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The KB3<\/a> is a new mechanical keyboard from audio brand FiiO with a built-in headphone jack that stands a good chance of sounding better than the existing 3.5mm output on your desktop computer or laptop. That\u2019s because the headphone jack isn\u2019t just passing through analog audio from your computer, it\u2019s plugged into a combination DAC and headphone amp that\u2019s integrated into the keyboard itself.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n So rather than having a headphone cable snaking across your desk to reach your machine, or cluttering up your workspace with a separate DAC and headphone amplifier, all these devices can theoretically be built right into the keyboard that\u2019s sitting underneath your hands. And it comes from a company which knows a thing or two about audio (even if its keyboard-making abilities are less proven).\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n I can see the argument that you\u2019ll get better results from buying equipment like this separately, but the audio and keyboard specs of the KB3 don\u2019t contain any major red flags for an all-in-one device at this price. On the audio side the keyboard is equipped with dual Cirrus Logic CS43131 DACs and supports up to 32-bit \/ 384kHz and DSD256 audio. Alongside the standard 3.5mm headphone jack, there\u2019s also a 4.4mm balanced output. Tom\u2019sHardware <\/em>notes<\/a> that the audio specs appear to match FiiO\u2019s $80 KA13 headphone amp.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The peripheral doesn\u2019t appear to be a slouch in the keyboard department either. It\u2019s gasket-mounted, with hot-swap switches (meaning they can be replaced without the need for soldering), supports both Mac and Windows, includes RGB lighting, and is compatible with the popular VIA configuration software. It\u2019s available in a barebones option that comes without switches or keycaps, but if you want them included you get Gateron G Pro 3.0 Yellow switches and what appears to be a set of translucent keycaps. It uses the ever-popular compact 75-percent layout, similar to what you\u2019ll find on a lot of laptops, and of course there\u2019s a dial on the top-right to control volume.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n FiiO is far from the first brand to have thought of building a 3.5mm headphone jack into a keyboard. The Razer BlackWidow Ultimate 2016<\/a>, for example, could plug into your computer\u2019s 3.5mm jack and pass through audio to a port on the keyboard itself. But the general wisdom has been not to rely on headphone jacks like these because of the audio interference passing an analogue signal through a keyboard might add. By taking a digital audio signal from a computer and converting it using a built-in DAC, FiiO\u2019s approach is similar to the Moondrop Dash<\/a>, another recent keyboard with a built-in headphone jack.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n