Cherry MX Silent Red MX2A vs Durock (JWK) Silent Alpaca
Money is the honest first difference between the Cherry MX Silent Red MX2A and the Durock (JWK) Silent Alpaca: one is mid priced and the other premium priced, multiplied by a full board. Our library of every switch we simulate already points each of these at the other. Hear them back to back below with the trims matched before you read a single number.
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 Silent Red MX2A | Durock (JWK) Silent Alpaca |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Linear (silent) | Linear (silent) |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | bottom-out |
| Actuation force | 45 g | 48 g |
| Bottom-out force | 60 g (our estimate) | 62 g |
| Pre-travel | 1.9 mm | 2 mm |
| Total travel | 3.7 mm | 3.8 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | Yes | Yes |
| Factory lubed | Yes | Yes |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | Yes |
| Price tier | Mid-range | Premium |
| Street price | varies | varies |
Watch the "brand rates force at" row: these two makers do not measure at the same place, actuation for the Cherry MX Silent Red MX2A and bottom-out for the Durock (JWK) Silent Alpaca. Force numbers only compare within a row. The figure marked "our estimate" is our own derivation and not a manufacturer number, because Cherry publishes no bottom-out figure for the Cherry MX Silent Red MX2A. How we derive a bottom-out figure .
Verdict
Stroke character is a tie. Two linears feel alike under a finger, which pushes the decision onto the rows below the type row. The Cherry MX Silent Red MX2A is the cheaper board to fill by a full bracket, mid priced against premium priced. Their springs sit close together, just 3 g apart at actuation, with the Durock (JWK) Silent Alpaca the marginally firmer press. Nothing here separates by use case: the Cherry MX Silent Red MX2A is our pick for gaming and for typing, and it is the dampened one, so a shared room is not an argument. Take the Durock (JWK) Silent Alpaca only if you specifically want muted cushioned patter, the silent-linear standard.
- Overall pick
- Cherry MX Silent Red MX2A
No use case rescues the Durock (JWK) Silent Alpaca here. The Cherry MX Silent Red MX2A wins gaming, typing and the office question alike, so the block collapses to one.
Force curves
Cherry MX Silent 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.
Durock (JWK) Silent Alpaca
Cherry MX Silent Red MX2A or Durock (JWK) Silent Alpaca: the long answer
Money separates these two more cleanly than any spec does. The Cherry MX Silent Red MX2A is mid priced, while the Durock (JWK) Silent Alpaca is premium priced. Both arrive lubed from the factory, which is one project you can skip either way.
On to the mechanical side. The stroke is the same shape on both: both give you spring resistance and nothing else. That leaves the spec sheet to separate them. At actuation they sit 3 g apart, 48 g against 45 g, close enough that lube and housing will decide the feel before the spring does. Travel differs at both ends, with the Cherry MX Silent Red MX2A registering first at 1.9 mm and the Durock (JWK) Silent Alpaca running deepest at 3.8 mm. None of these gaps is large. Stack them up and they still point somewhere, but gently.
What the table cannot tell you is how either one lands in a room. Played back to back, the Cherry MX Silent Red MX2A is rubber-cushioned thud, dampened in both directions against muted cushioned patter, the silent-linear standard from the Durock (JWK) Silent Alpaca. Dampening pads are on both, which puts the whole comparison inside a narrow band of volume and moves it onto tone. The usual caveat applies. Nothing here is a studio recording; both packs are synthesized from published specs, and the players say so.
That leaves an unusually simple answer, because one switch wins on all three counts: the Cherry MX Silent Red MX2A is our pick for gaming, for typing and for a shared desk. On speed, the two are close enough here that either works, and our scoring gives it the nod by a hair. On typing feel, its keystroke stays consistent and comfortable across a full day of writing. On noise, the pads stop the bottom-out from traveling past your own desk. That leaves the Durock (JWK) Silent Alpaca to anyone who preferred its voice in the player above, which is a good enough reason on its own. Whichever way you land, listen to both above with the volume trims matched before you spend anything.
Each of these has a page of its own with the full spec sheet and the sound notes. Start with the Cherry MX Silent Red MX2A page and the Durock (JWK) Silent Alpaca page. Or leave switches aside for a minute and run your current keyboard through the free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Cherry MX Silent Red MX2A or the Durock (JWK) Silent Alpaca the better gaming switch?
We pick the Cherry MX Silent Red MX2A for gaming. The two are close enough for gaming that either works; our scoring defaults to it by a small margin.
Is the Cherry MX Silent Red MX2A quieter than the Durock (JWK) Silent Alpaca?
Both are dampened silent switches, so they sit among the quietest options you can buy. At this level the remaining differences come down to your board, your keycaps and how hard you type, not the switch itself.
Is the Cherry MX Silent Red MX2A heavier than the Durock (JWK) Silent Alpaca?
The Durock (JWK) Silent Alpaca, by 3 g. Both figures are published at actuation, 48 g against 45 g, so they are measured at the same point and can be read straight.
Which is cheaper to fill a board with, the Cherry MX Silent Red MX2A or the Durock (JWK) Silent Alpaca?
The Cherry MX Silent Red MX2A sits in the mid priced bracket and the Durock (JWK) Silent Alpaca in the premium priced one. We do not hold a reliable per-switch price for both, so the bracket is the honest answer rather than a total.
More comparisons
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