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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: jeff1k1 on Wed, 31 December 2014, 19:41:55

Title: Do kailh blacks actually sound like this?
Post by: jeff1k1 on Wed, 31 December 2014, 19:41:55

What type of keyboard is he using and are there any other keyboards with switches that sound like that?
Title: Re: Do kailh blacks actually sound like this?
Post by: Computer-Lab in Basement on Wed, 31 December 2014, 19:45:15
Pretty much any MX switch will make that sound when bottoming out.

I'm sure some of the sound in that vid could be due to cheap key caps, but that's just an assumption...
Title: Re: Do kailh blacks actually sound like this?
Post by: Daniel Beardsmore on Thu, 01 January 2015, 07:04:23
Compare these two recordings of a Filco Majestouch 2 with MX Brown:



The first is by the same person who made the Kailh video.

From these, one can infer that the recordings from the Kailh guy are not sufficiently representative.
Title: Re: Do kailh blacks actually sound like this?
Post by: Geroximo on Thu, 01 January 2015, 08:32:28
I would assume that any linear switch would sound like that. It's just the sound of the keycap hitting the switch housing (bottom out) and has nothing to do with the switch mechanism itself.
Title: Re: Do kailh blacks actually sound like this?
Post by: Daniel Beardsmore on Thu, 01 January 2015, 09:32:39
Not necessarily — Alps switches sound different to Cherry switches, for example. I assume that Cherry MX clones will sound similar to Cherry MX, though.
Title: Re: Do kailh blacks actually sound like this?
Post by: Oobly on Fri, 02 January 2015, 02:30:16
I would assume that any linear switch would sound like that. It's just the sound of the keycap hitting the switch housing (bottom out) and has nothing to do with the switch mechanism itself.

On Cherry MX and Kailh clones of MX switches, the keycap does not impact anything. The slider inside the switch impacts the bottom switch casing, so it does have something to do with the switch design at least.

The sound is affected by how the switch is mounted, what material it is mounted to, how the plate is mounted (if present), the keyboard case design and material, the keycap material, the keycap thickness / shape, if orings are used, etc. So even one switch type can sound quite different in different keyboards.

To get to the point, I would say that Kailh Blacks will sound almost identical to MX Blacks in a similar keyboard design (since they're almost identical in design and materials), so if you want to know how they sound, look for MX Black sound samples in a similar keyboard design to the one you're interested in purchasing.
Title: Re: Do kailh blacks actually sound like this?
Post by: spiritistz on Fri, 02 January 2015, 08:22:01
Videos recording not always sound 100% accurate due to the mic distance/ mic quality etc.

In addition, the sound of switch not only depends on the type of the switch, it also can be affected by the different board materials or keycaps.

Meanwhile, there are no huge different between Cherry MX Black and Kailh Black, they all shared a same switch structure.

So I think it should sound pretty similar compare to the normal Cherry Black.
Title: Re: Do kailh blacks actually sound like this?
Post by: Altis on Sat, 03 January 2015, 11:45:14
The audio definitely sounds quite muted. Seems like the higher frequencies are heavily attenuated based on the other vids by the same poster.

It's possible that with thick PBT keycaps and a sound deadened case to sound something like that, I think.

Sounds really smooth and subtle... I like it.