This mechanical keyboard has a headphone jack you might actually want to use

The KB3 is simply a caller mechanical keyboard from audio marque FiiO pinch a built-in headphone jack that stands a bully chance of sounding amended than nan existing 3.5mm output connected your desktop machine aliases laptop. That’s because nan headphone jack isn’t conscionable passing done analog audio from your computer, it’s plugged into a operation DAC and headphone amp that’s integrated into nan keyboard itself. 

So alternatively than having a headphone cablegram snaking crossed your table to scope your machine, aliases cluttering up your workspace pinch a abstracted DAC and headphone amplifier, each these devices tin theoretically beryllium built correct into nan keyboard that’s sitting underneath your hands. And it comes from a institution which knows a point aliases 2 astir audio (even if its keyboard-making abilities are little proven). 

I tin spot nan statement that you’ll get amended results from buying instrumentality for illustration this separately, but nan audio and keyboard specs of nan KB3 don’t incorporate immoderate awesome reddish flags for an all-in-one instrumentality astatine this price. On nan audio broadside nan keyboard is equipped pinch dual Cirrus Logic CS43131 DACs and supports up to 32-bit / 384kHz and DSD256 audio. Alongside nan modular 3.5mm headphone jack, there’s besides a 4.4mm balanced output. Tom’sHardware notes that nan audio specs look to lucifer FiiO’s $80 KA13 headphone amp.

The peripheral doesn’t look to beryllium a slouch successful nan keyboard section either. It’s gasket-mounted, pinch hot-swap switches (meaning they tin beryllium replaced without nan request for soldering), supports some Mac and Windows, includes RGB lighting, and is compatible pinch nan celebrated VIA configuration software. It’s disposable successful a barebones action that comes without switches aliases keycaps, but if you want them included you get Gateron G Pro 3.0 Yellow switches and what appears to beryllium a group of translucent keycaps. It uses nan ever-popular compact 75-percent layout, akin to what you’ll find connected a batch of laptops, and of people there’s a dial connected nan top-right to power volume. 

FiiO is acold from nan first marque to person thought of building a 3.5mm headphone jack into a keyboard. The Razer BlackWidow Ultimate 2016, for example, could plug into your computer’s 3.5mm jack and walk done audio to a larboard connected nan keyboard itself. But nan wide contented has been not to trust connected headphone jacks for illustration these because of nan audio interference passing an analogue awesome done a keyboard mightiness add. By taking a integer audio awesome from a machine and converting it utilizing a built-in DAC, FiiO’s attack is akin to nan Moondrop Dash, different caller keyboard pinch a built-in headphone jack. 

FiiO is trading nan KB3 via AliExpress, wherever it tin beryllium had for $129.99 without switches aliases keycaps, aliases $149.99 arsenic a fully-assembled model. It’s besides disposable arsenic a wireless keyboard, for $129.99 fully-assembled, but this exemplary doesn’t person immoderate of nan absorbing audio features.