This is honestly the best mod video for the Q1, and after watching this, I’m going back to watch the GMMK Pro videos for a third time to make sure I’m nodding mine right. Well done sir!
Most Effort put into comparisons and sound tests. Even the color Coated Time stamps are a huge plus! Keep up the great content man. Definitely gonna grab my self a Q1 for Modding.
Thanks for the thoughtful and detailed video! Two things to add: (1) I’ve modded both the original and updated/knob Q1. The awful corner roundness issue has been solved in the update. However the force break mod is still recommended for some residual ping; Keychron’s solution was pretty half-baked there. (2) You sort of alluded to this, but flex is way more meaningful if you’re a heavier typist like me. For people who rarely bottom out, stiffer boards are fine.
Thanks for the kind words and the additions! That's pretty disappointing about Keychron's force break. Thankfully, the mod isn't that hard to do. I wonder if I can train myself to be a heavier typist... lol
I love that you explained all the issues you encountered, I ran into the same problem especially when using PE foam and trying to keep the provided stock plate foam. It's not possible to keep with the PE foam. Also, I had to use the absolute thinnest foam I could find for the PE mod, otherwise the foam would be too thick and the switches wouldn't connect with the PCB correctly.
Man, just imagining the work to do all of those setups and record them -- makes me want to take a nap. Props for the hard work! Also, as always, love how you jump between configurations -- makes it so much easier to hear the relative differences. I think sound-wise I agree with you in that I prefer the GMMK Pro. But looks-wise, I prefer the Q1. The inconsistency of the bezels on the GMMK Pro always bothered me, and I prefer them thicker anyway. Another great vid!
During the comparison, considering the mods done, I’m leaning towards the GMMK pro when mounted by ink blacks, but I like the Q1 when mounted by the akko radiants. Nice video very entertaining.
I bought both, modded both and sold the Q1 and kept the GMMK Pro. Both are great, I just prefer the exploded 4 button vertical row on the right and the side LED bars (totally gimmicky, I know, but I like them)
@@martintran3438 It’s really fine after modding with thicker gasket strips and installing StupidFish case foam and the AVX FR4 plate. Problem with the GMMK Pro is you have to mod it and buy some aftermarket components in order to unlock its full potential. If you don’t want to tinker, rweak and tune, then the new revision Q1 which ships with a knob was better out of the box.
for the issue of case dampening, you may want to try cutting a really thin silicone sheet, like 0.5mm thin, this way, it reduces ping and resonance whilst still having plenty of space between case and pcb for tape modding and flex
Excellent review and information! I added the Flex Mod to my GMMK Pro with Pandas as well and it sounds great. I can't seem to get my Q1 Pro to sound that keep yet but still working on it. Thank you for your thoughts, going to try some of them this weekend!
Man Iwasted my whole night with that stock foam + pe foam issue :') Why didn't I see your video before Anyways, thanks a lot for the vid with every sound tests... helped a lot
that last clip with the boba u4t's really Slapped! Them radiant reds werent bad either! Damn, Now i cant decide! I want this board, but now i cant decide which switches! lol!
I know this is old but I bet the biggest change to sound wouldve been to add a sound dampening sheet from kilmat or noico as the case foam. I bet the polyfill didn't really do the keyboard justice.
Oh I missed that page! I stopped Googling when I saw there was no Q7 lol. I've seen the posts by Keychron in enthusiast groups though and I'm very interested in the Alice/Arisu layout hehe
Thanks for your thorough comparison. Have you ever tried switch pads in place of the PE foam? I would like to improve the sound of my Q1, but I wanted to find a more "elegant" fashion of doing it.
Hi!! How did you mod the final typing 2 (akko radiant red)? I have the same keyboard and switches. A silicone foam, tape mod and tempest mod and mine doesnt sound that thock like yours!! May be its because of the silicone foam and should i change it for a PE foam to get a thockier sound? Other question: did you add the polyfill to the stock keychron q1 PE foam?? Pls answer. Thanks in advance!! By far the best keychron q1 mods ive ever seen on youtube. Great work!!
Thank you! I detailed the mods I performed in the video. Not sure what you mean by silicone foam. You mean like a sheet of silicone for sound dampening? Is it under the PCB or on top?
@@CaloysKeyboards yes! Its silicone sheet foam under the pcb, basically i replaced the 2 stock foam for a silicone sheet foam. What do you recommend to me?
If you did the tape mod, it should still thock regardless of the sound dampening material under the PCB. What switch are you using? EDIT: Oops I just read that you're using the same switches. I'd say the Akkos are pretty clacky but I'm not sure why they'd sound different than on my setup. I guess you could try adding some PE foam on top of the PCB but in my experience, combining it with the tape mod doesn't really add all that much thock.
Nice review and comparison! But personally, what's the best mod for you? Was thinking if Azure Dragons tactiles will sound better on these board.. Planning to get a Q1
Thank you! Best mod for the Q1? For the non-knob version, definitely force break. For the knob version probably tape for the most improvement with least effort.
Can you tell me if the keyboard (Q1) has interference with any of the keycaps that you used for the vid? Like could you press all the keys and let me know if any of them get stucked? Also what plate are you using? PCB or Aluminum?
Are you talking about the corner radius issue where the keycaps would snag on the top case corners? I talked about that in the video. If you mean interference with north-facing switches, this has south-facing switches.
@@CaloysKeyboards Im talking ab the corner radius issue. I bought this board but stil don't know which keycaps to buy. Also, what mods did u do to the board when u tried it with boba u4t?
If you really want bounce/flex, then yes. But you'll probably lose money on that deal depending on the condition of your GMMK Pro and you may still have to perform some kind of force break mod as others have reported that Keychron's stock force break is not enough.
Those are PBT blank keycaps with fabric stickers on them. I did a whole video on the stickers but unfortunately they're not available anymore: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-otPojOPB3ig.html
