I am an audio professional by day and so I decided to do a series of recordings on every keyboard I own.  I decided to record the most popular ones first. 

UPDATE - Not a valid vimeo URL This link has all the recordings in one video.  You guys can disregard the link below!

I have uploaded a Topre switch recording Not a valid vimeo URL if you are interested.  More coming. (it's dull it's just me typing for 1 minute)  But I used a very high quality shotgun mic (sennheiser) into a set of apogee pre's at 24bit/48khz.  The mic distance never changed and I was in the same position each time typing with same amount of force.

1. Realforce 104u Topre
2. Unicomp Spacesaver Buckling Spring
3. Matias Quiet Tactile Pro Matias Alps *winner
4. Filco Camo - Cherry MX Blue with O-Ring Blue mod
5. CM Storm TK - Cherry MX Green
6. Tex Beetle - Cherry Black
7. KBT 60% - Cherry Black, Aluminum Case, PBT Caps
8. Corsair k75 - Cherry Red

I think Matias Quiet Pro especially deserves recognition as it was wrongfully and ignorantly accused of being super loud on Amazon review.  (Which almost made me reconsider the purchase. /sigh and Amazon review sometimes)  But I found that actually it's the quietest, living up to its name!  It even beat out the O-ring dampened Cherry's  Very impressive.  And the board feels great!

I'll update this thread the rest of the video gets encoded (which is very soon)

Yes, the Greens were louder than the Buckling Springs.  But not by much!

Hmm this would be easier if I could actually hear your samples.

Fair enough,   Let me render out the whole wave and upload it.

I'd used a lubed mx vintage black, I think it's much quieter than my lubed & oring HHKB PRO2 in anyways EXCEPT the noisy cherry stabilizers....

It's rendering now.  It'll be up on vimeo shortly.  I condensed the vids so it plays for about 20 seconds a piece with a header.  Vimeo won't let me upload and mp3.  So the HD video is a tad large.

You could also upload the mp3 to soundcloud 

This is an interesting thread though. Will look forward to other comparisons!

interesting, thanks for your data.

Also, what switches are in your topre? 55g? 45g? 30g uniform with silencing pads?

Topre Realforce 104UB

This is cool - thanks!

We like nerdy stuff like that around here

I think Matias Quiet Pro especially deserves recognition as it was wrongfully and ignorantly accused of being super loud on Amazon review.  (Which almost made me reconsider the purchase. /sigh and Amazon review sometimes)  But I found that actually it's the quietest, living up to its name!  It even beat out the O-ring dampened Cherry's  Very impressive.  And the board feels great!

I think the thing is that they make both quiet and loud switches, and their product naming is non-intuitive.   'Tactile' in branding  typically is used for stuff like MX Brown/Clear switches which are relatively quiet, but for Matias boards, it means the loudest switch they can find.

Thanks for the data. I'm surprised that PBT key caps makes a huge difference in terms of sound.

Quote from: lunr on Wed, 02 April 2014, 00:18:24

Thanks for the data. I'm surprised that PBT key caps makes a huge difference in terms of sound.

Next batch!   I hate to admit my bias but Browns are my least favorite so they got shoved in the "2nd" batch! I DO own Ducky Browns so I will do Browns in the next set!

Browns also have their own heart 

I would be interested in seeing o-ringed reds as well. Surprised o-ringed blues were slightly quieter than stock reds.

This is great!

Now you just need to obtain about 20 more keyboards, to provide more data points. ;-)

I wonder if there's any way to disentangle the separate effects of switch, keycaps, plate, pcb, and case, when it comes to the final sound. It would be neat to have some kind of metric of switch loudness based on a standardized context, and then some further measurements about how other aspects besides the keyswitch itself affect the sound. [At least for modular switches like MX or Alps; buckling springs are pretty much stuck in their own context.]

You need to get your hands on some silenced topre love. I wonder if it will end up beating the Matias Quiet.

I know the case and keycap material also contribute to the sound as they change how much sound is echoed around.

Great video!

Nice video  One thing that caught my attention was I couldn't tell if in the tests you were bottoming out, which would obviously affect the loudness.

I'd be interested where the Apple chiclet keys fall within these results. They are definitely quieter than my Cherry Reds, even before bottoming-out. Most likely wouldn't care much as they are rubber dome, but for new users it's always helpful having something to compare.

#CherryMY

You're welcome! Visit my blog for more videos of my other keyboard builds if you're interested! Link is in my signature!

I noticed you only sampled blues with orings, no other MX with orings. I'd like to hear Browns with orings in the comparison as I think they'd give the Topre a run for their money in terms of loudness and tone (especially with thick POM or PBT caps on). Also, the type of caps (thickness and material) and orings (thickness and hardness) make a fair difference to the sound of MX switches, so it'd be great if you mentioned which you are using for each test.

I have to say, I really don't like the click sound of MX clicky switches. It's rather high pitched and toy-like to my ears. Much prefer the beefier buckling spring click or MX tactile switches without a click, since they don't sound as "cheap".

Very sharp observation.  I have to say that while I try not to be biased, since everyone has their own preferences.  But the more you use mechs, at some point, you realize that while Cherry switches are brilliant, I think it's really a brilliant compromise.  Which is to say, it was a solution to a problem for the masses. 

From a pure audio perspective, PBT (thick or thicker) caps and Topre switches are just really pleasing.  It's mid range tone and has a nice body to it.  Pretty much every cherry configuration (with the exception of Cherry Blacks with thick PBT) can't compete with the this.  (IMHO)    You are absolutely correct in Cherry switches having a "thinner" and "pingy" quality.  It's attention grabbing at first, but when you compare with something like the Topre/PBT combo, it's not as pleasant or satisfying.  This feels nuanced but for the experience mech user, it's very clear.

I'm not saying Topre/PBT's are the better than others.  But it's very interesting from an aural perspective I think there is empirical data to support preference by experienced mech user the Topre/PBT combo.

Having said that, like you suggested, Cherry Brown/PBT/O-Ring could be very pleasing.  I'm adding this to my list of tests for the next batch!