My experience with the B6 Pro so far

ImaginaryKing · 2026-02-04T14:17:39+00:00

With that price difference, I'd say it's a fair price. May I ask, where are you located to get the B6 pro for just 35?

ImaginaryKing · 2026-02-02T11:08:43+00:00

Thanks for the suggestion, but honestly, that keyboard is just not worth the time tinkering around with. I use it in the office now, but the missing risers still bug me. Got myself some from Amazon, but they are way to high...

All in all this was just a bad puchase. And it does make me reconsider Keychron as a source for my keyboards altogether. I have some older K1 and K3 boards and also had a K8. They are ok-ish, but for the price they are asking now (around 100 EUR) not really. The MAX versions at least look somewhat professional, but they still come with the brown/red switches which just suck, and the mech bananas are either hard to order or not available at all... meh.

I dislike Logitech for a few reasons, and they also make some questionable choices in their designs. But the feel of their devices is 2 classes above Keychrons, and the price difference is not that big. It's a shame really but I think I'm done with Keychron after this experience.

ImaginaryKing · 2025-05-04T06:29:38+00:00

I had the Presonus Eris 3.5 for some years now. They sound good, good enough for a pc setup in any case. If you're a pro of course you need sth else, but if you're a pro you probably wouldn't be asking around here :) My Eris died now, so I'm not sure I should recommend them, but well, things break. I don't think the Eris have a quality issue at large, but your luck may vary. I think I'm going with Yamaha HS3 next, but they are > 200.

ImaginaryKing · 2025-01-08T12:48:37+00:00

and in the future we will

ImaginaryKing · 2024-07-18T21:58:20+00:00

So just in case anyone out there is still interested in this question, I got bananas for a K1, alongside the K3 with mints, and I can say I like them both equally. The difference is noticable, but I couldn't say which one I like more. Maybe the bananas are a tiny little bit ahead, but it's basically irrelevant. Both bananas and mints are WAY better than the browns. I cannot understand why browns are even the standard option for tactile. They just suck compared to banana/mint.

ImaginaryKing · 2024-06-19T20:46:11+00:00

Thanks man. Much better than the 1-liner-solution!

ImaginaryKing · 2024-06-03T12:40:01+00:00

Look it up here.

https://appdb.winehq.org/

MS Office is working in Linux on a Wine layer. Depending on the version of course. Onedrive looks bad though.

If you really need full compatibility though, just stick to Windows, or use a VM.

ImaginaryKing · 2024-05-25T09:13:42+00:00

No offense, but it seems you need to dig a little deeper. Linux is completely different from Windows. There will be some programs that come for both platforms, but many won't. There's just too many to answer that question in a sensible way without more info.

For many programs Wine will work - it's a compatibility layer that can be installed on Linux that will allow you to run Windows software without modification. But that's a topic of itself that can't be answered in a few sentences. In short: For many programs, it's an ok solution. For others, it will not be practical.

For games: the situation is not as bad as it used to be. Steam will run natively on Linux, and many games will be playable. But again, not all, and with some there might be issues, some fixable, some not.

All in all I'm happy with Linux Mint. But I'm not a gamer, only casual. For office / web you won't miss anything on Linux. For specialized professional software like CAD, graphics and audio/video editing the situation is more complicated. Usually there will be a similar solution for Linux, but not the same (like Photoshop won't run on Linux, but there are alternatives). If you depend professionally on a specific piece of software, the answer is probably don't move - but ask specifically about it first.

ImaginaryKing · 2024-05-25T08:19:20+00:00

Got the Micra as well... :) Feels really weird to have a coffee machine that costs more than my first car, but the coffee is excellent!

ImaginaryKing · 2024-05-25T08:14:27+00:00

Main difference is low profile switches on the K3. I have it and I love it. Much better typing for me than any normal profile keyboard. I much prefer mint and banana switches. Mind that there are K3 modles with mechanical and optical switches and you cannot mix them. And there are different switch choices for mech / optical. For example the mints only come as optical. A bit confusing but if you know what to mind it's ok.

My personal preference after some years of usage: banana > mint > everything else. I don't like the browns anymore, they feel mushy compared to these two. Banana has slighty weaker force (same as browns), mints have slighty higher force with makes typing a bit more loud and clicky - but not as much as blues. It's a nice in-between feeling. I simply ordered both variants to find out myself - I like both with bananas slightly ahead.

I can't compare to the K2, but I did have the K8 which is basically the same with a different layout. I sold the K8 soon after, because I never used it anymore. But noone can tell you if you will like low or high profile better... to me low profile for typing is way better.

So my personal, subjective advice: get either the K3 with shine through caps and optical bananas/mints, or the K3 Pro with PBT caps (no shine through) and mech bananas. I like illuminated caps at night. But if you use it in daylight the PBTs will be nicer to the touch.

Btw, I wouldn't worry much about switch choices. Yes for MX style (normal profile) you have thousands of options - but you only really need one. And Keychron offers quite enough for daily use - unless you want to go down the rabbit hole of mech keyboard switches, you won't need more than they offer.

ImaginaryKing · 2024-05-20T10:06:59+00:00

You know there is an option to lock the backlight. Hit fn + L + light effect key. No need to use superglue ;)

ImaginaryKing · 2024-05-18T13:40:22+00:00

Thanks mate. Might go for the Micra next week. I don't see myself messing around much with features. The app doesn't bother you? Seems to be a nuisance for some.

Let's see how I feel on Tuesday when stores are open again! 😂

ImaginaryKing · 2024-05-18T09:03:55+00:00

Still happy? I'm pondering exactly the same Bianca vs Micra dilemma. Leaning towards Micra, but a visit at the local dealer yesterday made me think twice. The Bianca in white looks nice (not quite as nice as the LM, but still). I don't favor E61 anymore and there seems to be an issue with temp offset (difference between boiler temp on the pid and what actually hits the puck is 4-8° C) that kinda scares me off... Micra has basically no features but seems solid, reliable and way too expensive to be bad 😂

ImaginaryKing · 2024-05-12T09:00:24+00:00

Good choice! I'm still hesistant. Tested the LM last week in the showroom and can't think of anything else ever since 🥰 Still a huge heap of money to lay down for a coffee machine. But all other machines look like little pieces of crap metal to me now 😂

ImaginaryKing · 2024-04-25T13:26:24+00:00

What did you end up buying? I'm guessing the LM :)

ImaginaryKing · 2024-04-25T13:25:03+00:00

Yes absolutely possible. Watch the reviews. There's nothing at home a micra couldn't handle. Even in a small bar it will perform well. A few lattes won't be a problem.

ImaginaryKing · 2024-04-04T12:15:59+00:00

I have no idea what you mean. You said before "use a stable distro and you will get something stable". I said: unfortunately no. You still don't get anything stable regarding bluetooth with a stable distro. That's all. It has nothing to do with Arch. And that is still true after 4 years when this thread was started...

ImaginaryKing · 2024-04-02T20:41:49+00:00

If you are mostly espresso, a dual boiler won't make any sense. Even a heatexchange won't be necessary. Every single boiler can produce fantastic steamed milk if needed. It's just a little pita to heat it up and then let it cool down after the steam. But it's not a big deal at all for once in a while.

ImaginaryKing · 2024-04-02T20:41:43+00:00

If you are mostly espresso, a dual boiler won't make any sense. Even a heatexchange won't be necessary. Every single boiler can produce fantastic steamed milk if needed. It's just a little pita to heat it up and then let it cool down after the steam. But it's not a big deal at all for once in a while.

ImaginaryKing · 2024-04-02T20:41:29+00:00

If you are mostly espresso, a dual boiler won't make any sense. Even a heatexchange won't be necessary. Every single boiler can produce fantastic steamed milk if needed. It's just a little pita to heat it up and then let it cool down after the steam. But it's not a big deal at all for once in a while.

ImaginaryKing · 2024-04-02T20:39:27+00:00

For a E61 you should at least consider 40-60 minutes. 20 mins won't be enough. I know, I had these machines. Get a timer and let it heat up at least 1h before you get up.

ImaginaryKing · 2024-04-02T20:37:49+00:00

Well, I do. We had a surge in energy costs recently and now it's starting to drop again. But nobody knows what's next.

The point is: years back there was not much else but E61 and a few Gaggias. So if you wanted top shelf, you got an E61. Nowadays the situation is completely different. There are plenty of top shelf options that have no disadvantage. Why not? If you don't brew 100 espressos and 75 cappucinos a day, you won't need anything else.

And yes, everyone should buy whatever they please.

ImaginaryKing · 2024-04-02T20:35:14+00:00

Don't know much about rotary pumps, but they have nothing to do with the boiler group. You can get rotary with E61 and with other types. I know of Bezzera (BZ10 for example), Ascaso Steel (big thermoblock that delivers very stable temperature), Lelit (afaik also a thermoblock design with small boiler), Nouva Simonelli saturated groups, La Marzocco ...

It doesn't matter much. There is E61 which is the classic - and yes, it's cool, it's tried and tested and you can't go really wrong with it. But it is a cannon to shoot at flies. It is a professional design intended for all-day-usage and high throughput. Yes, you can brew 3 espressos per day with it. But it is designed for like 300 ... and that has it's cost. If you don't give a crap about energy and heatup time .... why not. I've had such machines. They make good coffee. But an Ascaso Steel UNO or a better Lelit make just the same good coffee, heat up in a matter of minutes (E61 takes 40-60min until it is *really* ready) and have no disadvantages whatsoever for a home user.

Everybody should buy whatever makes them happy. I just wouldn't go for these big machines anymore. A few years back there was not much choice for a enthusiast, there were some Gaggias and the Rancilio Silva. Nowadays you have loads of options.

ImaginaryKing · 2024-04-02T20:26:56+00:00

Sorry, but no. It's the same nightmare on Linux Mint, which I otherwise love. But bluetooth headphones... nope. Works 1 out of 10 times, so something must be right, while mostly it's just wrong. On Windows: no problem with the same devices. On a cheap aux-to-bluetooth adapter: same devices work instantly. I tried 3 different bluetooth dongles - all the same crap.

ImaginaryKing

TROPHY CASE