From THOCK to CLACK — The Journey of a Mechanical Keyboard Enthusiast
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| The Yunzii C75 - My birthday gift. Not only is it cute, but it THOCKS. |
There’s a moment in every keyboard enthusiast’s life when you realise your taste has changed. For me, it happened late one night while watching several of Alexotos' builds (I do recommend following him).
By this time, I’d spent months listening to all different kinds of builds. The many variables that make up a certain mechanical keyboard build, from the keycaps to the switches to the various layers inside the keyboard itself, all contribute to making the keyboard. I find it deeply fascinating.
I think to myself how it all started. It was all about chasing that deep, cushioned thock—the sound that launched a thousand TikTok sound tests. But as I listened to more builds from folks in the hobby, I started to see (hear) a pattern. And today, it clicked (pardon the pun)…oh no. I’ve become one of those people.
This is the story of how that happens—and why it’s completely normal. I think.
🎧 The early days: falling in love with thock
I completely blame HipyoTech for this. When you first enter the hobby, Thock feels like the promised land. It’s warm, smooth, and instantly satisfying. It’s also the sound you hear everywhere—in short-form videos, Reddit clips, and Discord servers. If you’re new, 'thock' is the sound that tells you, “Yes, you’ve built something good.”
It helps that Thock is incredibly forgiving. A thock‑leaning build hides almost everything:
- Slightly hollow case? Foam fixes it.
- Scratchy switches? You won’t hear them.
- Cheap plate? Doesn’t matter much.
- Inconsistent stabilisers? Buried under layers of dampening.
And modern budget kits practically hand you thock on a platter:
- Thick PBT caps
- Gasket mounts
- Polycarbonate plates
- Long‑pole linears
- Enough foam to insulate a loft conversion
It’s the “default good” of the hobby. And this is the most important thing—there is absolutely nothing wrong with liking "Thock". I still like it to this day!
🔊 Then something shifts: the clack awakening
But as you build more boards, watch more videos, and listen to more tests (especially with good headphones!), your ear starts noticing things. You hear the difference between nylon and POM housings. You feel how a top‑mount board connects you to the plate. You realise foam isn’t just shaping the sound—it’s smothering it.
That’s when 'clack' starts to make sense. It almost feels like some neurones in your brain start to "click" together (again, pardon the pun).
Clack is brighter, crisper, and more expressive. It’s the sound of the switch doing its job without a duvet thrown over it. It’s honest. It’s characterful. And once you start appreciating that clarity, it’s hard to go back.
A clack-orientated build usually looks like this:
- Thin ABS caps (GMK, OG Cherry)
- Aluminum or steel plates
- Top mount or tray mount
- Minimal or no foam
- Standard‑pole switches
- Harder case materials
It’s not as “safe” as thock. But it’s more alive.
🧠 Why this shift happens (and why it’s universal)
This pattern isn’t unique to keyboards. It’s part of how enthusiasts evolve in any hobby.
- In photography, beginners love creamy bokeh; experienced shooters chase micro‑contrast and lens character.
- In audio, beginners love bass; audiophiles chase detail and timbre.
- In coffee, beginners love sweetness; veterans appreciate clarity and acidity.
Thock is the bass. Clack is the detail.
As your ear matures, you start hearing nuance—stem wobble, plate resonance, and stabiliser tuning. What once sounded “sharp” now sounds “clean”. What once sounded “muted” now sounds “muddy”.
It’s not that thock becomes bad. It’s that your frame of reference expands.
🛠️ What actually creates 'thock' vs 'clack'
A few ingredients shape the sound of a board, and this is what I've noticed so far:
- Keycaps — PBT deepens; ABS brightens.
- Plate — polycarbonate softens, aluminium sharpens, and steel adds bite.
- Mounting — the gasket isolates; the top mount transmits.
- Foam — more foam = more thock; less foam = more clack.
- Switches — long‑pole stems add pop, and standard stems add crispness.
- Case material — plastic absorbs; metal reflects.
Once you understand these, you can tune most boards toward the sound you want.
🎨 Sound becomes part of your identity
This is the part I didn’t expect: sound becomes part of how you express yourself through your builds.
Some days I want a clacky, precise, energetic board that feels like a tool. Other days I want a thocky, cushioned board that feels like a companion. And sometimes I want something quirky and characterful that doesn’t fit neatly into either category.
The sound becomes part of the ritual—part of the mood.
This is also a very good reason to tell your wife why you have more keyboards than days in the week! Let me know if this works for you, please. Thanks.
🏁 Where I’ve landed
These days, I find myself leaning toward clack. Not because it’s “better”, but because it feels more open and expressive. But I still appreciate a good thocky board when the mood calls for it.
The journey from thock to clack isn’t a straight line. It’s more like a loop you revisit as your taste evolves. And honestly? That’s part of the fun.
I don't stay with one keyboard. Variety is the spice of life. I literally look forward to spending time with a keyboard, especially when I go from "thock" to "clack" and the various iterations in between.
So what's next for me? Well, it's looking like I'll get a NEO65CORE. I've been inspired by shylocutus' videos of various HMX switches as of late. So whilst I don't have a clacky keyboard right now at the time of this writing, I think March 2026 will welcome my first clacky build. Stay tuned.
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