Introduction

A Hi-fi mechanical keyboard... I did not anticipate typing out those words together ever and yet this is the second such instance a review here has it in the title. MOONDROP surprised everyone by entering the keyboard market with the DASH, now referred to as DASH75 to indicate more keyboards potentially on the way, as well as MOONDROP-branded mechanical switches too. The DASH keyboard offers a really nice typing experience as it is and manages to include an integrated DAC/amp inside to help power headphones and earphones alike. It isn't a perfect keyboard though, with no dedicated volume control and I suppose it was only a matter of time before others joined the party. FiiO decided it was time, and today we look at the FiiO KB3 HiFi mechanical keyboard. It is co-branded with Jade Audio which is FiiO's more budget-minded sister brand, so much so that the product page is on the Jade Audio website. This suggests the KB3 is likely to cost less than the MOONDROP DASH and be more affordable in general in a highly competitive keyboard market.


There are two different versions of the FiiO KB3 keyboard out on the market today. One offers hybrid wireless connectivity and has an option of a silver chassis but misses out on the USB DAC/amp feature as well as a USB hub that provides two spare USB ports on the keyboard itself. The wired version, which only comes in black, takes advantage of the extra bandwidth guaranteed and gives you these extra features which makes it the more interesting offering of the two as far as I am concerned. The two otherwise share a lot in common, be it the bold choice to go with semi-transparent keycaps or a gasket mount design complete with foam and silicone dampening galore. The KB3 also uses Gateron switches, although there is a wired kit-only option where you provide your own switches and keycaps, and has a dedicated volume control wheel in addition to RGB LEDs, so we see FiiO has taken note of the feedback that the MOONDROP DASH received. There's a lot to go through here, especially with the DAC/amp and the two headphone outputs—one of which also supports mic in for headsets—on the side of the keyboard, so let's thank FiiO for providing a review sample to TechPowerUp and begin this review with a look at the product specifications in the table below.

Specifications

Packaging and Accessories

FiiO likes to use black for its branding whereas Jade Audio goes for green, or jade if you so desire. The KB3 being co-branded, we see the product box decides to use both colors with black on one side and green on the other. Both brand names—complete with taglines—are seen on the front in addition to the product name and a simplified render of the keyboard itself. There is very little in the way of marketing features and product specs on the product box so clearly FiiO is banking on customers to already be aware of the keyboard and what it can do. The two-piece product box comes without any seals to secure it, although the lid is held via a relatively tight friction fit that achieves the same purpose. Inside the box is a foam sheet on top of the contents for added protection and everything is placed inside a thicker foam box too. The keyboard is placed inside a wax paper wrap and underneath a hard plastic dust cover which also contains paperwork; the other accessories are in a separate compartment.


We get a multi-language quick start guide (unfortunately only the Mandarin version is online) and a generic brand brochure. There's also the expected USB Type-A to Type-C cable for connectivity and a combination metal wire-style keycap puller and switch remover tool. I was expecting to see perhaps a 3.5 mm to 6.35 mm (1/4") adapter for the headphone output on the keyboard, but FiiO has decided to keep costs low here.