ABS Keycap Comparison - Aifei, DCX, JTK, KKB, GMK, DCS Sound Tests - Neo65 Plateless & Foamless
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- Опубликовано: 11 июл 2024
- Start 00:00
Aifei 00:15
DCX 00:40
JTK 01:00
KKB 01:20
GMK 01:40
DCS 02:00
Mods & Keys Aifei 02:25
Mods & Keys DCX 03:06
Mods & Keys JTK 03:50
Mods & Keys KKB 04:36
Mods & Keys GMK 05:21
Mods & Keys DCS 06:00
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DISCLAIMER - SOUND TESTS USUALLY AREN'T ACCURATE REPRESENTATIONS OF WHAT BOARDS SOUND LIKE IN REAL LIFE. THINK OF IT AS A WAY TO SHOW OFF WHAT A BOARD MAY SOUND LIKE, NOT AN ACCURATE "THIS IS WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE IN REAL LIFE" VIDEO.
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Sound test specs
- Glorious 4mm thick desk mat
- Samson Dynamic Q9U microphone
- Panasonic HDC-TM90 Camcorder
- Sound was increased to +5 dB in DaVinci Resolve to make the volume easier for the listener instead of having to raise/lower their volume
- Mic mounted on a Rode PSA1+ boom arm attached to my desk (I know, I know, it would be best to not mount my mic on the desk that I'm typing, but it's my setup for now) 16 cm away from the board (ear height)
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Keyboard specs
Purple Neo65
- Plateless
- Foamless
- Zepsody Wisteria Round 1 C-Stock Linears (No Mods)
- Gasket Mount
- NicePBT Cadet Purple Sublegends
- Cherry clip-in stabs w/205g0 on plastic housings, dielectric grease on the wire ends where the plastic meets the wire
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Keycap specs
- Aifei Round 2 White on Black from AliExpress
- DCX 9009 from Drop/Massdrop
- JTK Classic FC R2 Mono Base from NovelKeys
- Keykobo Violet on Cream from NovelKeys
- GMK Mictlan from NovelKeys
- DCS Dark Sky from NovelKeys
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KBCompare link for blind sound testing:
kbcompare.com/test/IiXRc7
After NovelKeys’ black friday/cyber monday sales, my neighbor (also best friend since grade school) who is also addicted to keebs splurged a bunch during the sale, and was kind enough to lend me some sets to record with.
I had never typed on Keykobo or DCS myself, so it was really fun to try those two brands. I also sold my JTK set a few months ago, so it was also fun to remember what JTK sounded and felt like. Personally, I partook in AliExpress’ 11.11 sale and got a round 2 Aifei set, and with my GMK and DCX sets, so in total, we had 6 different keycap brands between us.
This video isn’t meant to be an exhaustive and 100% true-to-life comparison between ABS keycaps, but just a fun little showcase of the sounds of the 6 brands that we had.
Personally, they all worked really well with the Neo65, and I really didn’t “dislike” any of them! 
Кино
Amazing comparison! Which set do you think is the closest to GMK in terms of sound?
Thank you! To my ears (it's less distinct IRL than in this recording), Keykobo is the closest to GMK sound wise.
I'll post a keyboardcompare link that allows obscuring of titles and whatnot and is only audio (no video) for a better comparison tomorrow!
I felt like once I closed my eyes and listened to the audio, it was much easier to determine which sets sounded deeper/higher pitched and which ones sounded the same.
IRL, dcx and the round 2 aifeis sound super close and the deepest, then jtk and KKB are kinda similar (maybe jtk is sliiiiightly deeper), then gmk is distinctly higher pitched than jtk/KKB, and DCS has the highest pitch of them all.
But it'll be easier (or maybe harder) to differentiate once I put all the audio into kbcompare tomorrow
Here is the KBCompare link. You can hide the titles and scramble them as well. Pretty useful website!
kbcompare.com/test/IiXRc7
@@HubertTheMad Wow this info is super useful. It proves that DCX is not worth it for me
Thanks so much for the comparison! I am always asked about the comparison between all these brands, and now I can finally link them to this video. Essential community resource! :D
Wow, thank YOU!
There were some small errors (like putting the keycap spec of the neo65 when in reality, there was no reason to because the keycaps were changing anyways) along with not having access to quite as many abs sets (domikey, pbtfans abs, and others) as I would've liked to make a more comparitive video, so I'll definitely remake this in the future to be better.
I appreciate your comment very much!
I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR A COMPARISON LIKE THIS UR SUCH A GOAT THANKS!!!!!!1!1!1!1!1!
Haha, thanks so much!
I wasn't expecting it to be so popular, but I'll make a better one with a few more abs brands in the future once I get my hands on them!
thank you for the dedication , really helps.
Thanks for the kind words! I'll have an updated video with a couple more brands and boards in the next few weeks.
What this convinced me was that plateless Neo65 with Wisterias freakin rock
Honestly, it definitely surprised me! I mean, granted, I didn't opt for a plate so it had to be plateless and gasket mounted, but I did not expect such a fantastic feel (bouncy) and sound with the long poles haha
You won a sub after this review !
Wow, thanks so much! I appreciate it very much. It's thanks to people like you that makes me want to create more and better content!
So, dcs gives us a fucking awesome high pitched retro clack sound. My ears love it so much
I'm a biiiig fan of DCS! Yes, the abs sets that you can find nowadays from them for the recent runs are thinner than other abs brands, but in turn that really allows the switch characteristics to be more prominent
I wish pbtfans abs was included, but this is already amazing. I think dcs stands out the most, curious to try them out soon.
Same here! If I see a really good deal on them, I'd love to try them.
We all know it's preference at the end of the day, but I really do like the story as well as the feel/look/sound of DCS. Yes, DCS abs is definitely thinner compared to what we regard as "the best" abs brands, but I think a lot of people automatically assume thin = low quality.
I definitely do not think that, and actually am probably going to grab the DCS Sleeper set on Drop since it's on sale and I can use a friend's coupon on them.
Looking forward to what your thoughts are once you try out DCS!
DCX, KKB, and GMK seem to be my favorites. The others sounded harsher to my ears here, and DCS just sounds thin on top of that.
i cant tell if your stabs are messed up on the spacebar but you can definitely hear the differences on the mods
Yup! The easiest way to tell the difference between each is the spacebar and mods. IRL, the difference is a bit more subtle, but still noticeable when testing the mods and spacebar
@@HubertTheMad definitely man! thanks for this vid. now i can explain the difference in sound to my friends when they want more keebs hahaha
What's your recommendation?
Great question! So this is purely based off on what I personally enjoy, so please take it with a grain of salt as we all have different preferences. These are all based on US dollar pricing and mostly US-based vendors.
I am a huge fan of GMK, but especially GMK which you can get for cheap. When there are sales like Black Friday/Cyber Monday, random sales, or just situations where you can get in-stock GMK for $50-$90 shipped with an extensive base kit, I always go for GMK. I enjoy the vibrancy of colors, the sound, and the feel. Plus, being half-German, it's kind of cool to have German-made keycaps.
When not on sale or in stock, except for very specific instances, I tend not to spend full price for GMK.
Keykobo is nice, however, I'd only get them if there was a specific colorway that I know won't be covered by GMK, and if it's on sale. The keycap trays are really nicely packaged, and sometimes during sales, you can get it for $60 shipped. I'd say they sound the most like GMK, albeit some differences.
JTK is what I'd only buy if on sale, and was around $51 shipped at the lowest price that I saw. Honestly, they are super close (for me) to Keykobo, and for some boards, JTK even sounds better than KKB or GMK.
Aifei and DCX sound virtually identical to me IRL, even though there may be some differences when listening to the recording, specifically Aifei round 2. I respect DCX for running GMK colorways, but DCX isn't really my cup of tea since I can get Aifei round 2 that sounds virtually identical for cheaper unless there is a specific DCX colorway I want.
Signature plastics (DCS profile) is something I also enjoy, and while a bit pricier (even on sale), still is something I enjoy both with the thinner nature of the ABS, the story behind SP, and so on.
The thing to remember is that while GMK may sound fantastic on one board, it may not actually sound AS good as KKB/JTK/insert brand here on a different board. For example, I had the opportunity to try GMK and JTK on a Frog TKL, and I actually liked JTK more.
I think all in all, each brand or type of keycap works in different situations. Personally, I love GMK the most (especially on sale), but that doesn't mean that I dislike any of the other brands!
@@HubertTheMad Thanks, you help me a lot.
I only tried GMK, Domikey before.
GMK has specific poppy/clacky sound signature I think.
Domikey is thockier than GMK.
I'll try different brands you mentioned if having chance.
@@yanhuan1 of course! Glad I could help. If I'm able to get a domikey set on sale, that and the pbtfans abs are two sets that I'd like to compare with these six
@@HubertTheMad Such useful information here dude. You're the best
@@HubertTheMad can you share link where you bought aifei
stabs??
Whoops, forgot to add that in the description! I'll do that now.
They're just cherry clip ins with 205g0 on the housings and dielectric grease on the end of the wires where the wires touch the plastic housings (not a thick coat, just a thin one)
nice sound bro 🥰🥰
@@nsnhjj1295 Thanks so much! I appreciate your kind words
Jesus it sucks a lot. Thick PBT is the best in term of sound
That's the best part about the hobby (besides the community)!
Someone may dislike abs and someone else may dislike PBT, someone may like linears but hate tactiles, there is no "right" or "wrong" way to enjoy the hobby since it's all preference in the end
Its All preference
PBT is SUCKS SOUND
@@HubertTheMad I agree that in the end it's all preference. I started out in the hobby liking the whole creamy pe foam sound but now 2 years later I'm a clacky guy that prefers without any foam and my keycaps should be ABS made rather than PBT. It's like telling someone why they prefer a bright colored shirt rather than a dark colored shirt then vice versa.