While mechanical keyboards offer a compelling typing experience, as anyone who has used one in a crowded Quiet Coach or office will know they can be quite loud. Even non-clicky switch options like the Cherry MX Brown still creates a distinctive hubbub that can at times be undesirable.
For this reason, Matias have developed a custom mechanical switch called Quiet Click designed to offer the same tactile feedback but with a much less audible report. These quiet White Simplified Alps switches have now found their way into Matias’ first quiet keyboard, the Matias Quiet Pro.
Matias Quiet Pro – Mac Edition
The quiet switches lie at the heart of this keyboard, and as promised they offer a quieter response than a standard mechanical. While still noticeably different from a rubber dome, the switches offer a much more subdued sound than their compatriots as promised. According to Matias, that’s down to sound dampening both on the upstroke and the downstroke. The switches are based on a simplified cream Alps switch, but have a more tactile feel.
The typing feel is excellent as well, with tactile feedback similar to a Brown switch but the weight of a Blue switch at 60±5 gf (65g according to my initial Rip-o-meter testing). For typing these switches are ideal, while the high weighting and tactile feedback makes them ideal in my eyes for strategy titles like StarCraft II. The keyboard has excellent anti-ghosting capabilities that should ensure a clean typing experience; I had ten or eleven keys pressed down at once and had them all register so it definitely should be good enough for gaming use as well.
The Matias Quiet Pro is available in two versions – Mac and PC. The Mac edition is optimised for Mac as you’d expect, with a layout and overall look that is very similar to Apple’s offerings but still distinctive in its own way. The silver no-nonsense chassis is filled with black keys. The keycaps are laser-cut and the lettering is done in classic Mac Univers font. As well as the standard letters, common and uncommon symbols are also shown on the keyboard, making it easy to find that piece of punctuation you’re looking for.
By default, the function keys will perform their Mac functions, and if you hold the the Fn key near the number these will change into standard F1 through F12. On the rear corners and rear of the keyboard, there are three non-powered USB 2.0 ports suitable for USB mice and flash drives. Overall, it’s a comprehensive package that works well on the Macintosh.
The PC edition is similar, with a fetching black colour scheme and a useful PC layout that includes a tab key on the number pad as well as media keys on the upper left and upper right.
Matias Quiet Pro – PC Edition
If you’re looking for a keyboard that combines an excellent typing experience without that traditionally loud mechanical sound, then you’ve got to try the Matias Quiet Pro.
Buy the Matias Quiet Pro
If you’ve got any questions about the Matias Quiet Pro, why not ask us in the comments below? You should also follow us on Twitter @keyboardco and on Facebook. Thanks for reading and have a great day, keyboard commandos!
Spec Sheet
- Switches: Matias Quiet Click Alps
- Actuation force: 60±5 gf
- Dimensions: 46 x 16.5 x 3.5 cm
- Weight: 1.249 kg
- Cable Length: 1.83 m
- Warranty: 1 year limited
How does the feel differ from the Matias tactile switch?
The feel is basically identical. As you can see from Matias’ manufacturer pages (particularly the specs at the far bottom of each page), they have the same travel distance, actuation force and tactile bump.
http://matias.ca/switches/quiet/
http://matias.ca/switches/click/