Mistel Barocco MD770 RGB

[testman78]

Introduction

Every now and again, something comes into the office that causes a bit of excitement. For me, the latest item to do this is the Mistel Barocco MD770 RGB. The Mistel Barocco MD770 RGB we have here today is a new contender in the local mechanical keyboard market targeting at the group of enthusiasts that cherishes 75% layout mechanical keyboards and its programmable features. The Mistel Barocco MD770 RGB is one of the first 75 percent keyboards that can be split and carries popular switches. This keyboard ships with a variety of genuine Cherry MX options: Blue, Red, Brown, Black and Clear. I think it's great that a relatively niche device such as an split ergonomic keyboard gives switch options.



As always, let's take a look at the technical specs of the Mistel Barocco MD770 RGB before we get to review.




Packaging & Contents

The Keyboard arrives packaged well in a nice black box with orange trim. On the front is the company and product name.



There are basic specifications on the top left of the back.



If you look at the switch information on the side of the package, you can see the regular Cherry MX switch and Cherry MX RGB switch options. The product I'm reviewing is the Cherry MX RGB brown switch model.



On the other side, there are a few printed icon descriptions.



After opening the box, the MD770 RGB in a plastic bag appears.



You'll find a user manual, rubber feet and installation screws, a metal wire keycap puller, connection cable for connecting PC and cable for connecting left and right units.






The final accessory is a set of spare keycaps that come in a plastic zip-lock pouch. This is the appearance of Mistel's self-made PBT unique injection keycap. The feature is that the keycaps installed on the MD770 + the extra keycaps are provided with 108 arrays of keycaps. The thickness of the keycap is a uniform thickness of less than 2mm.




A Closer Look

The external dimensions of the Barocco MD770 are 320mm wide, 140mm deep and 28-34.5mm high. It weighs about 810g, and when you hold it in your hand, it conveys a comfortable feeling of weight. The frame is fairly compact. It's easy to carry for travel. It has narrower bezels on the sides and is only slightly thicker on the top and bottom Easy to carry for travel. There is not number pad. It looks like any other 75% keyboard. That means it has a full function row, arrow keys, and the navigation and editing keys while still maintaining a compact form factor. The Barocco MD770 uses an 85-key English layout with separate Del and Home.



The black color is gorgeous with leds and it looks especially nice with the orange keycaps. I have to say, I love the black and orange look they've gone with here. Quickly looking at the LEDs, we can see they are very bright, even in well-lit areas. There are many different options and profiles you can use with these LEDs, and I will go through them a little later on. There are 2 spacebars. You can program one of them to some other key. The font for the Mistel Barocco MD770 RGB is very simple and easy to read, and there are side legends on the keycaps to help you understand the functions. You can do just as much as with a full-sized keyboard if you learn all the secondary keys, and although it does take some time to learn, it isn't difficult.



The keyboard unit is divided into left and right. The layout was expanded to increase the size mainly in the vertical direction. The separation surface designed to engage with each other. If you join it perfectly, you can input it as a normal keyboard without any discomfort.



Looking at the keyboard from the side, we can see that it has a pretty standard profile to ensure users can comfortably make use of it. A full-height keycap that uses a so-called step sculpture structure. You can see that the upper and lower frames are also designed to be quite slim. As for the stabilizer, cherry type stabilizer for reinforcing plate was used.



The keyboard uses two cables, a cable that connects the left and right units and a cable that connects the keyboard body with the PC. The keyboard side is unified with Type-C connector. The connectors located near the center of the left and right units are for unit connection, and the connector mounted on the right end of the right unit is for PC connection. By the way, if you connect only the left unit, you cannot set macros by itself. With both units connected, it is necessary to register in the left unit in advance and select the layer you want to use.



The largest topic on the layout is the function key (F key) added to the top row. "`" key used for half-width/full-width switching is also implemented independently. Right unit divided by "F7" and "7" to "N" lines. This is treated as a "master" because keys and indicators for customization such as macro registration are concentrated. Near the arrow keys, there is a "Pn" key used for macro registration, etc. As with the example of a compact keyboard, the Barocco MD770 also supports functional expansion by combining the "Fn" key and a specific key. It is possible to input multimedia keys and function keys (such as "Print Screen" and "Scroll Lock") and switch the basic arrangement.



The keycap set also includes a Mistel logo Esc key.



Removing the keycaps reveals Cherry MX switches. With our sample we have Browns, which are a pleasure to use. As always, switches are a personal preference, and the Barocco can be purchased with Blue, Brown, Black, or Red switches.



Each of the left and right units are equipped with short non-slip rubber feet in the four corners. You can attach them anywhere to input in your favorite style.



Not only the keyboard layout, but also the location and angle of the left and right units can be freely customized, which is a major attraction of the keyboard. When used with basic height adjustment, it creates a tilt angle like a regular keyboard for comfortable typing.



The bottom of the right unit has a built-in DIP switch that allows you to replace specific keys. DIP Switch, 1 is changed to Mac layout (which means it can also be used on Mac), 2 is capslock and left ctrl swap, 3 is left win and left alt swap, 4 is capslock and fn swap.




Performance

First of all you must connect the USB-C ports in the middle of the keyboard to the USB port on the far right of the keyboard. Just connect your PC. Mistel keyboard supports the most commonly used QWERTY array, Colemak array, and Dvorak array. In this product, there is no function to notify you when the arrangement is changed, so you can intuitively change the PN + 'key. When only the right keyboard is connected, it can be used as a keyboard operation and LED backlight. If you use a bump phone with height adjustment in the center, you can use it with an ergonomic keyboard feel. One of the biggest selling points to this keyboard is how programmable it is. Using a PN combination, you're able to swap between four layers of key commands. Think of each layer as a new keyboard, a blank slate, if you will. The first layer is stock. You cannot change it. The other three layers can be remapped, tied to macros, given custom lighting, or assigned media keys. Unlike most keyboards that offer onboard programming, it even lets you record sequence macros with timing delays. So, let's say you want to send out "123" with a 150ms delay before the 3. You can do that by tapping in FN+T to add 15ms intervals. This is great if you're running short sequences and need to wait for a cooldown.



The Mistel Barocco MD770 RGB has amazing backlighting. It supports full RGB lighting and its max brightness is good enough to see colors when using the keyboard in a well-lit environment. However, all the settings must be controlled on the board, as the software is built-in, and you don't have a downloadable interface. With PN + combination, you can select basic LED effect, adjust LED brightness, and adjust LED effect speed. If you press the PN key in single color LED mode, the F5(Red) / F6(Green) / F8(Blue) LED lights up and press the corresponding key. Press to subtract the brightness of the LED and combine it with RGB colors. The color combination is subtracted from 9 to 0 levels per color based on the three primary colors of light. You can create a variety of colors. LED backlight On/Off can be expressed by pressing the desired key and LED palette.



The Mistel Barocco MD770 RGB keyboard variant we tested uses Cherry MX Brown switches. It seems to have a bit more pre-travel, but most people won't notice this. The Mistel Barocco MD770 RGB's typing quality is amazing. It's one of the nicest feeling keyboards we've tested so far. The keys are very stable and the brown switches offer nice tactile feedback just before the actuation of the keys. Even if the board is small, the spacing between the keys is big enough and helps to reduce typos. The Mistel Barocco MD770 RGB is a fairly quiet keyboard with its MX Brown switches. Note that different switches might be even quieter, or some like the Cherry MX Blue switches will have a very clicky noise. The variant we tested is fine to use in office settings as you won't bother people surrounding you.


Final Thoughts

MISTEL is the one that brought a fresh air to this genre, where only large and space-consuming models occupied this genre. The Mistel Barocco doesn't need to be used as a split keyboard. The way it's been made allows you to push it together to make a standard 75 percent keyboard. This can be useful when you have a very small workspace. Split keyboard allows you to create the angle you want by separating the keyboard with such a wrist break. It has the advantage of being comfortable typing. You can also adjust the width between the two halves, placing them in front of your shoulders to reduce internal shoulder rotation. There is on-board key programing. This means, you do not need to install software/driver to program the keys. Just press keys on the keyboard to remap keys or add key macros. For example, make CapsLock do Ctrl. So you can customize keyboard based on your needs no matter you are a gamer, typist or programmer. There are 9 Multiple-modes full colored backlighting, one LED per key. You can have various rainbow effects. The keyboard has doubleshot PBT keycaps. This means, key labels never wear off, and keycap won't become shiny or become dented after years of use. Cherry MX Brown Switches provide a subtle tactile and audible feedback. With a good blend of typing and gaming, the switches are widely considered to be the best "middle-ground" switch. It is ideal for typing in the office environment.



The Mistel Barocco MD770 RGB is an excellent example of a 75 percent keyboard. At $159, it's hardly the cheapest mechanical keyboard out there, but it does a lot to justify its high price. With various functions, various LED effects, and detachable design the Mistel Barocco MD770 RGB is a masterpiece of a detachable keyboard that retains its original approach and is more convenient.

https://www.amazon.com/Mistel-Mechanical-Keyboard-Ergonomic-Programmable/dp/B082FVCNDM