Silent mechanical switches
Updated
Silent mechanical switches have a soft damper built into the stem, so the stem lands and returns against it instead of bare plastic. In one keyboard maker's measurements, a silent build was 15 to 30 dB quieter than other mechanical builds, and RTINGS says silent switches with enough dampening come close to a membrane keyboard.
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Pick a pack, then press any key or tap the keys below. These are the same samples the app plays.
How they work
Cherry describes its MX Silent switches in two sentences: “The operating noises are reliably minimized by a patented damping,” and “The stem of MX Silent switches is made of two components and contains integrated, patented noise reduction technology.” Epomaker’s Sound Lab describes the effect: “Silent switches dampen both the down- and up-stroke, so almost no acoustic energy escapes.”
Cherry’s own specifications show a shorter travel on the Silent Red, likely the room the damper takes (our inference; Cherry does not say), but not on the Silent Black:
| Switch | Type | Force | Pre-travel | Total travel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MX2A Red | Linear | 45 cN | 2.0 mm | 4.0 mm |
| MX2A Silent Red | Linear, damped | 45 cN | 1.9 mm | 3.7 mm |
| MX2A Silent Black | Linear, damped | 60 cN | 2.0 mm | 4.0 mm |
How quiet
Epomaker publishes a loudness for each sound profile it builds, “measured under ESS-2026 protocol at the typist’s ear, average sustained typing at 60 WPM. Variance ±2 dB”:
| Profile | Loudness |
|---|---|
| Silent | 35 dB |
| Creamy | 50 dB |
| Tactile | 53 dB |
| Thocky | 55 dB |
| Clacky | 60 dB |
| Clicky | 62 dB |
| Mahjong | 65 dB |
Each is one of Epomaker’s own keyboards, not a switch alone. Its recipe for a silent board is four steps: silent switches, a “full foam stack”, a silicone case bottom and the tape or band-aid mod. See foam mods.
RTINGS, which has tested over 250 keyboards, says silent switches “designed to minimize noise during both actuation and bottom-out … when paired with effective dampening, can produce a typing experience nearly as quiet as that of a membrane keyboard.” For how membrane boards compare, see rubber dome vs mechanical.
Quiet packs to hear
With headphones, a sound app lets you hear a loud switch without anyone else hearing it, but some people want a quiet sound in their ears too. Teclo’s quietest-sounding keyboard pack is Muffle, which imitates silent switches on foam:
| Pack | What it imitates | Press length (ms) | 90% of energy in (ms) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Muffle | Silent switches on foam | 55 | 8.3 |
| Cushion | Rubber domes over springs | 72 | 8.4 |
| Butter | Linear, lubed, on gaskets and foam | 80 | 13.1 |
| Cricket | Clicky, with a click jacket | 70 | 7.1 |
Muffle has the shortest press of any keyboard pack, and in Teclo’s model its case rings for 14 ms against Butter’s 60 ms. Cricket is there for contrast: its sound is short too, but it is a sharp click, not a pad. Teclo’s own volume slider sets how loud any pack plays. The packs are synthesized and imitate the effect of silent switches; they are not recordings of a Cherry switch.
Silent switches come in linear and tactile versions; for how the normal kinds sound, see linear, tactile and clicky.
Questions
What is the quietest mechanical switch?
A silent linear, such as Cherry's MX Silent Red, in a board with foam. Epomaker measured its silent build at 35 dB at the typist's ear, against 50 to 65 dB for its other sound profiles. RTINGS rates linear switches the quietest of the three normal kinds and clicky the loudest.
Do silent switches feel different?
Slightly, on some models. Cherry lists 3.7 mm of total travel for the MX Silent Red against 4.0 mm for the MX Red, with the same 45 cN force; the Silent Black keeps the full 4.0 mm.
Are there silent tactile switches?
Yes. Epomaker's silent recipe says "Silent linear or tactile — built-in stem dampening."
Sources
Other facts on this page come from these pages, read on or before the date above.