How exactly loud are mx blues when typing?

[Air tree]

Well i was wondering this and i'm not sure if i can deal with them or not so i want to ask you guys how loud are they in person? Do they ever annoy you? I'm trying to make up my mind between switches, i think it's just down to browns and blues.

[Puddsy]

It's not that bad. The click is about as loud as a mouse click.

[Photekq]

What do you want? dB? Just buy a switch from wasd and try it yourself, it'll give you a better idea of the switch than any words ever can.

[Tarzan]

Well i was wondering this and i'm not sure if i can deal with them or not so i want to ask you guys how loud are they in person? Do they ever annoy you? I'm trying to make up my mind between switches, i think it's just down to browns and blues.

They annoy me.  I've tried every MX switch type I could get my hands on, and MX Blues are the only ones I could not force myself to keep using for any length of time.

It's not just that they're clicky, they have a high-pitched clickiness that's like nails on a blackboard for me.

Conversely, MX Greens are one of my favorite switches, even though they're classed as clicky too.  Could have had something to do with the cheap-as-crap thin caps on the MX Blue board, I can't tell for sure.

[Air tree]

I tried blues briefly at best buy, They where not too bad but i'm just wondering if when you are full fledged typing fast if they annoy you or are very loud.

[Danule]

when typing fast they get pretty damn loud.

[CPTBadAss]

I use them at work in an open environment but I recently found out we have white noise generators.

[calavera]

Go search on youtube, plenty of clips to give you an idea.

[divito]

Well i was wondering this and i'm not sure if i can deal with them or not so i want to ask you guys how loud are they in person? Do they ever annoy you? I'm trying to make up my mind between switches, i think it's just down to browns and blues.

They have the ability to be somewhat loud, but that's dependent on several factors.

My blues are sort of loud, but that's given the sound level of my home office area, the plate of the Das, and the thin caps of the Das (which will be changed soon). A keyboard without a plate, with thicker caps, its casing, and in a different environment will give different results. To me, the lightness of the switch, and thinness of the caps are slowly having an effect on me. I still would pick blues over the other commons, but I'm more strongly considering more exotic options for the future.

Watching videos on Youtube will be able to help get an idea through the various keyboard options.

[tp4tissue]

they are no louder than ANY OTHER MX switch.

The extra-click makes for a "different" sound profile. It is NOT LOUDER..

[thebeargentile]

when typing fast they get pretty damn loud.

When typing fast, most switches will get loud, though... my browns get crazy loud when I type fast.  The thing about blues is deciding if the click bothers you or not... it's not that the click is loud, just that it, in combination with the bottoming out/regular switch noise, drives some people crazy. 

To me, if I'm the one typing, the sound doesn't bother me at all... it's like when you're practicing an instrument, and you don't mind the noise, because you're the one creating it.  I can definitely see why some people would get aggravated trying to get stuff done around people typing on blues... in comparison to the normal sound of cherry switches, the click can just be... distracting... to some people.

[rootwyrm]

There's a common misconception that Blues/Greens/Whites are universally loud/quiet or universally have the same sound. This is completely and utterly false.

The key defining characteristic of the sound of any clicky MX switch is in fact, the keycaps. Not the mounting method, not the switch, but the keycap itself. The keycap essentially serves as both sound damper and echo chamber. As a general rule of thumb, thinner ABS keycaps will be significantly louder than thick PBT keycaps.

At some point I will have the time to demonstrate Thick PBT (Ducky) vs Thin PBT (t's) which makes a TREMENDOUS amount of difference on a DK9008G2 Pro. The thick keycaps produce a quieter, duller sound while the thin PBTs produce a louder and sharper tone overall.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

The key defining characteristic of the sound of any clicky MX switch is in fact, the keycaps.

Indeed. If you pull the keycap off an MX blue keyboard and press on the slider, the drop in noise level is quite surprising — the switch hardly makes a sound. Someone recently posted a video of a switch that was allegedly defective and barely clicking, but with the keycap off. The result was that it sounded exactly the same as any of the switches on my keyboard with the keycap removed, i.e. a very faint click.

MX blue is definitely louder than brown, but not hugely — as many people have pointed out, it's the high pitch and sharp envelope of the click sound that makes it harder to ignore than other switches.

[Air tree]

The key defining characteristic of the sound of any clicky MX switch is in fact, the keycaps.

Indeed. If you pull the keycap off an MX blue keyboard and press on the slider, the drop in noise level is quite surprising — the switch hardly makes a sound. Someone recently posted a video of a switch that was allegedly defective and barely clicking, but with the keycap off. The result was that it sounded exactly the same as any of the switches on my keyboard with the keycap removed, i.e. a very faint click.

MX blue is definitely louder than brown, but not hugely — as many people have pointed out, it's the high pitch and sharp envelope of the click sound that makes it harder to ignore than other switches.

Hmm i might just get mx blues then, i tried them and i quite liked the feel and the click of them. I'm just not sure if the click would annoy me down the road after a while.

[1391406]

they are no louder than ANY OTHER MX switch.

The extra-click makes for a "different" sound profile. It is NOT LOUDER..

When you exclude bottoming out, Blues are most assuredly louder than Browns given that Blues click and Browns don't.

[ynrozturk]

It's music to my ears, especially when typing fast. I love my Blues.

[Architect]

It's not the sound of a single key, it's the cacophony when typing at normal speed (i.e., getting some work done). Browns or regular keyboards are noisy too, but Blues are at least twice that and of a nature that says "pay attention to me!"

[terran5992]

Dat sound when you type fast on a keyboard.

[GeeGee]

It's music to my ears, especially when typing fast. I love my Blues.

Talking about music, is everyone sitting in a quite room just listening to their keyboard?  I can't believe I'm the only one listening to something while on the PC.

[terran5992]

IMO music distracts me when im using the computer

[ynrozturk]

It's music to my ears, especially when typing fast. I love my Blues.

Talking about music, is everyone sitting in a quite room just listening to their keyboard?  I can't believe I'm the only one listening to something while on the PC.

Well no. I usually have some sort of music playing in the background, mostly easy listening like jazz fusion stuff. I can still hear my Blues, though. Haha.

[Moosecraft]

For me blues are too loud for typing longer. I get annoyed after around 1 hour.

[rowdy]

I like my blues, the noise is not annoying.  But currently I am using a Model M, which sounds like MX blues but even more so.

The sound from bottoming out will be louder than the click from each switch if you are a moderately heavy typist.  This will be the case for most mechanical keyboards.

[zoolzoo]

it best switch. you buy

[Polymer]

Blues are pretty loud and will annoy a lot of people around you.....and o-rings/landing pads will only help w/ the bottoming out noise..the actual click itself will still be there..

If you're using your keyboard w/o anyone around you...Blues are fine...I think they're great...If you're using them at home and no one around you will care...they're fine....I wouldn't bring one into an office environment though because unlike most other switches, there just anything you can do about getting rid of the click....

[Clicky]

It's music to my ears, especially when typing fast. I love my Blues.

Talking about music, is everyone sitting in a quite room just listening to their keyboard?  I can't believe I'm the only one listening to something while on the PC.

Call it a click fetish, but I actually hate typing with headphones on because I can't hear the click of my mx blues or model m.  Though sometimes I will play music from speakers, but I can definitely still hear the clicking.

And to OP, you will definitely have a very noticable rattle as you type on blues ( just how loud being dependent on your caps), but it's definitely a personal call on whether that's a good thing or not (well I guess the people around you will probably have an opinon too), as you can tell with some of the replies.  Hope you like your blues!

(Thanks CPTBadAss, I forgot I hadn't checked for new StarCrafts episodes in a while!)

[sylfki]

Blues are the "quiet switches" I retreat to when my BS keyboard feels too loud. If you're not used to typing on a clicky keyboard, blues might drive you nuts. Going from blacks to blues is painful for me; the high pitched click is just really noticeable. Going from buckling springs to blues makes blues sound acceptable to my ears. It's very subjective. Humans are very subjective creatures. But, as stated above, keycaps will alter the pitch to a degree.

[rowdy]

It's music to my ears, especially when typing fast. I love my Blues.

Talking about music, is everyone sitting in a quite room just listening to their keyboard?  I can't believe I'm the only one listening to something while on the PC.

Call it a click fetish, but I actually hate typing with headphones on because I can't hear the click of my mx blues or model m.  Though sometimes I will play music from speakers, but I can definitely still hear the clicking.

And to OP, you will definitely have a very noticable rattle as you type on blues ( just how loud being dependent on your caps), but it's definitely a personal call on whether that's a good thing or not (well I guess the people around you will probably have an opinon too), as you can tell with some of the replies.  Hope you like your blues!

(Thanks CPTBadAss, I forgot I hadn't checked for new StarCrafts episodes in a while!)

I have a webcam here, and with the audio on and headphones on, I could hear myself typing like half a second after the keypress.  It was quite hypnotic sometimes - that half second delay while Windows processed the incoming audio signal.

[meiosis]

just as loud as the demik at a bieber concert

[Emospence]

It's not that bad. The click is about as loud as a mouse click.

This.

[Grim Fandango]

I guess that is subjective then. Some people say it is not that bad, but I say it is pretty damn loud. Even if an individual tap is not so loud, and even when it is not that bad in terms of decibels, the constant noise that comes from it during rapid typing is really quite intense imo. Not loud enough to annoy me, but definitely loud enough to annoy people around me. That said, All cherry MX switches are kind of noisy if you bottom out on every keystroke.

Note that it sounds quite a bit louder when using it at home in a quiet environment than trying it at a shop. I think that unless you accept and do not mind the switch being loud, you will end up disappointed. I would simply not recommend if this is a big issue for you.

[1391406]

It's not that bad. The click is about as loud as a mouse click.

This.

Believe it or not, there's approx. a 20dB difference between the key click of Blues and the click of a mouse.

[rowdy]

It's not that bad. The click is about as loud as a mouse click.

This.

Believe it or not, there's approx. a 20dB difference between the key click of Blues and the click of a mouse.

Plus the mouse is usually just one or two clicks, whereas a keyboard can be continual clicking.

[Altis]

There are lots of variables beyond the switches that determine how loud a keyboard is, as others have mentioned.

However, I do find that Blues add a certain pitch to the already loud enough keys bottoming out that you now have a pretty full-ranged sound.  Type pretty quickly for a bit, then stop, and you'll realize just how loud it was.  It's fun in shorter applications, IMO.  It can even be fatiguing to the ears after enough typing.

Whether or not it's "too loud" will depend on many factors, including your tolerance to noise, others around you, being able to hear music/game sounds over your keyboard, typing while on the phone (in an office), family/spouse/roommates, etc...

I find Browns and Reds to be loud as well,  but it's mostly in the lower registers which seems to be less intrusive and deliberate sounding.  Still, if I switch from Blues to Browns, my head thanks me, and if I switch from Browns to my Apple BT, then it's nearly dead silent (while being more tactile than my Browns).

[elttaboi]

Plus the mouse is usually just one or two clicks, whereas a keyboard can be continual clicking.

Not if you play starcraft. 

I don't mind a keyboard being as loud as blues. What annoys me is the higher pitch click from the blues.
I like a nice thick 'thunk' sound.

[rowdy]

It can even be hypnotically relaxing to the ears after enough typing.

FTFY

[1391406]

I've reversed my position on the loudness of MX Blues. I used to believe Buckling Spring was the louder switch. Not anymore. After personally recording both, I discovered that Blues were demonstrably louder overall. Not significantly so, but louder nonetheless. There was a peak differential of approx. 5dB. That said, I think Buckling Spring is often perceived as louder due to the ears sensitivity to certain frequencies.

[rowdy]

I've reversed my position on the loudness of MX Blues. I used to believe Buckling Spring was the louder switch. Not anymore. After personally recording both, I discovered that Blues were demonstrably louder overall. Not significantly so, but louder nonetheless. There was a peak differential of approx. 5dB. That said, I think Buckling Spring is often perceived as louder due to the ears sensitivity to certain frequencies.

That's interesting - I am using BS at home and it definitely seems louder than my Ducky with blues.

I'll have to try them both again, or maybe my ears as not so sensitive to those frequencies.

[slip84]

Is a mouse click a standard unit of measure when talking about dB?

[1391406]

I've reversed my position on the loudness of MX Blues. I used to believe Buckling Spring was the louder switch. Not anymore. After personally recording both, I discovered that Blues were demonstrably louder overall. Not significantly so, but louder nonetheless. There was a peak differential of approx. 5dB. That said, I think Buckling Spring is often perceived as louder due to the ears sensitivity to certain frequencies.

That's interesting - I am using BS at home and it definitely seems louder than my Ducky with blues.

Personally, it seems louder than every Cherry Blue board I've ever heard.

[Reckthor]

Love that click.

[1391406]

Is a mouse click a standard unit of measure when talking about dB?

No, but it makes a decent point of reference for comparing sounds among keyboard enthusiasts, I suppose. Then again, maybe not.

[Emospence]

Then again, different mice click at different volumes.. Hah.

[1391406]

Then again, different mice click at different volumes.. Hah.

I've used a lot of different mice and they don't seem to vary much in loudness.

[Emospence]

I've reversed my position on the loudness of MX Blues. I used to believe Buckling Spring was the louder switch. Not anymore. After personally recording both, I discovered that Blues were demonstrably louder overall. Not significantly so, but louder nonetheless. There was a peak differential of approx. 5dB. That said, I think Buckling Spring is often perceived as louder due to the ears sensitivity to certain frequencies.

That's interesting - I am using BS at home and it definitely seems louder than my Ducky with blues.

Personally, it seems louder than every Cherry Blue board I've ever heard.

Not too good for cubicle styled offices then, I suppose..

[TheSoulhunter]

The key defining characteristic of the sound of any clicky MX switch is in fact, the keycaps. Not the mounting method, not the switch, but the keycap itself. The keycap essentially serves as both sound damper and echo chamber. As a general rule of thumb, thinner ABS keycaps will be significantly louder than thick PBT keycaps.

I agree that the keycaps are an important factor, but if you think the mounting is unimportant you probably never used a Genovation pad or an ALPSulator (PING!). Plate mounting and case design can greatly enhance resonance (ie. the plate vibrates when releasing a key-press, and the casing acts as resonance chamber). It all depends on the plates dimensions, material and mounting in the case, as well as the material, shape and dimensions of the case itself. I have 3 plate mounted boards that generate echoing metallic ping sounds, way louder than what the switch (with or without cap) can produce by itself.

[rowdy]

Desk surface and material, any padding under the keyboard, case material and construction and room accoustics also contribute to the sound of typing.

[davkol]

An interesting fact: browns are actually louder than blues, but the frequency makes them sound different.
-- source: a studio recording that disappeared because of the ROOTWORM

BTW the buckling spring crowd must be deaf... I had lend a decibelmeter, and based on that data, longer exposure to BS-loving typists should be dangerous to healthy person's hearing

[divito]

I wonder if anyone with multiple boards of the same switch can venture to record the different sounds?

[Krigo]

Desk surface and material, any padding under the keyboard, case material and construction and room accoustics also contribute to the sound of typing.

This a hundred times. Depending on what you place keyboard your keyboard on and how thick it is it may or may not resonate your key presses much louder. Easiest way to see the difference type with it on your desk, and type with it on your lap. For 60% boards (like a poker 2) I put a folded up piece of paper towel under the board, you can't really see it but it makes a worlds difference.