

There’s a lot going on here with the main speaker so I’ll put everything on a list:

• Volume knob
• Bass knob
• Input selection button
• RGB effect selection button
• RCA line in
• AUX input
• USB input
• Optical input
• Coaxial input
• Bluetooth Antenna
• L/R channel switch
• Power button
• DC power input
• Primary speaker output

With 6 different input options, the FiiO SP3 BT ticks all the boxes for compatibility. Unfortunately, there’s no subwoofer out which is disappointing. However, I was able to use a 2.1-channel preamp and the RCA line input to add my subwoofer to the chain which added a lot of depth to the sound (the SP3 BT can only reach down to 65Hz).

The SP3 BT is equipped with Bluetooth 5.0, courtesy of a Qualcomm QCC5124 chip. It supports all of our favourite Hi-Res wireless audio codecs including LDAC, aptX Adaptive,
aptX HD, aptX LL, aptX, AAC and SBC.

FiiO Control App

The FiiO SP3 BT is compatible with the FiiO Control app. From within the app, users can choose from 7 preset EQ settings and create custom sound profiles with the 10-band parametric EQ. You can also easily update the speaker’s firmware via the app so it’s a useful feature.

Another thing I appreciate about the SP3 BT is its standby wake-up function. The speakers will go into standby mode if no signal input is detected for 20 minutes and automatically reactivate upon detecting a signal.

RGB Lighting

When I first learned about the LED lighting, I was concerned it might be a garish ‘gamer’ novelty but it’s done tastefully and is very useful. There’s an LED ring around the base of each speaker and the effect is quite subtle, even at night.

The LEDs provide instant feedback on the chosen input method by changing colours. This lets you see what’s active with a quick glance. In Bluetooth mode, the LEDs adapt their colour to the specific Bluetooth codec being used. On top of that, you can choose from various lighting modes and effects, or simply turn them off entirely if you prefer.

Sound

The FiiO SP3 BT offers diverse input options, and I thoroughly tested three of them: USB, RCA, and Bluetooth. Ultimately, I favoured the RCA input, because it allowed me to incorporate my subwoofer into the system through the KGUSS T5Pro preamp.

The SP3 BT’s sound signature (without a subwoofer or EQ) is clear and energetic. It’s expressive and lively with a focus on the upper midrange. With the default settings, I found the upper mids somewhat aggressive but a little EQ tweaking using the FiiO Control app sorted that out easily.

Once I had found my preferred EQ, it was time for some music! I started with the funky “All Night Long” by the Mary Jane Girls and the SP3 BT found its rhythm in the track right away. The speakers capture the intricate dynamic shifts of the keyboard and flute, accompanied by the sultry and vibrant female vocals.

Next, I quickened the pace with JPEGMAFIA / Danny Brown’s “Fentanyl Tester”. The frenetic energy of the drums and lyrics was a perfect test for the SP3 BT, and it passed with flying colours, handling the chaos without breaking a sweat. There wasn’t as much depth in the bass as I’d like but that comes down to the size of the speakers and physics – To unlock the full sonic potential, I added my subwoofer to the setup and that’s when things got really interesting.

For some soul goodness, I switched gears to Bill Withers’ “Use Me.” The SP3 BT captured the richness of Withers’ iconic vocals, letting his smooth baritone take center stage. The funky bassline thumped with infectious energy, complementing the crisp snap of the drums. The hi-hats and guitars were delivered with clarity, highlighting the intricate details within the groove.

Testing the Bluetooth connectivity, I was impressed by the quality, especially when using aptX Adaptive and LDAC. It wasn’t as robust as the wired audio but it came pretty close.

Verdict

FiiO’s foray into speakers with the SP3 BT is a resounding success. The build quality is impressive, and the feature set is impressive. But the true star is the sound – crisp, detailed, and surprisingly expressive for such compact and affordable speakers. Delivering exceptional value, the SP3 BT easily earns our recommendation.

Specifications

Model	SP3	SP3 BT
Speaker type	High Fidelity Active Desktop Speakers	High-fidelity Bluetooth active desktop speaker
Dimensions	About 163x120x132mm (excluding base)  About 170x120x132mm (including 0° flat base)  About 182x120x132mm (including 7° angled base)
Bluetooth chip	N/A	Qualcomm QCC5124
Bluetooth codecs	N/A	LDAC/aptX Adaptive/ aptX HD/aptX LL/ aptX/AAC/SBC
Weight	Primary speaker weight 1840g	Primary speaker weight 1950g
	secondary speaker weight 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/Type-C/COAX/OPT	RCA/AUX/Type-C/ COAX/OPT
RGB status lights	Blue light: LINE IN 1 (RCA IN) Green light: LINE IN 2 (AUX IN)	Blue light: LINE IN 1 (RCA IN) Green light: LINE IN 2 (AUX IN) Purple light: OPT IN Yellow light: COAX IN Orange light: USB IN Bluetooth: When not paired, the indicator light flashes red and blue alternately. After successful pairing, it displays corresponding colors based on the codec.
Indicator light of Bluetooth codecs	N/A	LDAC: Pulsing white light aptX Adaptive: Pulsing green light aptX HD: Pulsing yellow light aptX/aptX LL: Pulsing purple light AAC: Pulsing cyan light SBC: Pulsing blue light
Supported sampling rate of USB/Optical/Coaxial decoding	N/A	Supports 44.1kHz, 48kHz, and 96kHz, with a bit depth of up to 32