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Space65 Cyber Voyager Review

Keyboard By: Graystudio
Photos taken in House by alex

Intro

When Graystudio reached out to me and asked if I would like to build a prototype of their upcoming Space65 Cyber Voyager project, I was more than happy to do so! I had always been interested in the project and the original Space65 was a group buy I missed, so I figured why not!

For full transparency, I was sent a prototype version of this board for review’s sake but that does not affect my review at all. In fact, I liked it so much, I purchased another one out of pocket!

Build Experience

If you wanted to learn a bit more about the design of the Space65, I recommend checking out the geekhack thread! I will be jumping into my experience with the prototype of the Space65 CV here.

The Carbon Fiber Plate

To start it off, the board was an absolute pleasure to build in. It sported a carbon fiber plate and some magnetic brass/aluminum back badge and LED badge.

On the point of the plate, the carbon fiber offered no real challenge to put even tighter switches in and was definitely nice sounding in our sound tests. As a side note, the finish of both the case and plate was amazing and offered a unique typing experience.

The Foam

The kit also came with orange foam to sandwich in between the plate and PCB. This was both a huge positive for me but did offer one level of build challenge as the prototype foam was a touch on the thicker side and forces the user (me) to squeeze the plate and PCB together to solder the switches down evenly. I did voice this to Graystudio and they did say they are revising this for the final build, which is awesome! The foam itself offered a more muted sound, which allowed us to hear more of the switch itself and lowered some resonating in the case. Big win overall.

Case Assembly

This was easy enough! You screw the case together (don’t over screw!!) and there you go! The finish of the case is awesome, the magnetic add-ons are a huge plus, and my only grievance, which is more a personal preference mind you, is that two of the screws are covered by adhesive feet once fully assembled. It makes getting in the case a bit tricky after the build is done, but definitely doable still.

The Build VOD

What are my final thoughts? I absolutely love the case and I really did think the hit the nail on the head for a premium product that is loaded with features.

Some other notes that I know people who got the original Space65 are probably curious if the PCB is getting revised. It is and they are adding additional ESD protection and some other features. No more shorting of LEDs!

How do these sound with the foam?

See below for a sound test! We did do a build for both a linear switches (black inks) and tactile switches (zealios) and both sounded stunning. We did both with and without foam. I honestly do like the addition of the foam but the board already does sound great!

Which plate should I go for?

Personal preference! I prefer the softer carbon fiber plate, but some people may very much so prefer the aluminum plate.

How did you get the Graystudio screwdriver?!

It comes in the box! The packaging itself is very nice and you can see me going through the contents in the VOD, it was a really nice accessory to get rather than the standard allen key set.

All in all, it’s a great offering from Graystudio and it’s a huge win in my books.

2 Responses

Henrik says:
May 27, 2020 at 4:18 pm
Hi Alex! I was introduced to your stream when you did the first Cybervoyager build, and I just wanted to say that it was very helpful and I promptly placed my order after the sound test. Thanks to you and Graystudio for going above and beyond what is usually expected to be a simple GH thread – I’m digging it and crossing my fingers for more hands-on presentations of future GBs. Hoping to see more of your content soon! Did you join the C3Equalz stabiliser GB by any chance? I’d love to hear your thoughts on those. Stay awesome!
Reply
1. noiseotos@gmail.com says:
  June 1, 2020 at 4:26 pm
  Hey there Henrik! I did not join that particular GB for the c3 stabs! But I heard they are great and the new run fixed a few issues and concerns people had prior to this. I also really appreciate the kind words man! I really do!
  Reply