the most silent switch?

[leotnnz]

hi, all,

i am looking for an office keyboard. so the silence is the most important. i have topre at home now. looking for something cheaper for office. did some work in the forum. it seems some switches i have not tried may also work, like gateron red, silent mx red and matias linear. hope to get some ideas from you guys. what switch are the best for office use.

thank you.

[Tactile]

The sound is more than the switch. There's also the resonance of the case and overall assembly. Leopold put some kind of sound dampening material inside to mellow the sound. This is a mod you can do yourself, and many people have, but I think Leopold are the only off-the-shelf keyboards which are set up like this.

[zslane]

MX silent reds are imperceptible in an office environment. I would expect Matias non-clicky switches to be just as quiet. Chinese Topre-clone switches are also whisper quiet except for minor slider friction (same as with MX silent reds). Of course, for overall best quiet performance, lubed Topre switches with silencing rings are the best. But as you've noted, they are expensive.

Bear in mind that lubed MX switches other than silent reds will still have bottom-out and upstroke noise, which is perceptible in an office environment even with damping material inside or underneath the case. The only way to mitigate that is to be a very light typist.

[PointyFox]

You could try either a "Jelly Comb" keyboard or "Microsoft Digital Media 3000 membrane keyboard".

[Giorgio]

Get g80-1800 or a g80-3000 and install gmk uniqey clips. The most silent solution. Guaranteed.

[leotnnz]

thank you all guys. the best solution might be to be a light typist as zslane said:(

how does the chinese clone topre compare to matias linear?

[chyros]

The most silent? A bog-standard rubber dome. If that's the most important factor, go for that.

[Puddsy]

most silent is scissor switch

most silent but still not awful to type on is silenced topre

[leotnnz]

ok, guys. do you have any rubber dome recommendation? i used to have a dell quietkey made in thailand which i left to my mom. but i could not find any new on ebay any more. is there any rubber dome like this one?

[chyros]

ok, guys. do you have any rubber dome recommendation? i used to have a dell quietkey made in thailand which i left to my mom. but i could not find any new on ebay any more. is there any rubber dome like this one?

NMB QuietKeys (FCC ID starting with AQ6) are super common, and pretty good. I actually found a BNIB one right one right on the day I moved to the Netherlands.

[Findecanor]

My preferred rubber domes are the Logitech DiNovo and DiNovo Edge. They are discontinued but there are a few on the second-hand market.
They are wireless scissor-switch keyboards with relatively large key travel, and not chiclet. The downside with scissors is that domes are often small so the keyboards don't last as long as others.

Bear in mind that lubed MX switches other than silent reds will still have bottom-out and upstroke noise[...]

You could get one of the few keyboards with Cherry MX switches that are compatible with silencing clips and use them. Not cheap though.

[Phenix]

Those ANK boards. Didnt do Chyros did an review of them?

[Puddsy]

ok, guys. do you have any rubber dome recommendation? i used to have a dell quietkey made in thailand which i left to my mom. but i could not find any new on ebay any more. is there any rubber dome like this one?

QSenn DT35. Korean PC Bang staple keyboard. Very good board.

[noisyturtle]

Honestly? The quietest switch is probably standard rubber dome in a non-flex case.

If you want quietest mech switch, I'd go with lubed reds with landing pads.

[chyros]

Those ANK boards. Didnt do Chyros did an review of them?

I showed one right at the end of my dome with slider megareview. Pretty decent boards.

I should say that the better dome boards, which are very usually dome with slider, are generally noticeably louder than standard rubber dome boards. I still don't know any board that is as quiet as the bog-standard rubber dome boards you find nowadays.

[Phenix]

Whats about virtual keyboards?
https://www.amazon.com/CTX-VK200-Red-Projection-Keyboard/dp/B008D6IUG4

[happylacquer]

Get a Unicomp rubber dome so you get all the benefits of model m construction and none of the noise. A Topre is a rubber dome anyway so if you are considering those, other rubber domes should be options IMO. (It sounds like I am trashing Topre right now, i'm not, I love them and am about to order a new HiPro.)

IF you don't want to spend that kind of money. Get a Kensingston keyboard for life. It is a scissor switch that feels comparable to an alps switch IMO. There is also the steelseries rubber dome that someone said feels like MX Red or something like that.

[Elrick]

ok, guys. do you have any rubber dome recommendation? i used to have a dell quietkey made in thailand which i left to my mom. but i could not find any new on ebay any more. is there any rubber dome like this one?

Any current made 'cheap' Logitech keyboard (membrane-based)  .

Forget about older membranes here due to now being quite rare but why would you care, it's being used in an office situation so understand that it's far better to get something 'cheap and nasty' so that any sticky-fingered cretins won't be able to steal anything worthwhile.

Bring something decent to work, you'll have to glue your arse to your seat and pee in your drinks bottle throughout the day.  Don't be like these idiot goons who spend hundreds on their HHKBs then are stuck at their desks too scared to go away for fear of losing their keyboards.

If you want a keyboard at work, always buy CRAP so that no klepto would want to even touch it  .

[Giorgio]

Get g80-1800 or a g80-3000 and install gmk uniqey clips. The most silent solution. Guaranteed.

This is more silent than any rubber dome.

[mrvco]

I have a Leopold with MX Pinks as well as a Plum 84 with the additional springs installed.  Both are easily quiet enough for my office.  I definitely prefer the Plum for typing and if you have a light touch, it can approach silent.

[klennkellon]

Topre, Matias Quiet Tactile/Linear, MX Pink

Linear Space-Invader switches are also shockingly quiet even though they don't have any dampening at all.

[nugglets]

Get g80-1800 or a g80-3000 and install gmk uniqey clips. The most silent solution. Guaranteed.

This is more silent than any rubber dome.

I haven't done this exact thing myself, but I tend to believe this is true. I have an aluminum case 60% with aluminum plate, zealencios and rubber lining inside the case. The aluminum plate provides most of the noise at this point, so a plastic case PCB mount keyboard with silencing clips is likely even quieter.

Here's an audio comparison of my 60% and a dell sk-8115 rubber dome.

[dantan]

What's the best Chinese topre clone in the market that has MX-keycap compability? Am quite interested in trying them out. At one time Royal Kludge was programmable but I didn't buy it because the name was so terrible it gave me no confidence.

[Krakob]

What's the best Chinese topre clone in the market that has MX-keycap compability? Am quite interested in trying them out. At one time Royal Kludge was programmable but I didn't buy it because the name was so terrible it gave me no confidence.

If I recall correctly, plum, royal kludge, and some other brand use the same OEM, so it doesn't matter all that much as long as it looks like a Topre clone.

[davkol]

See (and hear) Audio and Waveforms of Assorted Keyboards by Hypersphere. It comprises Topre (incl. silenced) and damped Matias switches among others; MX Silent wasn't widely available at the time, but it's fundamentally similar to damped Matias switches.

[zutroy]

I'll throw in another vote for Matias Quiet Click. I work in a home office environment just inches away from my wife who is on the phone very often, so I can't do loud or even semi-loud switches. It also doesn't help that I'm heavy-handed...

I've gone through boards with MX blues (didn't last long), MX browns (with o-rings they're doable), MX clears (same as browns, although these were on a POK3R, and I think the metal case caused some increased sound due to resonance), Topre (lubed and hypersphered feels and sounds fantastic; quiet enough for my purposes), and Matias QCs (what I'm using now).

The Matias QCs are definitely the quietest out of everything I have tried, and I think they feel much better than MX switches. Topre is definitely in second for sound (and probably #1 for feel), but if you don't want to drop that much on an office board, I would go Matias.

[zpcomstock17]

Topre is the most silent but
MX Silent Reds/Blacks are pretty silent, just only a tad bit louder than Topre and they sound very pleasant even mashed at 100+ WPM
Matias Quiets are pretty much the same deal, linear and silent, I never got my hands on one but I heard it's a very smooth switch compared to Cherry's and I watched typing videos of it
So I recommend you to grab a Matias, I like the silence of MX Pinks though the switches were very scratchy and unsatisfying to type on. Maybe that's just my two cents on the MX silent switches.
So Topre > Matias Quiets > MX Sielnt

[leotnnz]

Thank you all guys. you make my life easier.  i will pick a silent mx red i guess, since topre is not cheap for the office use and i already have one at home. is there pbt key caps for matias linear ?

[happylacquer]

I have a friend who despised keyboards making ANY sound at all. He eventually moved to this and refuses to go back to anything else. I also used one with no complaints for about a year or two before my fingers started killing me. Then I replaced it with a Model M.... ahh....

[Daniel Beardsmore]

By the way, a public service announcement:

"Silent" means "makes no noise". No keyboard is silent: striking an object with your fingers will always make some sound. Even those laser projection keyboards involve tapping the desk.

There is no such thing as "most silent". How can you have "most makes no noise"? Something either makes a noise or it doesn't. You can't grade the level of making no noise.

The word you want is "quiet", not "silent".

"Silent" as a marketing term is absolute claptrap. All these so-called "silent" keyboards make far, far, far more noise than actual quiet keyboards. Scissor switch is the quietest conventional mechanism by far. Standard rubber dome comes next, along with quiet switches like Matias quiet click, and then regular mechanical switches (metal plate mounted) follows, as those are far louder. PCB-mounted switches offer some reduction in sound, too.

[silverpanda94]

I took a Razer Ornata keyboard (the board with those mecha membrane keys that create an audible click even though they're dome with slider technically) and removed the metal clip clicking mechanism from each key (yes, I know that defeats the purpose).

The result for me though was one of the most quiet rubber dome keyboards I've ever used, and it felt really good with it's dome with slider design, plus a comfy faux leather wrist rest.  And RGB backlighting if you're into that sort of thing.  This is FAR from practical as you can get a good rubber dome board for much cheaper than this, so I wouldn't recommend it, but I thought it was an interesting experiment with interesting results when I did the mod.

If I were to make a personal recommendation, I really enjoy the Microsoft Wireless 2000.  Very low profile and very quiet, wireless convenience, and added function with special hot keys and media keys.  As for mechanical boards though I've only owned clicky boards, so I can't really make a recommendation.

[gallowgeek]

I've tried one of those Cherry MX Speed switches over at a computer store in my area and I find them to be the most silent one. Although, it is interesting that Cherry has released some new "Silent" versions of their popular switches, though, I haven't tried any of them yet.

[klennkellon]

I've tried one of those Cherry MX Speed switches over at a computer store in my area and I find them to be the most silent one. Although, it is interesting that Cherry has released some new "Silent" versions of their popular switches, though, I haven't tried any of them yet.

I'd expect MX Speeds to be fairly quiet, as all non-clicky MX are pretty quiet imo.

[zslane]

In my experience, there are no quiet MX switches other than silent reds and blacks due to the bottoming out and upstroke noise they all have. Sure, rubber o-rings can prevent a lot of bottoming out noise, but they dramatically reduce key travel, and you still have the upstroke noise. The proper solution for MX switches, in my view, is precisely what Cherry is doing with their "silent" switches: add rubber pads to the sliders themselves so that they self-dampen the noise they make. Everything else is a half-measure at best, even rubber clip-ons.

The one downside to these silent MX switches is that with all that noise gone, the "scratchy" noise from slider friction becomes much more noticeable. The only way to treat that is with a light lube, but that's all more trouble than it's worth to me.

That's why my favorite switch is Topre with silencing rings. There is no discernable slider friction to begin with, and no upstroke noise, so all you get is a very satisfying, soft thock, which is almost imperceptible in an office environment.

Oh, and with any keyboard there's stabilizer rattle which can only really be solved with thick lube, but at least you only need to apply the lube to a handful of spots.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Someone in the office once described my Realforce as noisy or loud (I forget the exact term now, as it was several years ago), ironic considering that it substituted a Majestouch! He was using a scissor switch keyboard, to which a regular Realforce seemed very loud in comparison! I never felt that an unsilenced Realforce emitted a remotely unacceptable noise level;  the frequency spectrum seems much softer than a cheap rubber dome (and Topres don't rattle, unlike older Dell keyboards).

I guess it all depends on what keyboards are being used around you. There's no need to have total silence, so long as whatever you have doesn't stand out so much above everyone else (taking into account their distance from you and objects that may baffle the sound) that your keyboard noise poses a distraction. (Even if it's louder than their keyboards, it may sound quiet from where they're sitting.)

[davkol]

LightIO

[zslane]

I never felt that an unsilenced Realforce emitted a remotely unacceptable noise level...

If your Realforce is as quiet as my Hi-Pro Realforce, then I agree with you even though it does have a tiny bit of upstroke noise and stabilizer rattle.

However, I felt that both were unacceptable the moment I unboxed my RealForce RGB. Which is why I went to the trouble of adding silencing rings to the sliders and lubing the stabilizers. Now it is quieter than my Hi-Pro board, and the only noise it makes is the signature thock and a little bit of stabilizer rattle on the spacebar (it probably needs a better lubing job).

[jcoffin1981]

ok, guys. do you have any rubber dome recommendation? i used to have a dell quietkey made in thailand which i left to my mom. but i could not find any new on ebay any more. is there any rubber dome like this one?

The most comfortable and quiet rubber dome board I've typed on is a wireless Logitech LX 710.

[opensecret]

What's the best Chinese topre clone in the market that has MX-keycap compability? Am quite interested in trying them out. At one time Royal Kludge was programmable but I didn't buy it because the name was so terrible it gave me no confidence.

I've got a Plum clone (available from aliexpress in both 87 and 104 key models).  The switches are a little scratchier and land a little harder than the switches on a Realforce, but  some users actually prefer the Plum switches.  They're not silent, but pretty quiet -- there's a kind of muted version of the Topre thock, particularly on the upstroke.  Compared to a set of o-ringed browns that I'm typing on now, the Plum switches have a hollower sound with a lower pitch, and they're slightly quieter overall.  I think the Plum noise level is pretty similar to that on a silenced Realforce, but I haven't had a Plum and a Realforce in the same room at the same time.

[losing_ctrl]

I will offer up some probably unhelpful advice. I would say please consider not getting a "cheaper" keyboard for work. If you are like most of us, you probably spend hours and hours every single workday typing on your keyboard. That would rate not getting a cheepie, but actually being good to yourself and getting something good. So I would suggest saving up more money and getting a silenced RealForce - that's what i use every day at work, and it is the quietest keyboard in my office. Before that I brought in a WASD v2 with MX Clears, and that turned out to be a bit too noisy for comfort. If you have to use a keyboard for hours a day, like at work, be good to yourself and get one that is not a compromise. Life is too short.

[orpheo]

Cherry Mx clears with Qmx clips from GMK.
Nice and silent.
Gateron red are so bad. Feels like typing on 80 years old ass.

[Giorgio]

In my experience, there are no quiet MX switches other than silent reds and blacks due to the bottoming out and upstroke noise they all have. Sure, rubber o-rings can prevent a lot of bottoming out noise, but they dramatically reduce key travel, and you still have the upstroke noise. The proper solution for MX switches, in my view, is precisely what Cherry is doing with their "silent" switches: add rubber pads to the sliders themselves so that they self-dampen the noise they make. Everything else is a half-measure at best, even rubber clip-ons.

The one downside to these silent MX switches is that with all that noise gone, the "scratchy" noise from slider friction becomes much more noticeable. The only way to treat that is with a light lube, but that's all more trouble than it's worth to me.

That's why my favorite switch is Topre with silencing rings. There is no discernable slider friction to begin with, and no upstroke noise, so all you get is a very satisfying, soft thock, which is almost imperceptible in an office environment.

Oh, and with any keyboard there's stabilizer rattle which can only really be solved with thick lube, but at least you only need to apply the lube to a handful of spots.

mx silent reds are way less scratcy than standard reds.

[chyros]

In my experience, there are no quiet MX switches other than silent reds and blacks due to the bottoming out and upstroke noise they all have. Sure, rubber o-rings can prevent a lot of bottoming out noise, but they dramatically reduce key travel, and you still have the upstroke noise. The proper solution for MX switches, in my view, is precisely what Cherry is doing with their "silent" switches: add rubber pads to the sliders themselves so that they self-dampen the noise they make. Everything else is a half-measure at best, even rubber clip-ons.

The one downside to these silent MX switches is that with all that noise gone, the "scratchy" noise from slider friction becomes much more noticeable. The only way to treat that is with a light lube, but that's all more trouble than it's worth to me.

That's why my favorite switch is Topre with silencing rings. There is no discernable slider friction to begin with, and no upstroke noise, so all you get is a very satisfying, soft thock, which is almost imperceptible in an office environment.

Oh, and with any keyboard there's stabilizer rattle which can only really be solved with thick lube, but at least you only need to apply the lube to a handful of spots.

mx silent reds are way less scratcy than standard reds.

Interesting. I'd love to give those ****ers a go sometimes, as with the new short-throw ones.

[Giorgio]

In my experience, there are no quiet MX switches other than silent reds and blacks due to the bottoming out and upstroke noise they all have. Sure, rubber o-rings can prevent a lot of bottoming out noise, but they dramatically reduce key travel, and you still have the upstroke noise. The proper solution for MX switches, in my view, is precisely what Cherry is doing with their "silent" switches: add rubber pads to the sliders themselves so that they self-dampen the noise they make. Everything else is a half-measure at best, even rubber clip-ons.

The one downside to these silent MX switches is that with all that noise gone, the "scratchy" noise from slider friction becomes much more noticeable. The only way to treat that is with a light lube, but that's all more trouble than it's worth to me.

That's why my favorite switch is Topre with silencing rings. There is no discernable slider friction to begin with, and no upstroke noise, so all you get is a very satisfying, soft thock, which is almost imperceptible in an office environment.

Oh, and with any keyboard there's stabilizer rattle which can only really be solved with thick lube, but at least you only need to apply the lube to a handful of spots.

mx silent reds are way less scratcy than standard reds.

Interesting. I'd love to give those ****ers a go sometimes, as with the new short-throw ones.

they were available on mechanicalkeyboards.com; cherry on Q2 will sell a silent g80-3000 in ansi layout

[Puddsy]

MX silents are no good

so wobbly and weirdly soft

[Phenix]

Cherry Mx clears with Qmx clips from GMK.
Nice and silent.
Gateron red are so bad. Feels like typing on 80 years old ass.

Do you have an sound comparison?

[davkol]

I, too, wonder about samples of typing on 80 years old ass.

[ander]

Bastron Glass Touch.  :?)

[orpheo]

Gateron reds are not silent as the bottoming out and return stroke are what they are depending on the caps and build.
Also I only have them on my cheap Anne Pro, so it is not fair for gat reds used in more solid build. They click clack pretty loudly with the Ducky shine through Pbt set my bro got me as a gift (ISO fr). I would not use them otherwise, and use thick Cherry or GMK DS.
But the feel man, it is so bad to me. I feel tired when typing on those, feels like they absorb my typing energy, and while being the lightest of my switches (MX and topre) they are the ones that tire the most. Soft and tiresome like an old old ass if that means anything.

[zpcomstock17]

Bastron Glass Touch.  :?)

The most silent SWITCH not keyboard.

Glass/touch keyboards can be a pain in the ass sometimes, I hope they're using good sensors.