In my efforts to understand why I like some switches (eg Black Sesame, Aflion Blue Sky) better than others, I thought I’d try to learn about one aspect of the sound - the pitch. Apparently I like low pitch (deep) sounding linear switches, so I wondered what, apart from the keyboard…, makes one switch deeper sounding than another (without modding).
So far I’ve come up with:
materials (stem, housings)
long/short pole
holes in bottom housing
Uncertain about:
spring (kind and length and material)
housing construction (they all look the same to me, ahem)
stem construction (see above)
Sample question. Keybored has a video explaining why some plates sound deeper than others, for example because of material density, and POM has the lowest pitch. Stands to reason to me that an all-POM switch then should in theory be a pretty deep sounding switch. Is this logical or am I ignoring all sorts of complexities?
all of what you have mentioned has effects on a switch’s sound. some often overlooked ones are
-housing construction (thinner side/bottom walls vs. thicker side/bottom walls
-additionally also thickness of the pole well (the bottom but also the sides, you can blow out the bottom of some of them when using longpole stems)
-3 pin vs 5 pin
-distance between PCB and the bottom of the housing.
-shape of the stem pole (flat vs rounded, thick vs thin, etc)
I personally wouldn’t put too much trust or thought into keybored’s pseudo science, but softer materials like U(hmw)PE will probably have a deeper and/or more muted sound. POM isn’t really that deep, i’d say it’s even the opposite. NK creams, MMD creams, EMT V1 and such come to mind. I would assume that something like an ABS or U(hmw)PE bottom housing would sound quite a lot deeper than POM on thee down stroke. PC seems to be more muted but higher in pitch and nylon seems to be on the louder side and a more neutral/medium pitched sound. At least from my experience.
I would still say that MX-style switches aren’t really that good for lower pitched sound because of how small the pole, or overall contact area, is. Maybe CAP switches are better for that, but i haven’t tried those yet.
I was more thinking that they would sound different if they are both long pole and bottom out on the poles. Not sure if there are any long pole CAP switches yet, though.
Taiwan jet Axis could also fall into that category, i guess, since they have a different stem design with 2 poles.
finally catching up…! Thanks for the explanation, it’s very helpful. I’m not sure I trust the science there either, but it got me thinking at least
I’ll keep a lookout for ABS and U(hmw)PE bottom housings - I have some full POM switches on the way, so am curious to see what they sound like.
It’s all relative anyway, I guess, but I am intrigued to see the many variables coming into play - possibly too many to get my head around, or experiment with I hadn’t even heard of CAP switches…! they don’t seem to have gained much traction since 2020?
How whole idea with the “science” of mounting plates and their materials and this whole “more mass = more deep, more stiff = more high” thing. Where he put FR4 as being lower in pitch than Brass or Alu.
Not only is it wrong (in my experience and to my ears, at least.), but it’s also not even something that can easily be put into a ranked listing like that because there are just too many variables. Even simple things like how not every metal plate uses the same alloy/mixture/type of metal. Or how not every FR4 is the same in density. How the same material like POM sounds and feels different from different manufacturers and suppliers. Even between different mounting styles.
He did a follow up Video where he showed some different Materials side by side, but that just disproved his “Science” even more. His previous Video staid that Carbon was the highest in pitch and that FR4 was even deeper than Alu. In his follow up Video his Carbon plate was sounding deeper than his FR4 plate, and i’m not even sure if that was deeper than the Alu plate because it just had so much pinging.
I think it’s important to distinguish between pseudoscience and attempts at science that are wrong because they are incomplete or because the application is inaccurate. Keybored’s video seems to be more in the latter camp.
That said, you are of course right about the engineering being more than just the naive material properties, as any acoustic engineer or audio designer will confirm. Piega have built an enviable brand by using slightly surprising material combinations to make detailed and controlled sound, for example.
I have found those comparisons he makes helpful but yes there are a lot of uncontrolled variables.
I don’t want to side track the thread, but I generally have found FR4 to be deeper than alu, but to your point these are matte finish, flexible FR4 plates. I had another FR4 plate with a smooth, stiff solder mask that was much higher pitched and one clad in copper that basically sounds like alu. Someone told me the pitch and stiffness of CF depends on the directional pattern of the fibers within the resin; FR4 is also…fibers in resin.
Sorry, Which list are you referring to? Cause, In the second list, he put FR4 as clackier than alu. Sorry again, not to be rude, but aren’t you a bit biased? Perhaps you’re experiencing something called loudness (high amplitude) instead of a high pitch (high freq. vib.). In the video, IMO it is indeed a bit deeper but loud (or noisy for the extreme case). Polymers or some composites are very light, hence they are easier to vibrate… but at a lower frequency (mostly). Well, CF is a bit tricky because it has a very high stiffness-to-weight ratio. It really depends on how the system is fully built. Mostly, carbon fiber plates are louder and sometimes clackier than metal plates just like in the Keybored video. Pay attention when he double-clicks the ‘L’ button on both the CF and alu plates. Also, please, check this video! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZv01Pd1puo&t=96s IMO, being the least stiff, the POM plate is indeed deep but loud! Alu plate can be thocky but tends to go clack and quieter. POM is very warm but loud. Love them both. But personally, I’ll go for a brass or alu plate.
hmmmmm actually your opinion about the POM switch might be correct cause some manufacturers poorly design their processes. POM is more difficult to process and to reduce costs, well, manufacturers subject the switch components to sudden temperature drops, resulting in increased stiffness due to their susceptibility to shrinkage. I have jwick with pom stem and nylon housing… umm they are not too bad, I think…
I hadn’t even heard of CAP switches…! they don’t seem to have gained much traction since 2020?
I’m trying to resist the urge to open that Pandora’s box
thok 
