The 5QS Mark 2 can be outfitted with Cherry MX2A Brown, Red, and Silent Red switches. Das sent me a review unit with its most popular option, the MX2A Silent Reds. The bottom-mount system, large amounts of silicone dampening, and the silent red switches combine to create an incredibly dull typing feel. The switches, silenced using internal silicone strips, are naturally soft and a bit mushy, and the bottom mount makes this mushiness even more pronounced when typing. The sound dampening inside the case absorbs whatever other vibrations and elements of typing feel would otherwise be present. The stabilizers are generic plate-mounted units that, despite being lubricated from the factory, still rattled, even immediately out of the box. This was also made more obvious by the keyboard’s silencing.
In the end, this keyboard’s typing feels soft and sounds nearly silent, while still…
