Linear vs Linear · sound comparison
Red vs Black
sound test.
Mechanically these two differ by exactly one part: the spring. Same stem, same travel, no bump, no click. Which makes this the cleanest experiment in the lineup — type on both and hear what spring weight alone does to a keyboard.
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 are plain linears, so each press makes one sound: the bottom-out, plus a lighter tap on the return. The Red, at 45 cN, lands softly and evenly — the gentlest sound of the four common Cherry switches. The Black's 60 cN spring means every press arrives with more force behind it and the key snaps back harder, which shifts the whole sound lower and fuller.
The surprise is how much character one spring adds. The Red reads as light and quick, almost casual. The Black reads as deliberate — a deeper, weightier thock that people tend to describe as sounding expensive. Same plastic, different intent.
The player above is loaded with Ruby Thock (Cherry MX Red) 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 Red | Cherry MX Black | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Linear | Linear |
| Feel | Linear — no bump, no click | Linear — no bump, no click, heavy spring |
| Operating force | 45 cN | 60 cN |
| Pre-travel | 2 mm | 2 mm |
| Total travel | 4 mm | 4 mm |
| Hear it alone | Red sound test | Black sound test |
The honest version
Which one
is for you?
Pick the Red if
- You want fast, effortless repeated presses — the classic gaming pick.
- You have a light touch and a heavy spring would tire your hands over a full day.
Pick the Black if
- You are heavy-handed and keep triggering lighter switches by accident.
- You want the deepest, most muted sound available without modifying a keyboard.
- You rest your hands on the keys while thinking and want resistance that holds them.
Choose by your hands, not the spec sheet. Light typists find the Black tiring and the Red effortless; heavy typists find the Red twitchy and the Black composed. On sound alone, the Black's deeper thock is the one the keyboard hobby keeps trying to recreate.
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 Red 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.
Get TypeLouder — $2.99 one-timemacOS 15.5 or higher · No subscription
Good questions
Red vs Black
questions.
Do Cherry MX Red and Black actually sound different?
Yes, though the difference is weight rather than kind. Both make one rounded sound per press, but the Black's heavier spring means harder bottom-outs and firmer returns, which makes it fuller and lower. In the recordings above, the Black is audibly the deeper of the two on the very first key.
Which is better for gaming, Red or Black?
The Red is the conventional pick — at 45 cN, rapid repeated presses cost less effort and double-taps come easier. Blacks suit players who found themselves triggering keys accidentally on light linears; the heavier spring adds a margin of error at the cost of speed over long sessions.
Is the Cherry MX Black quieter than the Red?
It is deeper rather than quieter. The Black moves the sound down in pitch, and low sounds carry less across a room, so it tends to bother neighbours slightly less — but the harder bottom-out means it is not producing less noise overall. For genuine quiet you want dampened or silent switches, not a heavier spring.
Can I get the deep Black thock without building a board?
That deep linear sound is mostly what people are chasing when they build custom keyboards — and it is what the Black recording on this page plays. TypeLouder puts the same audio on every keystroke of a Mac, including a MacBook's built-in keyboard, at whatever volume you choose.
The audio on this page comes from community-recorded sound packs of Cherry MX Red 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.