Does foam RUIN keyboards? ft. JRIS65

[@TheMechaStore]

0:25 Ok so it's Mykeyclub not Mykeyboard.eu who made the JRIS65 Penguin forgot to take his meds

[@fran-fw8jg]

PENGUINNNNNNNNNNNNN

[@raiedr]

Goddamit penguin

[@drmagikal]

Why is it every f**k up is always because of Penguin?

[@kasterborous7740]

@@drmagikal mans just built different not better, just different

[@axelsuryajaya]

bruhhhhhhhhhhh

[@joshuang582]

Shirogane: *kalm* "Maybe we can bring out some foam boards?" Pengu: "...after building the board" Shirogane: "THEN BUILD FASTER LAH"

[@Shivalry1018]

To me it's pretty simple. "Foam is garbage and boring" is usually an elitist take only someone who has the luxury of affording a ton of $250+ keyboards, different kinds of switches and keycaps can have. There is so much that can go wrong in a foamless build. There might be hollowness, case pinging, flat/dead sound, sometimes the board only sounds good with certain types of switches or keycaps. For someone buying their first board, or as is the case for most people who will only have one board, it is INFINITELY safer to buy something that you know will sound good regardless of what other parts you put in or if you fuck up your lube job or whatever. Most people aren't buying a keyboard to bring out the slight scratch of their vint blacks...they just want a keyboard that sounds and feels good. ...that being said, I run foamless in all my daily drivers and have switched to tactile gang because long pole linear switches bore me now lmao.

[@maximus3294]

^ this right here. i appreciate BOTH ways and I don't think one is better than the other - preference. to a budget builder foam is invaluable. thanks for pointing this out.

[@ijmcd]

Couldn't agree more.

[@appleborbs5065]

Fuc i feel elitist now

[@appleborbs5065]

Its great for cheaper builds tho

[@unknownmemoirs]

For all my audio goblins out there, I akin foam in cheap boards to applying the Harman curve to cheap earphones. It sounds somewhat better, but applying the Harman curve to the HD600 is like making worse.

[@fran-fw8jg]

That's actually a really good point/analogy, it's like applying EQ, it makes most shit headphones/IEMs better, but it won't beat a good transducer.

[@unknownmemoirs]

@@fran-fw8jg I have the SHP9500 and the Harman curve on it makes it sound more "musical" (whatever the fuck that means) but it loses its soundstage. It's bright AF and people hate it but I love the openess and applying the Harman curve took that away and made it sound more generic but also more musically exciting (whatever the fuck that means)

[@neuropathical]

i mean the hd600 is already like the most neutral thing ever so no one in their right mind would even bother unless their a newbie who just discovered oratory1990's presets

[@johnsci911]

Wtf man I am planning to buy HD600 but my neighborhood are loud AF they like boosting their speaker's bass a lot to the point that it is rumbling and buying those headphones don't make sense to me as of now just because, I heard that "Curves" when I was in a hunt of budget IEMs, These hobbies makes you busy just searching the terms of wtf does that mean. Oh hello keybored the science guy :D

[@nonnegaard]

crinacle has fully become a keyboard enthusiast and I'm here for it

[@zenyo223]

A good keyboard should sound good without foam but it should come with foams so people can decide by themselves what type of sound they like

[@notesscrotes4360]

“A good keyboard should sound good without foam” is like saying “a good keyboard should sound good without modded switches or gaskets.”

[@StfuSiriusly]

That makes no sense. What makes a keyboard sound good is all personal preference. Adding foam or not adding foam isn't good or bad. If you like the sound of foam add it if you dont then dont add it.

[@GulagExpress1]

Look - theres only so many ways you can manipulate sound within a relatively small form factor like a keyboard (hence the average speaker enclosure design hasnt really changed much at all in the last idkhowmany decades). You can have the manufacturer decide for you and build a board that has built in some form of sound absorption/dampening or added density, but then all you have is a board that yes, might sound pretty nice from the get go, but cant customize shit. OR, you could have a somewhat hollower board, and choose yourself whether you prefer the foam/tape/silicone/whatever to fill out the inside of your keyboard or to fill out the inside of your ass.

[@makmakg242]

​@@StfuSiriusly"but muh unique case sound signature"

[@iantune]

but most expensive custom keyboards all sound pingy clacky shit without mods

[@kasterborous7740]

I am deeply unglad that I wasn't invited to give my opinion on foam >:(

[@TheMechaStore]

N E X T T I M E

[@waterbottler2761]

Oh hey hex man

[@riceoverwife]

the jris65 actually sounds surprisingly good without foam, try it

[@rando843]

This is what confuses me tbh People shit on "foam boards" all the time but then never actually try them without foam to see if they're good it's so strange

[@thaidye]

bruh, you built a thera with a FR4. Vine Boom x10 Shame on you la

[@Afloatingbear]

So glad that this channel showed up in my reccommendations, fresh content in the hobby

[@TheMechaStore]

Thank you! More to come

[@ekish]

11:25 at the end of the day this is what it all comes down to.

[@ucnguyenminh9393]

Crin: "Foam is like MSG" I can hear Uncle Roger cheering in the distance lol

[@fritzcarlorosal3427]

*PE Foam

[@someEmoguy19]

This is exactly what I needed to hear. It felt like everyone dislikes foam but never really got a good explanation as to why. Great video!

[@knz2894]

It makes keyboards sound the same and kind of takes away from the uniqueness of the keyboard. This mainly applies to PE foam as it can drastically change the sound profile while other foams are intended to reduce keyboard reverb.

[@hindra1996]

​@@knz2894 the thera75 board sound fuller, than the jris65 so i don't agree that it takes away the uniqueness of the board. all clack is clack with diff frequencies i think the same can be said abt the foam board

[@knz2894]

@@hindra1996 and pe foam = pe foam sound🤷‍♂️

[@hindra1996]

@@knz2894 and no foam board = clacky /high pitched sound 🤷‍♂ what's the point?

[@knz2894]

@@hindra1996 what are we arguing abt again lol

[@drmagikal]

LOLOLOLOL Shirou is funny AF.

[@xhahex]

Shirogane: I love you Steve jobs~ Boogie: He’s dead ._.

[@Legojunkie]

“Devil’s Avocado” I’M DYING

[@leejohnnelson]

Best channel hands down. Xo

[@danieljolley9319]

Baller plateless! Just grinding switches and caps Boss...ps I'd Rock the hardcore RED board love it Gentleman

[@a.lamontagne]

Look there's just nothing wrong with the fact that I've spent hundreds of dollars on several boards with the same soundsignature! Me? Defensive? No you're defensive! THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH MY THOCCY BABIES, ALL 34 OF THEM ARE JUST FINE AND AS BEAUTIFUL AS THE DAY I GOT THEM. NO IT DOESN'T MATTER THAT THEY ALL SOUND THE SAME. BUYING 2600 BROWNS WAS THE BEST DECISION I'VE EVER MADE ACTUALLY. What was I talking about? Anyways...

[@samuelcham4266]

Anything with a 1.2mm flex cut pcb is most probably going to sound shit without foam. Very few boards get the sound profile right, and when they do they are too "stiff" for the majority of people. Preference is REAL, but i agree with Mr Francis, fuck your preference!

[@NathanielRisum]

Before this video I had yet to have heard the phrase "HP sauce" more than twice in a 20 hours

[@deasesebago]

Foam doesn’t ruin boards, it just takes away all potential character the board has.

[@MrWizardjr9]

idk to me thats like saying eqing to the harman curve takes away all the character of a headphone lol

[@hansennoah1]

@@MrWizardjr9 ok but keyboard sound is much more subjective than headphone audio response can ever be. no one in their right mind can say that they hate harman curve, they will literally get mauled. Compared to if someone says they hate creamy thocky boards, the reception would be much different

[@makmakg242]

​​@@hansennoah1If they're gonna shit on me for wanting a creamy thock board, then fuck em.

[@JadeZen520]

No actual hate to foams, but we should just let nature heal and have more boards that can stand on its own without foam. Foam should be a complementary addition, not the cure for issues caused by corner cutting.

[@wills.junks7]

I think foam is more suitable for cheaper boards, premiums can have them but it'll ruin the naturality of it Imo. Case foam, I can dig but any foam you put onto a pcb is a big no for me

[@JadeZen520]

@@wills.junks7 Poron foam is still pretty apparent even on plastic boards, but it IS less gotti. I think designers should try and go back to EVA foam instead of Poron because EVA does a good job in reducing reverb while not making the sound go mellow and creamy/foamy/more annoying adjectives.

[@wills.junks7]

@@JadeZen520 yeah true that

[@wills.junks7]

@@JadeZen520 in the end of the day it's a matter of preference, because every arguement or conversation about this debate will always lead to that one statement. It also depends on the market and demands of what the people want today

[@HailToTheMeep]

Wait. This is MAROON? IT LOOKS PINK

[@shufayewong]

LMFAOOOOO why is Shirou so funny I laughed at everything he said

[@TheMechaStore]

Collab soon? 😏

[@galacticraymond]

foam is nice to have for maybe the first 2 keyboards or so and it quickly gets boring XD

[@pinnyskenis]

exactly when i built my 3rd keyboard i didn't bother with foam cuz i didn't need it and it made it less flexy

[@hindra1996]

@@pinnyskenis plate foam and under pcb foam can help reduce the thinness of the flex cuts. you can just change your gasket configuration for flex

[@makmakg242]

Ok so filling out a keyboard case with only Foam is one thing, but what about other materials like poured silicone, epoxy clay, plumber's putty, table cloths, wheel weights, custom cut stainless steel/Brass, polyurethane rubber, neoprene, and mass loaded vinyl? Which one of those mentioned materials does better or worse on a cheap or expensive keyboard? Which one of them can be combined well on a keyboard to create a unique sound signature inbetween one another? This "Foam" debate is incomplete when there are other materials and factors needed to address, but then again you'll never know the next material keyboard modders would put inside their cases.

[@thefeel2261]

The foam, “thock”, “creamy” sounds attract newbies. I have a friend who recently got into the hobby, I showed him a soundtest of an f1-8x, said he hated it…

[@DamZFXBeats]

Love this talk about the case foam lol. I'm 100 percent team foam #sorrynotsorry 😂

[@progste]

Interesting discussion, but why not compare the foam vs no-foam version?

[@polynotgone8349]

foam isn’t bad but if you stuff them into keyboards that are known for their unique sound signature it’s going to sound like any other keyboards stuffed with poron and pe foam

[@waterbottler2761]

Wait is the K.techs "Mr Shirt" literally just an acrylic Mr suit, because that is an incredible name

[@waterbottler2761]

Also where buy or gb over

[@TheMechaStore]

It is an acrylic Mr Suit at the end of the day. The GB is over, but there may be extras. The actual name of the board is "Just Another TKL", but it uses the foam + PCB from Owllabs

[@jessely3403]

"He likes his keyboards with HP sauce" Yes, I agree with his tastes Fight me

[@solaufein]

to be honest pe foam sound is the best, so why go without it? most people like it. foamless is ok, but never be as good as with foam...

[@Snoop_wogg]

Why is every video hilarious and informative? Pick one dammit

[@ducphat636]

no one hate foam. there are only those who are pissed because a 200$ board sounds just as good as their 500 one 💀

[@abelwoo]

try built without foamless

[@iantune]

the only thing foam ruin is the elitists' ego 😂 let them do what they want with their keyboard, you're not the one who bought them

[@marounboumelhem3984]

Based

[@fantasyrulz]

some boards especially cheaper ones sounds hollow and echo but with enough foam u can remove the hollowness and with good enough switch you can make a normal keyboard sound and type well

[@dcsoda1]

The foam boards all sounded good. Good sounds all around.

[@flashjor98]

#teamfoam

[@mooseroom]

saw the reddit post earlier today that the jris group buy is open and i've never been more excited

[@arpeykeys]

Would have loved to pay $5 less for no foam in the kit lol. If I get this its probably gonna be a plateless build just for the sake of having a plateless board

[@Fiend404]

yes

[@mrbonono2951]

I was not expecting to see crinacle in this video

[@mcbrite]

9:27 I came to the same realization recently... - I'm not a closeted woodchuck, I don't need my board to thock that the windows jitter in their frames... Gimme them crisp, sweet, tasty Clacks! Loved them for like 12 years now! Also: F*** foam...

[@Reshoup]

team clack tfw

[@leejohnnelson]

When all of u are together it’s like Voltron

[@cassiusnoyb6499]

why cant anyone type right?!

[@Nanak75]

#foamgang

[@williamchiawq3747]

Honestly, the PCB aka PE foam (mostly PE in the market) is really boring and because of it is making a good shortcut to sell most of budget custom keyboard with objectively better sounding in the market. So after having my IKKI68 Aurora with PE foam, I'm kinda looking for sort of medium to high end keyboard that can sound super good even without any case foam, lets alone PE foam. Just that it provide options for owners to include them or not based on their own little experiment and find their best config. Newer custom keyboards like Mode Envoy, QK75 and other sub 200USD are really awesome without PCB foam. If you are really diehard PE foam lover, you can check out for leftover or used Mammoth75, that sound really end game for PE foam keyboard.

[@lem0nification]

The great foam debate made me liking and subscribing ;) More Francis! Also, 1:50 was nice touch :D

[@leftcoastfunk]

FOAM GANG! lol for real though actually I care first about the sound of the board, second about the typing feel, third about the looks. If the board sounds the way I *personally* like without foam, then great! If I need to put foam in it to achieve the sound I like, then great! If I need to build it upside down in a vacuum chamber with switches that nobody's ever heard of for it to sound the way I like, then great! See what I'm getting at? O-P-T-I-O-N-S make it so that almost every board can achieve the sound that almost everybody *personally* prefers, regardless of what that sound signature is! The argument should not be "is using foam good or bad" or even "if a board needs foam to sound good then it's trash", because it is ALL down to personal preference and personal preference is EVERYTHING because you will be the one living with it. Geez, it used to be that if you wanted a certain sound profile you had to buy a certain board and use certain switches, but with the latest innovations and outside-the-box thinking, keyboard designers have found more ways to appeal to more people at better prices. This is nothing but a W for all of us, no argument

[@jammies701]

Bass boost this video plz

[@Qahtanite]

is is that? crinacle?

[@arelixe3403]

#TeamFoam

[@K1LO_]

Down vote for foam shaming. Good for you you don't like it. Leave us alone.

[@_ExTitus]

When it comes to foam. I just avoid pe foam because the pop noise gets on my nerves. It was pretty cool, up until I tried it for myself.

[@pinnyskenis]

Exactly, when I watched pe foam videos I was hyped but when I tried for myself it sounded like it sucked the character out of the switch to make it poppy, from thocky bobas to clacky jwicks, it sounded the same

[@hindra1996]

​@@pinnyskenis well tbh that was what ppl was aiming for initially right? the `epoch` like sound.. now that the PE foam changes the switches characteristic the whole community hated it, saying it sound the same etc..

[@HidenLotus-]

imo, the sound profile has a ceiling unless you add completely arbitrary materials to boards. Without foam, the acoustics of the case material will eventually all sound the same as well. Its a finite journey.

[@silentKeys20]

The foam discussion is alright except the fact that you didn't even bother to build it without the foam. It's included, but it's not mandatory. At least try the foam less configuration and then talk whether the board is a "foam board" or not.

[@198Immortal]

can you compare the weight of the jris vs qk?? I CANT FIND THIS INFO ANYWHERE!

[@petergriffin414]

FaomTeam

[@jammies701]

Nice vid

[@zealouss96]

I'm #teamfoam.

[@catwhisperer911]

Fuck fuck fuck… Why? One would have been enough 😹.

[@JojoDigitalArtist]

As someone who is going to only get one keyboard my personal opinion Personal opinion I'd rather have a lot of boards that sounds good but the same then multiple boards that sound unique and have character...but hate they way they sound.

[@incongruous4]

Agree for the most part with crin. From what I've gathered, foam is a kind of crutch for lower to mid end boards to sound premium eliminating metallic ping and rattle sounds. Higher end boards like the ones from cruelworld, keycult, tgr, etc. don't need foam because they're designed to eliminate the same issues with using things like big brass or steel weights which dampen sound, and other methods like cw pixy adding ribbing to the case and weight which also reduces metallic pingy reverberations but obviously are more complex to machine and will cost more

[@mcbrite]

I used my last board over 6 years... What struck me when I came back to buy a new one: ALL boards now have same sound signature... To my ears they sound like ASMR, I want to tear my hair out! I prefer a much cleaner, crisper sound. Call it clack, call it linear click, maybe even some ticking... But PLEASE no more thock!

[@jokroast6912]

marketing strikes again, sounds like somebody needed to get rid of poron.

[@ghostofolympus4325]

Alright so give us recommendations for good clacky keyoards

[@TheDejazone]

i know its foam but that flex bowing in on that just another TKL

[@kaitodesu]

wow i love boogi3

[@riceshakes]

Was not expecting that cameo. Great video!

[@bakeraus]

6:44 that's exactly right!

[@lazypanda1493]

Try build it without foam?

[@Rctive]

foamgang

[@abelwoo]

i love clack hahah

[@megadeth8592]

#teamfoam

[@alexbarton666]

I’m not sure I understand this hate. It’s fine not to like foamy boards but the fact there is so much foam included and it’s OPTIONAL, surely that’s better? It basically means you can make this board sound and feel whatever way you want. I’m happy these foams are included because they give you options as opposed to buying a board, not liking the sound or feel and being stuck with it

[@weeyang0104]

foam gang gang

[@Jon-nz3dm]

The sound makes me so uncomfortable lol. Not a fan

[@SHINYAFRONINJA]

make this video but for flex cuts in pcbs. i think they only make boards sound worse

[@arethas6537]

fuck flex cuts, all my homies hate flex cuts

[@hindra1996]

you can tape it, no need to hate the flex cuts

[@SHINYAFRONINJA]

@@hindra1996 duh. Not the point

[@hindra1996]

@@SHINYAFRONINJA well unfortunately i had to agree with Qwertykeys on this, they said if you decide to make a non-flex cut pcb there will be people there who love flex cut and you can never cut it again. so they going forward they decide they will keep the flex cut and give the user the freedom to mod the board (in this case tape it). that's my point. duh. isn't the customization is the part of the hobby?

[@SHINYAFRONINJA]

@@hindra1996 shouldn't have to tape a $400+ board. There are other ways to achieve flex without flex cuts that ruin the sound and in some cases introduce the possibility of shorting the pcb. Flex cuts are unnecessary and make boards worse. It is a bad trend.

[@gavnwitane8189]

solution (instead of complaining about it): maybe...just maybe, just don't use the foam. The different foams are just options, the board sounds very good without foam.

[@akieu09]

I agree the take on if it's a cheap board, foam seems more viable in that regard. However if ur spending $10k on a board only to stuff it with foam, the board loses some of its character. (It's all preference in the end tho whether u like the sound or naw)

[@yellowcam1422]

Fucking based. Foam is overrated lol

[@muCephei_]

It's all in the mind, knowing that foam is there. At the end of the day, or shall we say after a year or so you don't really care.

[@Flybeck]

Hotswap plateless is definitely more than viable nowadays! Unfortunate they didn't implement it correctly. Banger board still for sure.

[@auschris9296]

how you gonna design keyboards and run gbs etc, but you type like that

[@Ben-ic1ve]

I think if you have 1 board with foam it’s fine but having multiple … unless you want multiple boards that sound similar

[@snakeplissken5969]

Don’t all boards that are foamless also sound the same?

[@Ben-ic1ve]

@@snakeplissken5969 I mean to some extent but the sound of the parts being used have more influence on the sound (switches)

[@alfonso5026]

The more expensive and high end a board gets, the less it most likely needs foam

[@outflowsextended]

Qk65 sounded the best for me