INTRODUCTION

    Mechanical keyboards regardless of type (gaming/professional) may have risen in popularity to a point that membrane models are not something we see a lot lately but with most models sharing many of the same features it's hard to find one that really stands out. As a matter of fact, that's the main reason I took a break from reviewing keyboards just over 2 years ago and well thanks to all the innovative models unveiled lately by some manufacturers it's about time I dove back in that segment of the market. FiiO is among them and today I'll be testing their very first mechanical keyboard, the Jade Audio KB3.

    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.

    The Jade Audio KB3 is a marriage between a tenkeyless (75% layout/81 keys) aluminum magnesium alloy mechanical keyboard based on Gateron G Pro 3.0 Yellow switches (100 million cycles/50g force/N-key rollover/RGB illuminated/hot swappable/independent stabilizer - according to FiiO there's also a limited founders edition which comes with KAILH deep sea whale switches) and a HiFi DAC based on dual CS43131 D/A converters with headphone amps by Cirrus Logic (support PCM 32-bit/384kHz & DSD256 - 122dB SNR, < 0.0005% THD) , two SGM8262 op-amps by SGMicro (4.2V/550mW output power) and the SA9312L USB audio streaming controller by Savitech. The Jade Audio KB3 mechanical keyboard by FiiO is actually available in 3 editions, wired edition with the HiFi DACs (midnight black body), wired edition with the HiFi DACs but without any switches and keycaps (barebone - also midnight black body) and a wireless one with an 4000mAh rechargeable battery which however lacs the HiFi DACs (morning silver body). Aside a very convenient volume control knob (stands out both due to its red color and aluminum alloy body) FiiO has also equipped the Jade Audio KB3 with a 4.4mm balanced output (550mW), 3.5mm single-ended output (170mW - also supports TRSS headsets), USB-C host port and two pass-through USB-A data ports.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

FiiO is using a black and blue/green box the front of which is taken by a product drawing and their logo.

Several certifications are printed at the rear of the box along with the electrical specifications of the keyboard.

The keyboard is placed between several sheets of foam and yes, FiiO also packs a clear plastic cover (wish everyone did).

Aside the KB3 and the plastic cover inside the box you’ll also find the USB-C to USB-A host cable, keycap puller, after sales service paper and the quick start guide.

THE JADE AUDIO KB3

The tenkeyless Jade Audio KB3 mechanical keyboard measures 329mm in length, 140mm in width and 43.5mm in height/thickness.

For the KB3 FiiO decided to use the floating keys design together with semi-transparent (translucent) keycaps.

F1 through F4 allow you to control the RGB illumination, F5 through F8 give you access to windows features and F9 through F12 double as the media navigation buttons.

Status LEDs are placed vertically just over the arrow keys.

The volume control knob is located on the right side and yes, it's also made of aluminum.

On the left side we find the 4.4mm balanced (550mW) and 3.5mm single-ended (170mW) outputs.

The two USB passthrough ports are located at the front of the keyboard along with the USB-C host port.

Even though the top of the 9-layer design is made of aluminum magnesium alloy the base is made of plastic and has 4 long rubber feet and four height adjusters.

The short ones raise the rear of the keyboard just 8mm from the desk whereas the tall ones increase that to 15mm.

Here you can see the Gateron G Pro 3.0 Yellow switches.

The semi-translucent keycaps allow for more intense RGB lighting but that also means they can become harder to read at times.

In order to perform a firmware upgrade you will need to download the files from FiiO’s website and follow the instructions (first press on the bootloader – left button - and then on the flash – right button).

AUDIBLE FEEDBACK

Many people ask my opinion on what keyboard they should get for their needs. Some want a “silent” model for use in their living room or even in their bedroom while others ask for a model with good audible feedback for use in the office or for gaming. Because of this I decided to test keyboards by placing our ExTech HD600 vertically over each keyboard (5cm distance) and typing NikKTech a total of 6 times with each (after that the max recorded number - max hold - is placed in the graph). I have to admit that this methodology may not be 100% accurate but it does give a good idea on what you can expect from each model since aside the type of switches used keycaps and keyboard material also matter.

CONCLUSION

    The Jade Audio KB3 mechanical keyboard by FiiO was a pleasant surprise, not just because it doubles as a HiFi DAC and headphone amp (practically a sound card for your PC) but mainly because it’s a fine keyboard. Build quality is very good even though many parts are made of plastic, the Gateron G Pro 3.0 Yellow switches come very close to the Cherry MX RGB silent red ones and as for RGB illumination this is probably something most people will get to love (although it does make the semi-transparent keycaps hard to read). As for audio performance the Jade Audio KB3 delivers crisp and clean results with emphasis to highs and lows this time over (not so much mids). Just like with most entry/mid-end audio DACs the KB3 doesn’t deliver a very wide soundstage, still it’s quite detailed and so nothing to complain here about. What I didn’t like was the lack of dedicated software, both for the keyboard features and for the DAC. I know this isn’t really a must have but it would be nice to.

    FiiO charges just USD149.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and around 140Euros inside the EU a price tag which Is very balanced for what you’re getting. The sole question is whether you want or need a new sound card for your PC and well, the only certain thing is that less people will need that compared to people looking for just a mechanical keyboard. Still, even though the Jade Audio KB3 is aimed towards a specific target audience it does deliver on everything it should and although yes it’s not perfect it’s still more than enough for the Golden Award.

PROS

- Good Build Quality (Magnesium Alloy Enclosure / Gasket Design / Gateron G Pro 3.0 Yellow Switches)
- HiFi DAC & Headphone Amp
- Overall Audio Performance
- Aluminum Alloy Volume Wheel
- Compatible With VIA Open Source
- Hot Swappable Switches
- RGB Illumination (Intensity / Effects)
- Two USB Data Ports
- 3 Available Versions (Wired HiFi DAC / Barebone HiFi DAC / Wireless)
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Single Switch Selection (Aside The Limited Founders Edition)
- Hard To Read Translucent Keycaps
- Lack Of Dedicated Software