Cherry MX Red MX2A vs TTC Gold Pink V2
Weight is the real gap here: 8 g between the Cherry MX Red MX2A and the TTC Gold Pink V2 at actuation, which is enough to change how a long session ends. Our switch library cross-links them because this matchup keeps coming up. Start with the A/B bursts below, then take the spec table and the picks in order.
Hear them back to back
simulated from real specssound loads on your first tapShortcuts: press A or B anywhere outside a text box to fire that burst. Use the volume trims to loudness-match the pair before judging which sounds better.
Spec by spec
| Spec | Cherry MX Red MX2A | TTC Gold Pink V2 |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Linear | Linear |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 45 g | 37 g |
| Bottom-out force | 60 g (our estimate) | 42 g |
| Pre-travel | 2 mm | 2 mm |
| Total travel | 4 mm | 4 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | Yes | Yes |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | Yes |
| Price tier | Mid-range | Mid-range |
| Street price | varies | varies |
Cherry and TTC both advertise an actuation force, so the two headline figures in this table are measured at the same point and can be read against each other. Cherry publishes no bottom-out figure for the Cherry MX Red MX2A, so the figure marked "our estimate" is our own derivation from the forces that are published rather than a rating. How we derive a bottom-out figure .
Verdict
Cherry and TTC are selling the same stroke here, so the Cherry MX Red MX2A and the TTC Gold Pink V2 separate on spring, distance and voice instead. 8 g at actuation is a bracket apart, not a shade, and it is the Cherry MX Red MX2A carrying the heavier end at 45 g. What really separates them is sound, with the Cherry MX Red MX2A tending toward neutral mid-pitched clack with a faint scratch on the slide and the TTC Gold Pink V2 toward feather-light soft patter, barely-there landing. Our picks: the TTC Gold Pink V2 for gaming, the Cherry MX Red MX2A for typing and a shared office.
- Gaming pick
- TTC Gold Pink V2
- Typing pick
- Cherry MX Red MX2A
- Office pick
- Cherry MX Red MX2A
Force curves
Cherry MX Red MX2A
Cherry publishes no bottom-out force for this switch, so the 60 g at the end of the stroke is our estimate and the run into it is dashed. Everything up to actuation comes from the published numbers. How we derive it.
TTC Gold Pink V2
Cherry MX Red MX2A or TTC Gold Pink V2: the long answer
Put the two side by side on paper before you trust your ears. Springs split them by 8 g at actuation: 45 g for the Cherry MX Red MX2A, 37 g for the TTC Gold Pink V2. Cherry and TTC are both selling you linears here, so neither one puts a bump or a click in the way of the press. The two stroke depths are identical, 2.0 mm to actuation inside 4.0 mm of total travel. Neither one out-feels the other on type, so the small differences in the table are where the decision lives.
What the table cannot tell you is how either one lands in a room. The Cherry MX Red MX2A sits at neutral mid-pitched clack with a faint scratch on the slide; the TTC Gold Pink V2 answers with feather-light soft patter, barely-there landing. The usual caveat applies. Nothing here is a studio recording; both packs are synthesized from published specs, and the players say so.
On cost and convenience, both are mid priced. Both arrive lubed from the factory, which is one project you can skip either way.
So who should buy which? For gaming we lean toward the TTC Gold Pink V2, because the two are close enough here that either works, and our scoring gives it the nod by a hair. For long typing sessions the Cherry MX Red MX2A makes the stronger case, since it holds the same feel from the first hour of writing to the last. And if your keyboard shares a room with other people, the Cherry MX Red MX2A is the one we would trust, as it makes the least fuss of the pair in a shared space. None of this beats hearing them yourself, which the player above lets you do in about a minute.
Want the full story on either switch? Read the dedicated Cherry MX Red MX2A page and the TTC Gold Pink V2 page. Or leave switches aside for a minute and run your current keyboard through the free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Cherry MX Red MX2A or TTC Gold Pink V2 for gaming?
We pick the TTC Gold Pink V2 for gaming. This is close to a coin toss. The scoring hands it over by a margin you would not feel in a match.
Is the Cherry MX Red MX2A quieter than the TTC Gold Pink V2?
Nothing in either one is built to reduce noise, so on raw volume this is a tie decided by your keyboard rather than your switch. What you will actually hear is a difference of pitch and texture, which the player above shows better than a sentence can.
Is the Cherry MX Red MX2A heavier than the TTC Gold Pink V2?
The Cherry MX Red MX2A, and the comparison is clean: actuation on both sides, 45 g to 37 g.
More comparisons
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