Saiyin DS6801S Bookshelf Speakers: features, inputs and who they suit

The Saiyin DS6801S is a pair of powered bookshelf speakers with a wood-grain finish, built to play a record player, a CD player and your phone through one set of speakers. Each speaker pairs a silk dome horn tweeter with a 5.2-inch woofer, and the back panel offers Bluetooth plus several wired inputs. Here is what the specs mean and how to connect a turntable.

What "powered" means

Powered (or active) speakers have their amplifier built in, so you plug sources straight into them instead of running them through a separate amplifier or receiver. In a typical powered pair, one speaker holds the amplifier, the inputs and the power connection, and it drives the second speaker over ordinary speaker wire. The product images show this layout, with spring-clip speaker terminals on the back and a length of speaker wire in the box.

Saiyin doesn't list a power output figure in the product details, so loudness for a given room is hard to judge from the numbers.

Horn tweeter and 5.2-inch woofer

Each speaker has a 65 mm silk dome tweeter set in a horn. Silk dome tweeters are known for a smooth treble, and a horn in front of the dome raises efficiency and focuses the sound in a more controlled direction. Saiyin says the combination gives more accurate, dynamic and detailed sound than a silk dome without a horn.

Below it, a 5.2-inch woofer handles the bass and midrange, with a bass port on the front panel. A woofer of this size typically suits a desk or a small to medium room. For deeper bass, the subwoofer line out lets you add a separate powered subwoofer.

Inputs on the back

The rear panel of the main speaker has:

• Optical and coaxial digital inputs, found on many TVs, CD players and streamers.
• RCA (red and white) analogue inputs, the usual connection for record players and older hi-fi equipment.
• A 3.5 mm AUX input for laptops and other devices with a headphone-style output.
• A subwoofer line out.

Bluetooth 5.0 adds a wireless option for a phone, tablet or laptop. A remote comes in the box for switching inputs and adjusting the volume without getting up.

Connecting a turntable

There are two ways to play records through these speakers, and each has a requirement.

Over Bluetooth, your turntable needs a Bluetooth transmitter, or output, to send sound to speakers or headphones. Saiyin points out that many turntables with built-in speakers only have a Bluetooth receiver, for playing music from a phone, and those won't connect to these speakers.

With a cable, the RCA inputs expect a line-level signal. The back panel shows AUX inputs but no input marked "phono", so a turntable will generally need a built-in phono preamp, or a separate one, before it connects here.

Size, finish and what's in the box

Each speaker measures about 10.4 inches tall, 6.4 inches wide and 7.5 inches deep, a size that fits most desks and shelves. The cabinets have a wood-grain look, and the black grilles are removable. According to the product images, the box includes the remote, a power adapter, speaker wire, a 3.5 mm-to-RCA cable, an optical cable and a manual.

Who they suit

They suit a desk setup, a bookshelf system or a record corner in the living room, especially if you want to switch between a turntable or CD player and a phone without changing speakers.

What to check before you buy

• Your turntable: check whether it has a built-in phono preamp for a cable, or a Bluetooth transmitter for wireless.
• Your sources: match the outputs on your TV, CD player or computer with the optical, coaxial, RCA and AUX inputs.
• Space: allow room for two cabinets about 10.4 x 6.4 x 7.5 inches each, plus the speaker wire between them.
• Bass: decide whether you want to add a subwoofer later.

The short version

• A pair of powered bookshelf speakers with a wood-grain finish and a remote.
• A 65 mm silk dome horn tweeter and a 5.2-inch woofer in each speaker.
• Bluetooth 5.0, optical, coaxial, RCA and 3.5 mm AUX inputs, plus a subwoofer line out.
• Turntables need a Bluetooth transmitter for wireless use, or a phono preamp for a cable.
• About 10.4 x 6.4 x 7.5 inches per speaker.

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