An audiophile keyboard now exists and it’s straight in at no.1 on my Christmas list
Just when you think you've seen it all, Chinese audio specialist FiiO comes out with a 'hi-fi keyboard' and for me it's a game changer.
It may seem like a fairly mundane gamer-specific keyboard, but it doesn't aim to be one of the best gaming keyboards. No, the USP of this compact keyboard is the sound you get out of it, and not everything you key in.
Connect the KB3 to your Mac or PC via USB and it can receive and deliver high-resolution audio files up to 32 bit/384 kHz, plus audiophile-friendly DSD256 (which has a sample rate 256 times that of a regular CD ).
How? By bypassing the simple digital-to-analog converter or DAC in your PC monitor (see our guide to the best portable DACs for more information) and instead going for its own built-in dual 'powerful and efficient' CS43131 DACs, are two 'low-noise' amplifiers and beyond to your choice for the best wired headphones. Yes, the keyboard has 3.5mm or 4.4mm balanced headphone outputs – music to your ears.
Does the Fiio KB3 look like a separate hi-fi system? No. Does it look like something I want to own before I get into the details? Also no. But those audio references are impossible to ignore – and remember: this is the company that in 2023 alone released the five-star Fiio FT3 headphones, the excellent wireless BTR7 DAC and the little M15S musical powerhouse, for starters.
Those keycaps are both interchangeable and transparent (Fiio has opted for Gateron G Pro 3.0 switches here, which are highly regarded for their durability and reliability) and the company tells us there are multiple presets for the RGB lighting – one of which I like hope that can also be turned off completely to eliminate noise in the audio signal path. I'm not here for the lights and whistles, I want the sound.
Advice: I'm not a gamer and I don't care about RGB lights – I want those dual DACs and amps under the hood
The KB3 also has an integrated, stepless volume control; it's that matte red thing at the top right. Is Fiio trying to emulate Astell & Kern's signature top-right volume dials here? Maybe, even if it's not nearly as chic or brutalist as, say, A&K's A&norma SR25 MKII.
Look, as a non-gamer I'm not 100% sold on the aesthetics, but it is a keyboard after all. It's what's tucked under those keys (and mounted to the side, for my 4.4mm diameter cans) that I love.
And Fiio has had a great year in 2023; see September's portable KA13 and K11 DACs for even more promising releases. I really think the company is on to something here, you know. The gaming market is undeniably booming and audiophile-curious – see July's Final Fantasy 14 turntable for starters. If a new hi-fi-quality keyboard opens up new revenue streams (and converts seasoned gamers into aspiring audiophiles), all the better. After all, PlayStation bought hi-fi maestro Audeze in September, and earlier that year Razer launched cheap THX-certified wired in-ears – and that's before we even get to the PlayStation Pulse Explore earbuds.
The Fiio KB3 comes in 'Midnight Black' or 'Morning Silver' done, and for just $149 / £139 (so about AU$265) my curiosity has really been piqued. Will it sound like the absolute business? If Santa doesn't get the memo this year (he's busy, it's cool), I might just treat myself, you know…