September 2025

FiiO Fantastic CP13 Cassette Player, RR11 Radio, And SA1 Desktop Speakers Review
Three musical treats for the road less traveled.
Review By Paul Schumann

   When I started grad school, I had to make the trek from Austin, TX, to Knoxville, TN, in my 1980 Toyota Celica. Since space would be limited, I had to figure out how to bring some of my music with me so I could retain my sanity during my first semester of graduate studies. That's when I decided to plunge into portable audio and bought my first Walkman. I already had most of my albums recorded on tape, so I wouldn't be missing out on much. Plus, this Walkman included a tuner, so I could listen to anything new coming out.

Sure, the sound wasn't the best, but I had music until I could haul my system and records later on. The flaw in my plan was that I didn't anticipate how quickly that little Walkman ate batteries. I was a poor grad student, so I used the Sears card my parents gave me "for emergencies" and bought a couple of sets of rechargeables. After that, I was set. That old Walkman and those tapes are long gone, but I have fond memories of how that technological marvel provided me with music during those stressful times.

I hadn't thought about that Walkman until I was given the chance to review three pieces of equipment from FiiO: the CP13 Portable Cassette Player, the RR11 Portable Stereo Radio Player, and the SA1 High-Fidelity Desktop Active Speakers. I'd already reviewed several products from FiiO and been impressed with their quality. Without hesitation, I decided to take a trip down memory lane.

I have to admit, the product that fascinated me most was the CP13 Portable Cassette Player. Since the early 2000s, cassettes have been a minor player in music sales. While you could make pretty good recordings with a nice deck at home, most mass-produced tapes were of inferior quality to vinyl. So why this resurgence in the cassette format? This can be attributed to the burgeoning lo-fi music movement. Lo-fi music is exactly what you would expect: music intentionally recorded with imperfections.

There is a lot of speculation as to why this genre is growing. It might be a rejection of the slickly-marketed and highly-polished music released by the big studios. It could be that low-fi music is less intrusive and more calming. Another explanation is that this generation of young people has grown used to listening to music coming from the speakers of their phones as they watch TikTok videos. Whatever the cause, lo-fi appears to be here to stay. FiiO has made a player for those lo-fi cassettes (and FM radio and seen below).

As I mentioned, all of my cassette tapes disintegrated years ago, so I purchased a brand-new tape to do my review. That led to the dilemma of what tape to buy. I would have loved to buy a cassette of music by the lo-fi band Cindy Lee. Unfortunately, their sprawling Diamond Jubilee, which started on YouTube, has not made it to cassette tape. Poking around on the internet, I decided to see if I could find an artist with whom I was familiar, but in a lo-fi setting. I bought Olivia Rodrigo - Tiny Desk Concert [NPR Music - 8]. It was recorded live with a small ensemble and minimal processing. While I waited for Olivia to arrive, I unboxed the CP13.

The first thing I noticed was how hefty and solid it felt. Much more so than my old Walkman. The fit and finish were spectacular. The controls were what you would expect for a tape player. I emphasized that because the CP13 lacks recording capability. I also noticed that the CP13 doesn't have any noise reduction. Since cassettes usually have a lot of tape hiss, this surprised me. Lastly, the CP13 does not come with any headphones/IEMs. So, for my listening sessions, I used my FiiO FD5 IEMs.

Once Olivia arrived at my house, I popped the cassette in the CP13, curious about what I would hear. Before the music started, I did hear some tape hiss, but it was much less than I expected. When the first song, "Love is Embarrassing," kicked in, Ms. Rodrigo's voice came through, front and center, without any alteration other than maybe a little compression. It was fun to hear Olivia and her band go through four songs using makeshift arrangements in an intimate setting. I've always maintained that this is the best way to listen to an artist, but she's a huge pop star, so huge venues are your only option. That's why the Tiny Desk concerts are so fun. I listened to the tape several times during one week. Over that time, I started to appreciate her singing and her musical choices. These performances demonstrated that she knows that pop music should be fun and from the heart. The FiiO CP13 brought that out.

Next, I turned my attention to the RR11 Portable Stereo Radio Player. Once again, I want to congratulate FiiO for creating such an elegant device. Just like CP13, the fit and finish were top-notch. A little bit bigger than a lighter, the RR13 fits easily in the palm of your hand. There are three interesting features to this radio player. First, it has an analog tuner with a scroll wheel and an old-fashioned display. Second, it has a slide button so you can choose to augment the sound with a bass boost or bass boost + 3D surround. Third, the RR11 can be hooked up to your phone via USB and used solely as a headphone amp. The RR11 does come with a set of earbuds. I had a hard time getting them to stay in my ears correctly, so I ended up using my FD5s.

Let's talk about FM radio for a minute. I almost exclusively listen to FM in my car because two stations here in Austin, KUTX and Sun Radio, play a wide variety of music. I heard many great artists through these stations for the first time. I also love our classical station, KMFA, but with all the noise in the car, it makes listening to classical music difficult. When I first got the RR11, I tried tuning in to KUTX and Sun Radio, but they were unlistenable. The music coming from those and other commercial stations was so processed that the life had been squeezed out of it. I know I was just talking about lo-fi, but something about it made listening irritating and uncomfortable.

The only station worth listening to was KMFA. While this was disappointing in some regards, I enjoyed listening to classical music on the RR11. I was repeatedly surprised at how engaged I was with the music, even baroque, which isn't my favorite. During one of my listening sessions with the RR11, Ravel's Le Tombeau de Couperin started playing. This is one of my favorite pieces. I am intimately familiar with Pierre Boulez's version with the Cleveland Orchestra [Deutsche Grammophon – B0002121-02]. This version is a free-flowing modern interpretation of Ravel's homage to his fallen comrades. The performance I listened to on the RR11 was by the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra [Deutsche Grammophon – 449 186-2]. This smaller ensemble played Le Tombeau de Couperin with more bounce and verve than I had heard before.

I was grateful that I had, by chance, been able to listen to this version that I wouldn't have picked out for myself. But that is the joy of radio. By giving up control, you can be exposed to new things. I've ended up using the RR11 frequently as I do little jobs around the house. It surprised me how much I loved this little device, but I do.

The last piece of FiiO gear I listened to was the SA1 active speakers. These little gems are packed with all sorts of cool features. The SA1 loudspeakers are a two-way design with a ¾-inch aluminum-magnesium alloy tweeter and a 3.5-inch wood fiber midrange/bass driver. The speakers are driven by TI TPA3118 digital amplifiers with active electronic crossovers. The SA1s can accept inputs from all kinds of sources, including Bluetooth, RCA line and phono, Toslink, SPDIF, and 3.5 mm auxiliary. The SA1 loudspeakers come with an IR remote control, but since they can be controlled by the FiiO app that I already had on my phone, I used that exclusively. This app includes a 31-band equalizer that has presets or can be customized to your liking. As I said, a bunch of great features.

I started listening to the SA1 speakers by streaming Qobuz through my phone and connecting via Bluetooth. It all worked seamlessly, and they sounded surprisingly good right out of the box. I connected with the FiiO app and played with the equalization feature, but I found I preferred it on the flat setting. I considered that a compliment to these cool speakers. After a few days, I queued up Lou Harrison - Seven Pastorales [MusicMasters – 01612-67089-2] for some critical listening. I picked this album because I had recently heard Harrison's music on KMFA and wanted to explore further. I was immediately impressed with the SA1's ability to handle the wide dynamic range of the music.

I was also quite happy with the tone of the strings and Keith Jarrett's piano. During loud passages, I didn't hear any strain. Was I hearing this music with the inner resolution of my main system? Nope. But that isn't the point. With the SA1 speakers, I was able to enjoy music with portability and convenience that would have blown my mind a few years ago.

Just for fun, I tried hooking up the CP13 and RR11 to the SA1 speakers with the 3.5 mm input. The RR1 sounded full and dynamic. The only drawback was the difficulty in finding a position for the RR11 for a good reception. Listening to the CP13, I noticed a little more sibilance on the vocals and some wow and flutter.

The last feature I wanted to explore on the SA1 was the phono stage. Since I wanted to stay in the lo-fi party mood, I plugged my turntable in and dropped the B-52s' Whammy! [Warner Bros. Records – 9 23819-1] on the platter. I was immediately surprised by how lively and dynamic the music was. As I grooved out to the B-52s singing "A Song for A Future Generation," I was taken back to my college days before I even heard the term "hi-end". The B-52s are all about having fun, and with this setup, fun was happening in my living room.

I had a great time reviewing these three pieces of gear from FiiO. I wasn't sure how I was going to write this review when they first arrived, but the more I used them, the more I loved them. The word "fun" isn't used very much in discussing audio, but fun is what I had. As I am writing this, I'm listening to Cindy Lee playing through the SA1s and enjoying every minute. I would highly recommend any of these high-quality gadgets. FiiO builds quality products, and I look forward to what they will come out with in the future.

Specifications
FiiO CP13 Cassette Tape Player 
Dimensions: Approximately 120 x 88.3 x 31.8 mm
Weight: 310g (10.9 oz)
Supported Cassette Types: All types I to IV
Output: 2-Track stereo playback, 3.5mm headphone jack
Output Level: ≥250mV (32Ω)
SNR: > 55dB
Wow and Flutter: ≤ 0.2%
Price: $87.99

FiiO RR11 FM Radio Player 
Radio Tuner: FM (64-108 MHz) 
Frequency Response: 20 Hz to 95 kHz ± 3 dB 
Wired I/O: 1x 1/8" / 3.5 mm Stereo Headphone Output, 1x USB-C Audio Input/Output
Wireless: No 
Dimensions: 83.2 x 39.4 x 13 mm 
Weight: 46 grams 
Battery: 300 mAh rechargeable lithium, offering up to 8.5 hours of FM radio or 17.5 hours as an amplifier 
Hardware: SoC MS430, FM radio SI4831, Analog sound effect & amp FIIO DDB AS100 custom chip 
Other Features: Analog PVR tuning, built-in signal gain antenna, 3D bass sound effect, dual-mode operation (FM/AMP)
Price: 54.99

FiiO SA1 Powered Desktop / Monitor Loudspeakers
Drivers:
Woofer: 3.5" wood fiber cone 
Tweeter: 0.75" aluminum-magnesium alloy 
Amplification: Texas Instruments TI TPA3118 Class D digital amplifiers 
Power Output:
Woofer: 20W per channel (20W x 2) 
Tweeter: 5W per channel (5W x 2) 
Crossover: Two-way electronic, crossover point at 3.5kHz
Frequency Response: 65Hz – 20kHz
Connectivity:
Bluetooth 5.4 (LDAC, AAC, SBC) 
USB Type-C (up to 32bit/96kHz) 
Coaxial (up to 24bit/192kHz) 
Optical (up to 24bit/96kHz) 
RCA (including phono input) 
3.5mm aux input 
Subwoofer output 
Other Features:
Built-in phono preamp 
FiiO Control app support with 31-band PEQ 
Bass adjustment knob 
Custom infrared remote control
Price: $199.99

Company Information
FiiO
No.21, Longliang Road
Xialiang Village, Longgui Street
Baiyun District
GuangZhou, China

Voice: +86 136 605 40625
E-mail: sunny@fiio.net  
Website: FiiO.com