KiiwiBlue Alps switch sound
Hear the Blue Alps switch sound on Mac: it plays in your browser as you type below. Alps SKCM Blue, a click leaf design from the 1980s with a crisp snap. Recorded from a real board.
Type the words below. Headphones make the difference obvious.
What it sounds like
Before Cherry MX was everywhere, Alps switches were in a great many keyboards. The SKCM Blue uses a click leaf, so each press ends in a crisp, bright snap.
Its click comes from a different mechanism than the plastic jacket in a Cherry MX Blue, and it sounds different for it. Play the two back to back below.
At a glance
Compared with
Cherry MX Blue
Cherry's clicky switch, recorded on ABS and on PBT keycaps.
IBM Model M
The buckling spring from the 1984 IBM Model M.
Kailh BOX White
Kailh's BOX White: a crisp click bar, lighter than the BOX Navy.
Keep exploring
More clicky switches Kailh BOX Navy, Razer Green, Trust GXT 865 Asta
Choosing an app Kiiwi vs Thock, more switch vs switch pairs
Questions
What does the Blue Alps switch sound like?
Before Cherry MX was everywhere, Alps switches were in a great many keyboards. The SKCM Blue uses a click leaf, so each press ends in a crisp, bright snap.
Is the Blue Alps loud?
Yes, this is the loud end. A clicky switch makes a click on every press on top of the bottom-out, which is why it carries across a room.
Which switches sound similar to the Blue Alps?
The closest in Kiiwi are the Cherry MX Blue, IBM Model M and Kailh BOX White. Cherry MX Blue: Cherry's clicky switch, recorded on ABS and on PBT keycaps. IBM Model M: The buckling spring from the 1984 IBM Model M. Kailh BOX White: Kailh's BOX White: a crisp click bar, lighter than the BOX Navy.
Can I get the Blue Alps sound on my Mac?
Yes. Kiiwi plays this recording, key-up sound included, under the keyboard you already own, in every app, from the menu bar. It works on Apple silicon and Intel Macs with macOS 14 or later, and it's a one-time purchase.
Get the Blue Alps sound on your Mac
Kiiwi has all 36 packs, this one included, and plays them under the keyboard you already own, in every app, from the menu bar. It needs macOS 14 or later, costs $4.99 once, and hears that a key was pressed, never what you typed.
Download for macOS