this endgame keyboard brought me back to my addiction
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- Опубліковано 27 січ 2023
- Get yourself a copium Kohaku - Tofu65 2.0 with Bowl Mount is REALLY close - kbdfans.com/r?id=mvpr8a
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Keyboard: SingaKBD Kohaku
Board insulation: None, this ish don't need it
Plate: Carbon Fiber, Aluminum
Keycaps: GMK DMG,
Switches: Oil Kings, Gateron Pinks, WG Vintage Mx Blacks
Stabilizers: TX Stabilizers Rev3
Mat: I only use this randomfrankp x novelkeys mat because I can't afford another one.
The SingaKBD Kohaku is a banger.
Let me know what you think of the review in the comment section below!
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Recorded with:
Sony A7IV - kit.co/andyvnguyen/streaming/...
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Sound recorded via Oktava MK012 Hypercardiod - www.frontendaudio.com/oktava-... - Наука та технологія
Disclaimer: Elaine sold me this keyboard because I’m a friend, and I misunderstood her. She didn’t even ask for video!
Talked to Elaine and she explained the gap. Top down, it creates more wiggle room so that you can move the plate/pcb north/south to remove the top case. If you remember from the Vega, that was essentially glued in once soldered. You even had to use a temporary holding screw and that made the build process extremely finicky. That is not the case here. From the front, the height of keycaps was designed around not having any keycaps sit BELOW the case edge. It's a balancing act because CRP and GMK are different heights off of the stem. So this is not a fault in design but just a design choice to accommodate different builders and keycaps. She's considering swapping to a darker PCB to make it less distracting.
Hey Andy, how similar would you say hyperglides are compared to vintage blacks.
@@xertvalprobably relatively the same
@@BreathOfDust thank you :D
@@xertval id get ultra glides (broken in Hyperglides), then lube them with 205g0, spring swap them, and film them too.
@@BreathOfDust okay, thanks!
I watched this entire video with undivided attention. Simply one of - if not THE - best videos I’ve seen in the hobby. Awesome work, man.
That means so much coming from you! I’ve been brainstorming and workshopping this for MONTHS. And I circled back and forth on the edit for the last few weeks. Feels good when people enjoy the final product.
@@AndyVNguyen it really comes off as one of the realest and most relatable commentaries on the hobby. I know how much effort it takes to make something look effortless and *this* felt like effortless storytelling.
Agreed Brian!
Best sound test ever was that Kohaku with diamond-polished Blacks on carbon fibre with GMK Umbra....... so beautiful and sounds amazing
7:30 Andy complaining about this being quiet and me thinking it sounds God tier 😂
lmao my ears are trained to only accept a very specific final sound these days
@@AndyVNguyen having a god tier ears VERY specific for final sound is damn OP! 😆
This video is fire! I ordered some vintage blacks as well haha, cant wait to slap them on the kohaku.
Fantastic video Andy. Loved this deep dive into not only the keyboard, the switches and combos, your journey with the board, and even the old school switches that I honestly didn’t know anything about before this. Really enjoyed watching this.
PS: I think you may have just added a new board to my VERY short list of “must buys” this next year. 💪
It's just a documentation of my descent into madness! lol. Good luck on your hunt to acquire one for yourself sir
There are boards sitting on my display that I have rebuilt MULTIPLE times and can’t get the sound right. There is one board that I built once and it’s in my daily rotation. That’s the Sangeo65. I couldn’t believe the first enthusiast level board is actually my best one. I still keep going in the hobby though because this hobby is just too damn fun
As always killing it with the Singa Vids! The comparasion between the Korn and Kohaku was bang on. Great job!
Thank you! I tried really hard for this video
Kohaku is such an S tier keyboard. It's one I'll never get rid of. It's near perfection.
Happy Lunar New Year, Andy!
thank you happy new year to you too!
Great video. Thanks Andy 🎉
MX black and MX brown are my first switch to try before I even touch another switch. Man that sounds good.
I can’t get around to like mx browns other than on pc plates
@@AndyVNguyen I only run PC with cherry. It's the combo that just works for me :D
Gotta love story time with Andy, the people, the passion, and the endless tinkering are the highlights of this hobby to me, and this and the unikorn video highlight that really well! Looking forward to whatever’s next
15:05 So glad you mentioned the front gap. I thought I was crazy and somehow built my Kohaku wrong since I have the gap as well.
Yeah you’re not crazy, I’m here with you
I love how at 7:22 the chat is going off and saying they love it and Andy is just internally dying.
i personally would enjoy that sound profile as well lol not saying its the best because the alpha and space bar doesnt accommodate each other well but its not that bad imo
How would you rate cherry vintage blacks compared to gateron black inks in terms of a) deep sound and b) smoothness?
inks are deeper and smoother
You are making me more hyped for my lilac kohaku. Should be arriving in 2 months
that's gonna be so nice
Question you mention keycult 1/65 with Alu mid plate/ weight wasn’t your jam, does it sound different when it’s brass weight?
I vaguely remember it sounding different. Aluminum bottoms are usually prob better tbh.
a very nice take on kohaku, love it!
glad you enjoyed it! it took me a while to formulate a story around it
This video is a love letter to vint blacks! Still enjoy my batch with my Singa 75!!
Which version of the SPRiT MX Slow Extreme Springs did you use in this build (I, II, III, IV or V)?
III or IV
Dude is the coolest vietnamese in the keebs youtube community. Thanks for all the videos 🙏 peace !
I was just rewatching your Korn video thinking how I don't need a Kohaku AND a Korn but it's over, you've officially convinced me to get one. I kept the Bakeneko60 in my daily and rotation for FAR too long to not get the OG and there's nothing like that Kohaku sound.
Hey Andy, do you lube the top housings of your switches? That spacebar got that pop to it.
I don’t!
Thoughts on the MX Black Clear Tops that released recently and how they compare to regular MX Blacks on alu?
hmm have not heard of these. are they just milky tops?
@@AndyVNguyen according to novelkeys: The MX Black Clear-Top is an unlubricated re-release of the community favorite "MX Nixie" which was manufactured for Nixdorf Computer AG in the '80s In addition to the milky top housing, the switch is characterized by a linear switching characteristic, a golden spring, and a slightly increased actuation force.
preference wise, do you prefer kohaku or unikorn and why? (with mx blacks or in ur favorite config)
i prefer alu half unikorn over the kohaku. it just sounds poppier
@@AndyVNguyen i see, thanks for the reply!
60% with arrow keys and 1u shift is awesome, but it's just far easier to find 65% boards, and I cannot go without arrow keys.
i need my right shift!
Have you considered tactile switches on the end game boards?
I’ve done corsas and mx browns and they’re ok. I just prefer linears
I’m not up to using vint blacks in a singa. But I am breaking in hyperglides to use in a half plate Dropbear60.
lmao basically same thing tho
hey andy! does it matter if the switch parts are mixed? I'm picking up some vintage mx blacks and wanna know your process of modding em
You do not want to mix them .. keep them together bc they’re broken in.. only in the stem and housing pairs. If you swap them you lose smoothness
@@AndyVNguyen aw, mine came disassembled. Will this matter if I’m gonna break em in anyway?
if you're going to break them in anyway it technically doesn't matter but why did you buy vints if you were gonna break them in anyway
@@AndyVNguyen idk lol, but since they came cleaned and disassembled, I'm just gonna break em in a bit.
DO you know what films are used in the gateron pinks?
deskeys
@@AndyVNguyen Thanks!
This may be the best review I’ve ever seen 😂🔥🔥🔥🔥
Nice tofu65
12:54 someone please tell me which keycap set that is
gmk modern dolch
I force breake modded my Mode Sonnet. A LOT of points to tape. But it love it.
glad it worked out for you!!
are you going to review the tofu 2.0?
yes
I love the take in the end of the video 👍🏻
ive been working on picking up a kohaku soon. mx blacks are also my favorite switches. thanks for doing nothing but pressuring me to get this board sooner LOL
lmao you're gonna have a great time when you get the kohaku!
Hey Andy, who's the guy who hooked you up with vintage blacks? It's hard to find someone trustworthy to source
I lost his username when my discord got hacked
@@AndyVNguyen big oof - thanks anyway!
Do you prefer more clack or thock?
A less sharp clack is what I use the most. I like a lighter lubed gateron ink sound
1:52 Yo that is my Keycult 1/60 Picture 😂 👍👍
sick pic!
i really want to see bcp on alu in this board
Honestly, i think the Gateron Pinks sounded the best, but i like quieter keyboards.
Yeah I can definitely see how you would. Kohaku is overall pretty nice regardless of what you go with
See you at the next endgame bud
so i have here this cloudline...
This is, without question, the best video you've made. I enjoy your storytelling ability so much, I loved this. I say commit to this style, we need more long form stuff in the hobby.
Awesome work man, i have maaaad Kohaku FOMO now
dude means a lot for sure! this is my style, kind of a casey neistat, chaotic, vlog method of storytelling. it's because i used to want to be a vlogger..
@@AndyVNguyen you're definitely living the dream out then because then is pure gold. Love it man
This is an unexpected sequel
BUT A BANGER
Amazing build!
I need korn and fish board in my life
Finally got fish board. Gonna put browns in it.
ngl,,,, kohaku is pretty nice
welcome back
I kind of wanna put Gat Browns in mine am I crazy?
I would at least mx brown.. on pc
I've been using the phase one 65 for a while now. I think it is a super good board but it definitely needs some love. I had to get the exact right switches and caps and cut the foam to size just for the board not to be a thocky mess
Interesting so you used foam to reduce the thockiness? How did you do that
@@AndyVNguyen So heres what happened.
when i first built the board, i built it with gmk modo, alu half plate, flex cut pcb and cherry picked ink v2's. It sounded like the one you had in your video and i hated it.
So i stashed the keyboard away and ordered jwk switches for the stems, milky top yellows and more gateron ink v'2. (i made gateron minks)
they are super clacky with the ink v2 bottom out sound and i like them.
but the board sounded hollow and my pcb was shorting because half plate and flexy pcb.
So then i put the foam in the board and the board sounded a bit better, but in the process i broke the leg for my gmk modo spacebar.
so i ordered a gmk modo clone set from amazon and i am using the spacebar from that and it sounded ok but the spacebar and the center row sound off.
so now i cut the foam. I cut out the area for the spacebar in the foam and cut out the middle asdf row and taped the flex cut.
voila. I have a keyboard that sounds like a mix between a vega and a geon board with mx blacks on alu.
That’s actually what I expected, people have taken pcb foam and just cut out the alphas to keep some of the gasket sound but make it sound less heavy handed
Made me laugh at "Tried and True Boomer Combination" xD. Good video, and good breakdown of board/switch combinations.
People will go to such great lengths to not settle for a budget board LOL.
lmao budget boards are fine. Nicer keyboards also fine. If I lost everything I’d buy a budget Bakeneko any day. Or I could use this Zoom75 here
Loved hearing your journey with this board. I so badly want a singa keyboard, and I'm getting a Kohaku dang it. I was thinking about using MX blacks but also maybe tungstens or zakus for a switch up like you were going for. But yeah probably just gonna do MX blacks, was debating between vintage or maybe buying some diamond polished ones off someone lol. Might just go for diamond polished since I dont want to deal with potentially cleaning vintages since I also don't want to solder (pretty sure there's gonna be a hotswap option from what I gathered. If not, I'll learn to solder lol) thanks for coming to my TED.. er ramble basically
Kohaku is super nice. Diamond polished is nice! Just make sure there are no leaf issues. I just rebuilt and took out diamond polished blacks because the leafs sounded bad. I would NOT go for Vints because it's such a crapshoot.
You can always send to me to build for you! www.andyvnguyen.com/commissions
@@AndyVNguyen Thank you so much for the advice. I'll take your word on the vintage blacks for sure then, id want a nice reliable source. Thanks for the heads up on the leafs for diamond polished, ill look into it a bit more.
Hey thats one fancy tofu
It’s a kbd67mkii
So weak lol I just tell myself to stop and I did it without problem. Now I am pursuing unrivaled audio fidelity in the world of audiophilia, see you NOT there haha.
EDIT: oh no
I love these Story Time style videos!
I'm hoping to make more! I love making them, they just take a lot of time and planning
Kohaku is still the king imo
I already have a space65 r3 and a zoom65, why am I watching more of these videos lol
bc you're addicted like me
Lovely video, lovely board, nice combos. But, we cant get that keyboard in Europe :/
don't worry most people can't buy it in US either. joking aside, does Singa (Malaysia) not ship to Europe?
@@AndyVNguyenIt ships through KLC, it’s a universal vendor but if I do, customs are really surreal here. Makes the total sum over 800euros.
this is gonna be a certified classic
I’m waiting on the haven 75
More of these types of videos. This one is the best you've done in awhile.
What's your favorite config in the unikorn?
Jwk giant v3 on fr4 or gateron ink on cf.
yo andy. u gotta use mizu minks on carbon fiber. it slaps
my minks are so overlubed it's hella quiet T_T
The mindless consumerism in this hobby is off the charts.
It's just a story lol
I've also avoided mx blacks the entire time I've been in the hobby! From all the sound tests I've seen they only sounded super good in high end boards, and didn't sound that great in the boards I've tried them on. I think I'll be 95% satisfied with the hobby once I get the arc60 and finish with the tofu60, coming full circle after starting with the tofu65 lol. I'll probably put mx blacks in one of those too
oh definitely the high end boards can handle having a bit of scratch and still sound good. the cheaper stuff is easier to get a nice thock than a clean clack
Got a Mode65 with ceramic keycaps on brass plate or GMK toxic on FR4 plate. Love the customization for materials. Can only say the Mode Sonnet tempted me with the side profile but didn't like that it wasn't screwless. 65% all the way, would only ever go for a 75% if I had to change sizes. I think I can say I have my endgame. Its been almost 2 years with this and I have yet to find any other keyboard to tempt me. The ceramic keycaps was the only thing recently I thought I had to get and love them!
What switch do you like with the brass plate? I’m surprised that’s your favorite! Happy that you’re happy tho, the nonstop buying game is exhausting
@@AndyVNguyen my bad forgot to mention. I use a custom switch tops are boba u4ts and so are the stems and springs. Bottoms are kiwis. Call them boba fetts since they have a similar colour pattern. Could never get into linears but they sure sound nice!
@@AndyVNguyen sound is always something I can never quite get how I envision so I care more about material and build quality. I just toss in pe foam like everyone else lol
That makes a lot of sense - tactiles are GREAT on brass. As a linear lover I don’t touch brass anymore. Gazeww parts are the best switches in the game for sure. Unmatched quality and consistency. I can never get sound right either.. I have stories to tell about the manic late night rebuilds of the VKC and Cloudline I got in recently
@@AndyVNguyen been debating getting the new semi silent switches from gazzew but didn't like the full silents, felt mushy still.
If I liked linears I would probably be tempted by all the Flexi builds out now. I type fat fingers so I feel like stiffer is better for that.
It's always the damn space bar stabilizers, they always have a little rattle I can't ever get rid of and I've tried all the mods I've found
Just a random question are you wearing any makeup lol? Your eyeliners are so good 😂
Lol no that’s my eyes
The price of this board is like $550 usd right?
510 usd
@Andy V Nguyen Thank you Andy! Love your content btw!
Nixies next 👀?
Sound like a tray mount and don't even close to QK65 or the mode envoy, I don't feel anything
that's totally fine to have that opinion, you should go buy those then!
@@AndyVNguyen already done It, QK65 already arrived and envoy arrive in June. Then I'm waiting the zoom tkl (bought and waiting the shipment) and next buy Is the qk80
Seems like you prefer deeper sound. Nothing wrong with that. Kohaku is different level kind of beast. If you want the purest sound (not muffled by foams) then you will appreciate it. This hobby is a evolving process, so who knows. Your preference may shift later on.
Yo your haus slaps!!
Haus just slaps in general. Sleeper of a keyboard
this is it, chief?
This is it for me, chief
Don't tune into streams much but your yt vids are always top tier and I watch every single one of them
Thank you for always watching the UA-cam videos!!
Kohaku or chimera65?
Kohaku
Would get this but I'm on that 75% life now
What’s the 75 board that you main?
Yes, 75% gang represent! I need help, haha, been going back and forth between my Sonnet, Bubble 75, and plateless Thera 75 v2
thera75 v2 is funnnn
@@AndyVNguyen Sure is!!
60% is the most symmetrical layout, it looks so good.
You are not wrong!
I prefer the Zoom 65
It’s easier to buy for sure
So an aluminum plate is the way to go now? I thought the thock champion was the PC plate.
Always depends on the mounting and the keyboard. Sometimes PC is louder and higher pitched.
Fish keyboard go brrrr
In 1992 Germany was already reunited so I don't know how much sense it makes to talk about a product being from western Germany after 1989. Also, that line in the middle is not where the border was 😅
LMAO it was intentionally incorrect
Amazing video with a lot of coping and hypocrisy…. Absolutely amazing lol
LMAO IT'S THE ESSENCE OF A TRUE ENTHUSIAST
@@AndyVNguyen yeah lmao. “Oh why did you spend so much on … why spend so much time… oh like it’s not even practical(applicable to any ultra niche subject) and again like I just built a 900 dollar mode sonnet, and now I’m contemplating getting something crazier because it’s not as exclusive sigh
Bro had to order the ex-N*zi switches
Tl;dw? All of us in the hobby are weak-willed hypocrites
Jkjk, beautiful storytelling, Andy! A wonderful piece
This but for real...
Sequel time
Yessirrrr
"this all can be make-believe"?
vintage mx blacks, wherever they come from, whatever year they come from, can end up being just another mx black. i'm referring to the ridiculousness of hunting for vintage mx blacks.
I'm personally so used to 60s that even when using my tomo sometimes i press the up arrow thinking it's fn 😭
Ngl when I use a TKL I still want to use ijkl arrows lol. Moving my hand over for arrows feels so slow
Just design your own keyboard and have it be your end game, the fact that you designed it makes you infinitely more biased(preference) towards the keyboard and you will stick to it.
You can design your own and mess up your own too lol
@@AndyVNguyen you can try making a hardwired first, once everything works you can copy the entire circuit into the pcb schematic and start drawing the pcb. Pcb production isn’t that expensive compared to CNCing metal.
Case it’s pretty simple, copy the structure of whatever keyboard you like
Yeah I'm talking primarily about making a CNCed keyboard sound/feel good.
@@AndyVNguyen True, but wouldn’t perfecting a single keyboard that is unique to yourself through a few iterations of the case, while having the pcb and other stuff unchanged, be better than keeping to spend money on finding a better endgame keyboard in an endless loop? At least that’s what I did.
Quite a few UA-camrs get sponsors from manufacturers like PCBWay, maybe that’s another opportunity to jump start the designing? That would be good content well
Just my opinion though :)
No, it’s just simply too expensive to continually proto until you get it right.
I told my GF I would stop, but I got the notification that I won the raffle 😅. Excited to get my first singa!
Damn huge W congrats!
OTD 356.2 CL Andy ;o
sounds expensive
Shut up and take my subscribe button! Love the content and appreciate the commentary!
I fell like i missed out when i saw the AL6 from alchemy keyboards. Its a unikorn but with this dark age iron aesthetic. When i found out about the board, it had 1 day left and i didn't have the money for the board
Its ok these days moneys more important, I imagine that’s why some extras aren’t instantly selling out
@@AndyVNguyen yeah but the al6 is beautiful but im happy i saved my money
Good job Andy u bought a kbd mk2
It’s MY kbd mk2 ok
The Kohaku is really special. At first I thought it was a just a regular old gasket mount and I didn't think it would be much different from other gasket 65s such as vega, gingko etc, but trying it after building for a client made me realise just how special it was. Unfortunately sold mine to fund a Ryujin from dnworks but I'm trying to buy one back now. Definitely try dnworksco boards, Darian is one of the most special designers I have met in the hobby and the boards he makes are truly special and gorgeous. Amazing video as always Andy, I really appreciate you :)
looks like the case bezel is designed too low, you are already using recessed stem GMK keycaps, imagine CRP keycaps on the Kohaku there is gonna be like 2mm ugly gap. Hope they fix this on the next run. I remember for Iron165r2 they increase the case height for better coverage of keycaps
too bad iron165r2 they should have focused on fixing the sound lol
you are vietnamese ?
yes
1992 it's just regular Germany
that's the joke
If u happen to use tx film on the vints they will sound sharp too. Deskey are love or hate because they tend to pitch down the switch a lot
that's a good point
are you saying they make it sound sharper?
deskey films make switches trend a little deeper
@@anonymousl5150 from my testing. TX film PC material is stiff it tend to retain the pitch of the switch. So it shouldn't sound too different compare to unfilmed switch pitch wise. Durock film which has PC one side and htv another side is generally a good middle ground and will pitch down the switch a little bit. Deskeys and swagkey v2 film of a softer squishy material pitches down the sound the most especially on looser switch housing because it reduce the transfer of vibration from the bottom and top housing. u get a better separation of the bottom out and top out sound at the cost of pitch and volume.
So yeah depending on how much u want to alter the sound, choose accordingly.
@@Hahnck750i alright thanks for clarifying I thought you said TX films change the pitch. You're right deskey films do make it significantly lower pitched and it is too floppy to re-use when you modify a switch again.