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.