What are your guys experience with this exotic material plate type?
I’m planning to replace the aluminum plate with the carbon fiber one to boost the sound of the keyboard, but wonder does it boost very much or just a little bit? I have watched some sound test comparison between 2 of this materials but their nearly the same so I really doubt it and curios about the in-hand experience.
Sorry for my bad English :((((
I would recommend POM or PC (polycarbonate) plate materials instead of carbon fiber. At least in my limited experience with them, carbon fiber plates don’t sound that much different than aluminum, but POM or PC sounds so much more pleasant in my opinion.
Agreed with Llama, the CF plate I have sounds pretty similar to aluminum; I think its value is in the aesthetics.
Are you wanting more sound volume, or a change in pitch?
Softer materials like polycarbonate or polypropylene tend towards deeper sounds with lower pitch, while more rigid materials like thick aluminum or brass tend towards brighter sounds with a higher pitch. I’d say CF is somewhere near the middle, it’s just also pretty close in sound to normal thickness aluminum.
For volume, anything but the softest or hardest should be good, and it’s more about case acoustics.
From what I’ve heard in various tests, CF can give the clackiest sound, but this can come at the expense of losing some volume, some even saying it borders on being “too clacky”.
IMHO, just like most in this hobby, your interest in CF is an itch that you will have to scratch at some point. Go for a CF keyboard build and find out if it’s something you like.
I love the sound of carbon fiber with tactiles in most aluminum boards I’ve tried. In my head the material variation with aluminum boards changes the sound in a way that I prefer. It’s probably all placebo - my tests were definitely not scientific!
If you have the funds and access to try a carbon fiber plate and don’t mind the work to switch back and forth (if you really don’t like carbon fiber), I’d recommend trying it! I remember when FR4 was a popular plate recommendation for tactiles and I tried it - I really don’t like FR4 for some reason, but I had to try it to figure that out!
I have a CF plate in my Neo70 and Athena1800. Yes, clacky but not as high pitched as aluminum. I really like it. Uncertain how much is the switch and how much is the plate — haven’t done an A-B test.
