Perhaps it’s somewhat ludicrous to offer to let people hear what something “silent” sounds like, but here we are. Of course, Cherry’s MX Silent Red and Black switches aren't literally silent, but they are pretty quiet.
We had a chance to chat with Cherry representatives at CES 2017, and they explained how the bumper system works on the Cherry MX Silent switches to reduce noise at two points on the full switch travel.
After an exclusivity deal with Corsair expired, other keyboard makers are free to bring the Silent switches to their own devices. Cherry has one of its own--a version of its G80-3000 keyboard. Yes, it looks like something out of the 1980s, but it comes bearing brand new switches.
You can hear a comparison between Cherry MX Red and Cherry MX Silent Red in the video, as well as one (in a more quiet setting than the CES show floor) showing the audible difference between MX Silent Black switches and standard MX Red switches.
Technically, this is an apples to oranges comparison, but in this case it’s apt. Red and Black are both linear switches and have essentially identical specs, save for the force required to actuate them. Therefore, they make roughly the same sound.
But you can judge for yourself when you check out the video.
Except the space bar. The space bar on my keyboard sounds like God slamming his car door.
Though, a Blue switch keyboard will also get much "weaker". My original Blackwidow lasted me about 3 years before the keys became mushy. It used the original Blue Cherry switches.
@DSTARR3: On Brown, most people don't bottom out, because the click helps you not to. But on the Red, you have no feedback. So most of the time you just bottom out. And this is why Red becomes so loud - sometimes even louder than Blue. Of course you can just "not bottom out" but it is very hard to do, and well, it's a pain.
I tried O-Rings, but they changed the feel of keys totally. So my comfortable Red switches became totally membrane like. So I don't think they are a good solution.
tl;dr: I am skeptic about these new Silent switches.
On its face, these are a better solution to o-rings. The Silent switches are designed to quiet the noise without affecting the performance, whereas o-rings, Cherry says, do affect the performance.
But like you, I'm a little skeptical about the rubber. I mean, plastic wears out. So does metal. But rubber seems like it's less durable. I think that Cherry thinks that, indeed, the rubber will wear down faster, so the noise will gradually return. But the company seems to think that it will last long enough.
Not sometimes, bottoming out keys is several times louder than the plastic click of a blue, its why I o-ringed my, sure its a blue and it makes noise, i like the noise of the click, I don't like the noise of a bottom out though, just taking the o right off my right arrow and pressing the down arrow and the right i can't hear the plastic click at all on the right, but i do hear the bottoming out, and the clicking never really gets louder, but depending on how mad or tired I am, the bottoming out gets several times louder then a plastic click too.
but that's just what I observe. If you never bottom out, then its a non issue.