Do Mods Improve the Bakeneko65? Tape, PE foam, and Polyfill | Sound Test

The Bakeneko65 sounds wonderful without any sort of modifications, but after typing with it for a couple days, I did feel a tad bit of hollowness and wanted to try out a couple of different mods that were popular with the original Bakeneko60. For those unfamiliar, here's a quick description of the mods I used:
1) Tempest Tape mod: this mod involves placing layers of tape on the back of the PCB. Idea behind this is to have the tape absorb part of the sound that's created from typing, resulting in a 'poppier' sound signature.
2) PE foam case insulation: hollowness of a board is often due to the spatial and acoustic characteristics of the case, and many have found that adding foam to the case reduces the hollowness of the board. Here, I've added 4mm PE foam to the base of the case.
3) Polyfill case insulation: works through a similar principle as above but instead of PE foam, I used Polyfill. It's more 'cottony' than PE foam.
Personally, I liked the PE foam + Tape mod, but let me know what configuration sounds best to you!
[ Keyboard Information ]
Board: Bakeneko65 w/ 30A o-ring and zinc inner weight
Switches: Alpaca V2 (Lubed w/ Krytox 205g0 & Filmed w/ Deskeys)
Keycaps: T21KB Korean Dye Sub PBT
[ Filming ]
Video: iPhone 11 Pro
Audio: Tonor TC-777 (8 inches away) and iPhone 11 (15 inches away)
0:00 - No Mods
0:48 - Tape Mod
1:44 - Polyfill Mod
2:33 - PE Foam Mod
3:21 - Polyfill + Tape Mod
4:11 - PE Foam + Tape Mod
5:00 - Stuffed Mod (Tape, Polyfill, and PE foam)

[@lilililiililliil7277]

I like no mods myself, but I think they all sound clean af.

[@andrews5647]

i just preordered these keycaps couple hours ago before they sold out thanks for showing them man

[@kekeebs]

Nice! Lowkey thought of getting a second set with the black legends but had to pull myself back! also taeha also reviewed them recently FYI

[@andrews5647]

@@kekeebs dang im glad I saw this video and preordered in time haha, I also picked up the bakeneko65 recently do you think the zinc/silcone weight changes the sound profile?

[@zhieson]

Great content man! I think the reviews would really take off with an upgraded microphone.

[@kekeebs]

Haha ikr been trying to save up but a new GB comes my way and I can't resist!

[@CEngi]

no mods and polyfill just great

[@Litherly]

dang crazy timing lmao, i went with tape, polyfill, and pe mod. gonna see if i like any of these configs better. Im running alpacas rn.

[@Litherly]

great vid btw

[@kekeebs]

Nice! Wish i had thinner pe foam cuz adding all three didn't let me put the pcb mount all the way in lol

[@outlanderforge7850]

its a year later lol but what do you think? i'm thinking of getting polyfil but im on the fence about pe cuz its a bit expensive.

[@decantering]

Really love your content, thanks for doing this! To be clear, this is the cannonkeys bakeneko65 right?

[@txhq5708]

There is no other

[@justanotherpxrson]

I think it sounds great with no mods. Did you ever lube the stabs? the spacebar sounds stock to me.

[@M3gaMcChick3n]

this new wave of vintage styled keycaps is nice I cant lie. great vid!

[@Taiyakeys]

Idk why but the stuffed mod makes it sounds more like a tofu for some reasons. No mod all the way!

[@Offsalda]

by the keys sound i guess lub is missing... but not 100% sure

[@toastyguac7216]

i think all mods and pe foam and tape sound best because there the most unmuted but no mods sound cleanest

[@8bitsamurai6]

Those 21kb keycaps? Where did you get the polyfil that is like a flat sheet? Stuff works great but hard to control at first until you smush it down over time.

[@aimanmuzni2006]

For me personally no mods sounds the best. The polyfill 2nd.

[@d3nkm3mes35]

is it me or is there rattle coming from the spacebar?

[@kekeebs]

I think it's more a characteristic of the keycaps I was using. they're 1.8mm extra thick PBT keycaps and seems to amplify whatever characteristic the mod gives out. def sounds scratchy on some of these configs but doesn't feel that way at all

[@ultraballstudios5221]

Just for like 30 bucks you can get your keyboard to sound amazing

[@lakatster]

My ears must be bad because I can't tell the difference. Stock would just be fine for me!

[@kekeebs]

Haha definitely not you, my recording setup is not studio quality and the differences are quite subtle but enough to be noticable to me IRL. if you have painters tape lying around, i'd definitely at least toying around with it to see if it makes enough difference to you!

[@lakatster]

@@kekeebs no disrespect to you! I know it takes some extra time and work to do these mods. I’m just getting started in the hobby, but the painters tape seems the first thing to try. I am doing more research so thanks for the video!

[@linka2137]

i think you misunderstood the pe foam mod, pe foam mod means putting a super thin piece of pe foam (1mm MAX) between the switches and the pcb, not into the case

[@kekeebs]

Yup! Didn't mean to be misleading but was strictly trying to use PE foam as a thicker insulator than polyfill to address some of the case hollowness in the sound!

[@LateBandwagon]

it also works with the case. I double pe foam mod ( case + pcb) and it makes a big difference