Just changed my mind about brass plates after hearing a sound test

I've been building boards for about 2 years and always went with polycarbonate or FR4 plates because I thought metal plates made everything sound too harsh and pingy. Then I watched a comparison video from Keybored last week where he A/B tested the same board with a brass plate vs aluminum and polycarbonate. The brass plate actually had this deeper, warmer tone that I didn't expect. It killed the high pitched clack I hate and brought out more of a thocky sound. I thought brass would be too stiff and deaden the feel, but he explained how the density changes the resonance instead of just muting it. That got me curious so I ordered a $45 brass half plate for my current build. Has anyone else had a similar experience where a material you dismissed actually sounded way better than you thought?

2 comments

2 Comments

jessicaw5429d ago

Ngl, I had the exact same thing happen with a POM plate. I thought it'd be too flexible and sound dead, but it actually gave my linear switches this really clean, poppy sound I couldn't get from aluminum or FR4. For your brass plate, try using a burger mount or o-ring mod too if your case supports it. It'll soften the plate stiffness just enough to keep that nice deep tone without feeling like you're typing on a slab of concrete.

schmidt.amy28d ago

The burger mount thing is interesting, I was reading about how it basically floats the plate on little strips of rubber or silicone. Keeps that stiffness from transmitting straight to the case. Its like adding a little cushion without changing what the plate itself sounds like. Someone on a discord I follow did that with a brass plate and swore it gave the bottom out a slight bounce back that made the whole board feel less harsh. Might be worth a shot if you already have the brass plate and dont want to swap it out. Just need to be careful with the screw lengths, dont want to short anything.