Tactile vs Linear · sound comparison
Brown vs Black
sound test.
The two understated choices, side by side: a light bump you can feel against a heavy glide you cannot. Neither one clicks, both stay civil in a shared room — so the decision comes down to texture. Type on each and trust your ears.
Now playing
This test needs JavaScript and audio enabled.
Type a sentence on A, then flip to B and type it again
What to listen for
The difference
you'll hear.
Both switches skip the click mechanism, so each produces the sound of the keypress and little else — but they land differently. The Brown's tactile bump encourages a firm push through to the bottom, giving a crisp, mid-pitched knock. The Black's heavy 60 cN spring slows the press and deepens the landing, producing the lowest, most muted sound of the common Cherry switches.
The return stroke separates them too. The Black's strong spring snaps keys back audibly, adding a firm undertone to fast typing. The Brown returns more gently. At speed, the Brown sounds like light rain on a desk and the Black like a slow, steady drum.
The player above is loaded with Chestnut Bump (Cherry MX Brown) and Midnight Thock (Cherry MX Black), this site's names for the two recordings. Comparing both on the same typed sentence tells you far more than tapping one key on each.
On paper
Side
by side.
| Cherry MX Brown | Cherry MX Black | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Tactile | Linear |
| Feel | Tactile bump, no click | Linear — no bump, no click, heavy spring |
| Operating force | 55 cN | 60 cN |
| Pre-travel | 2 mm | 2 mm |
| Total travel | 4 mm | 4 mm |
| Hear it alone | Brown sound test | Black sound test |
The honest version
Which one
is for you?
Pick the Brown if
- You want to feel each keystroke register without adding noise for anyone else.
- You want a lighter press — 55 cN against 60 — for long writing sessions.
- It is your first mechanical switch and you want the most forgiving starting point.
Pick the Black if
- You prefer smooth, uninterrupted travel and a deep sound over tactile feedback.
- You are heavy-handed, rest your fingers on the keys, or keep triggering lighter switches.
Feedback or depth — that is the whole choice. The Brown tells your fingers when a key registers; the Black rewards a deliberate, heavier style with the richest sound of the four. If you type fast and light, take the Brown. If you press with intent, the Black will sound better doing it.
Keep comparing
Other
match-ups.
Or open the full keyboard sound lab to play all eight packs, race the clock in the typing speed test, and read the full four-way switch comparison.
Take them with you
Both switches,
on your Mac.
This page only makes sound while the tab is focused. TypeLouder plays the same Cherry MX Brown and Cherry MX Black recordings system-wide — in your editor, your terminal, your email — on whatever keyboard you already own, so you can live with each sound for a day before buying any hardware.
It never reads or stores your keystrokes, and it has no network access at all.
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Good questions
Brown vs Black
questions.
Which is quieter, Cherry MX Brown or Black?
The Black is deeper, which reads as quieter across a room — low frequencies carry less than the Brown's mid-pitched knock. Up close the difference is small: both are civil, neither is silent, and either is generally acceptable in an office where a Blue would not be.
Is Cherry MX Brown or Black better for typing?
For most typists, the Brown — its bump sits right where the key registers, and the lighter 55 cN spring costs less effort over thousands of keystrokes. The Black suits deliberate, heavy-handed typists who found the Brown too light or its bump too faint. Neither is wrong; they reward different hands.
Does the Cherry MX Black have any tactile feedback?
None — it is a pure linear, smooth from top to bottom, with only the spring pushing back. The resistance itself is the feedback: at 60 cN you are unlikely to press a key without meaning to. If you specifically want a bump you can feel, the Brown is the one of these two that has it.
Can I compare these sounds on the keyboard I already own?
Yes. The two recordings on this page are the same audio TypeLouder plays system-wide on a Mac, so you can spend a morning typing to the Brown knock and an afternoon to the Black thock before deciding whether to buy either physical switch.
The audio on this page comes from community-recorded sound packs of Cherry MX Brown and Cherry MX Black boards, used under the MIT licence. Cherry and Cherry MX are trademarks of their respective owner; this page is not affiliated with or endorsed by them.