INTRODUCTION

    There's no better way for me to enjoy listening to music while at home or the lab/office than using a good pair of speakers plugged into a high-end music player. Granted there's not too much free time for that which is why I always try my best to review as many speakers as I possibly can (two birds with one stone). Earlier this year FIIO released one of their most highly anticipated products, the very compact SA1 High Fidelity Desktop Active Speaker which is what today's review is all about.

    FIIO was established in 2007 and has experience in researching and developing countless portable music products of different types, and sell FIIO-branded products through sales agents worldwide. The brand name FIIO is composed of Fi (fidelity from HiFi) and iO (number 1&0), representing the real feeling and convenient life that digital brings to life. Meanwhile, the Chinese “飞傲” is the transliteration of FIIO, indicating the positive and innovative spirit as thriving as spring. FIIO is focused on product quality, adheres strictly to ISO9001 standards in quality management and works hard to attain the lowest repair-related product returns rate.

    Right now the SA1 are available in two different color combinations (twilight black and cloud white - above picture) and feature 3.5-inch (90mm) wood fiber woofers (with 75mm flexible suspension for bass extension down to 65Hz - 20W output), 3/4-inch (20mm) aluminum magnesium alloy dome tweeters (5W output), 2-way active crossover (3.5kHz), TPA3118 class D digital audio amplifier, built-in phono preamp, volume and bass control knobs and an RGB ring on the volume knob which changes color according to input type (sky blue for RCA, pink for PHONO, Green for AUX, purple for Optical, yellow for Coaxial, orange for USB and blue for Bluetooth). Thanks to the 3.5-inch woofer & 3/4-inch tweeter the SA1 offer a frequency response of 65Hz-20KHz (Hi-Res certified) with 6 Ohm impedance and a total power output of 50W. FIIO has also placed an adjustable 31-band high precision lossless PEQ (via their control app) and as for available connectivity the SA1 offer both wired (stereo RCA, 3.5mm aux, USB 96k/32bit, coaxial 192k/24bit and optical 96k/24bit) and wireless (Bluetooth v5.4 with support for LDAC, AAC and SBC audio codecs).

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The company logo along with a large product picture, Hi-Res logos and the product name are all printed at the front of the box.

A drawing of the primary speaker rear end is located on the left side of the box.

At the rear FIIO obviously hints at the built-in phono preamp since between the SA1 we see a turntable.

FIIO has placed the SA1 between two thick pieces of foam.

Along with the SA1 and their power adapter inside the box you'll also find an remote control, RCA to 3.5mm cable, speaker connection cable and a quick start guide.

THE SA1

The primary speaker weighs 1750g and measures 135.5x155.6x185mm whereas the secondary speaker weights 1660g and measures 129x141.6x185mm.

FIIO has used high density MDF for both enclosures, but the 9mm thick faux solid wood veneer panels look great.

Here you can see an exposed view of the SA1 (marketing material).

To have a better understanding of just how compact the SA1 are I've placed them right next to the R7 music player by FIIO which I use in the lab.

The brushed aluminum accents with the black grilles FIIO has placed over the 3/4-inch (20mm) aluminum magnesium alloy dome tweeters and the 3.5-inch (90mm) wood fiber woofers  look extremely well.

The two control knobs (volume/input and bass adjustment) and the power on/off and RGB on/off switch are placed on the right side of the primary speaker.

Turning both speakers around we find all available connectors.

As expected, everything is located at the rear of the primary speaker and so here, we find the grounding, coaxial input, SPDIF/optical input, USB-C input, RCA input, subwoofer output, 3.5mm aux input, input switch, DC in and the speaker connection port.

Bass ports are located at the lower rear end of each speaker.

The bundled remote control is quite basic but includes every function you'd like to have.

I ended up using the SA1 primarily with the R7 music player for a period of just over 2 weeks (less with the M23 and R9).

CONTROL APP

The control app by FIIO gives you access to the more advanced features of the SA1.

As usual once you launch the app it will look around for available devices (in my case the BTR3 was also near).

From the main tab you can check the current wireless audio codec (my smartphone for some reason went to SBC although LDAC is also available), enable/disable the power saving mode, mute the speakers and change the input.

You can access the equalizer with the 11 available presets from the lower end of the app.

From the lower end of the app you can also access the current volume level and channel balance.

From the settings tab you can change the name of the SA1, check for firmware updates (no new ones at this time, not for my sample), clear pairing, restore the SA1 to its factory settings and shut it down.

CONCLUSION

    Four are the things you'll notice immediately once you take the SA1 out of their box, their compact size, design that really stands out, the rather impressive build quality (always for the size/cost) and the wealth of available connectors at the rear. To be completely honest with everyone I do enjoy using larger speakers more (mainly due to higher volume and bass levels) but the SA1 are probably among the only compact speakers I'd ever use if space was an issue. The MDF enclosures may not be heavy but thanks to the faux solid wood veneer panels and the front brushed aluminum accents they look nothing short of impressive. Moving to audio quality things are better than expected, mids and highs are crisp, detailed and accurate (the SA1 emphasize mids a bit more than highs) no matter if you listen to Coldplay, Teddy Swims, Bon Jovi or Iron Maiden. Things however change when it comes to bass heavy tracks and well here the SA1 aren't as forgiving (the 3.5-inch/9cm woofers simply can't produce miracles). This is also why FiiO made sure to include a subwoofer port and well, I'd make sure to use it regardless of what audio genre I’d be listening to. As for the control app the 31-band PEQ and the 11 available presets are certainly useful (somewhat demanding users will be playing around with these quite a bit), but the best news is that even if you don’t use the app, you will not be missing out on much.

    At the time of my review the SA1 High Fidelity Desktop Active Speaker by FiiO retail for just USD179.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for around 199Euros inside the EU so they are priced very well. Yes, if you listen to bass-rich audio tracks you will need to add the cost of a subwoofer eventually, but my guess is that many will not take that path. At the end of the day the FiiO SA1 deliver as advertised and are well worth of the Golden Award.

PROS

- Good Build Quality
- Audio Performance (Crisp & Detailed Mids & Highs)
- Active Speakers (50W Total)
- Bluetooth v5.4, 3.5mm Aux, Coaxial, USB & Stereo RCA Connectivity
- Features (Phono Preamp / LDAC Support)
- Sub Port
- Volume & Bass Control Knobs
- Available In Black/Wood & White/Silver Colors
- Control App (31 Band PEQ)
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Bass Levels (For Some)
- Overall Availability