INTRODUCTION

   Although pretty much everything in the PC industry changes rapidly thanks to advancements in technology the keyboard and mouse combo are the only two things that have remained pretty much the same since the beginning. Sure we've witnessed the introduction of new and improved membrane and mechanical switches, extra features like macro keys and backlit illumination and different tracking technologies such as optical, laser and LED but in the end the shape and basic functionality of both remains the same. That being said mechanical gaming keyboards have become very popular especially amongst serious gamers, enthusiasts and professionals not only because of the increased durability (up to 60 million keystrokes) and feedback (both audible and tactile) offered by mechanical switches (always compared to regular membrane models) but also because of their features including the newly introduced RGB key illumination. Not long ago Tesoro introduced the Excalibur RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard and since it got a really warm welcome by gamers all over the world it didn't take long for them to update it by launching the Excalibur Spectrum Mechanical Gaming Keyboard model which we'll be looking at today.

   Established in 2011, Tesoro Technology USA Inc. is a team of multinational gaming enthusiasts with over 30 years industry experience with one objective – make ultra-durable products that give the best gaming experience. To achieve this, Tesoro conceptualizes products from the input and feedback from the gaming community, and then builds them using the highest grade components. As a gamers company, Tesoro continues to expand into new horizons and push the limit further with each product unveiling.

   Just like the Excalibur RGB model the Excalibur Spectrum is quite small since it follows the standard 104-key keyboard design without any sort of bells and whistles so unlike the larger (and better looking for some) Lobera models it may not appeal the same way to gamers. Under its hood Tesoro has placed a 32bit ARM Cortex Processor with 512K of built-in memory (supports up to 5 gaming profiles) and has once again used Kailh blue/brown/black/red mechanical switches with gold plated contacts (60 million keystrokes) which feature full RGB color illumination (16.8m colors). The RGB backlighting feature includes 7 different illumination modes (trigger/ripple/fireworks/radiation/breathing/wave/spectrum), 4 different brightness levels and can also be used individually with any of the keys (or not at all). The Excalibur Spectrum Mechanical Gaming Keyboard also features 6-Key/N-Key Rollover, 1000Hz polling rate, 6 multimedia keys, double injection keycaps and instant macro recording.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The box has the company logo at the front along with a picture of the keyboard and its main features listed right beneath it.

The keyboard layout and the switches used are both indicated at the base of the box.

System requirements are printed on the left side.

A large product picture is placed at the rear and is used to showcase all of its features.

Typical packaging for a keyboard although it could be better i guess.

We received the Excalibur Spectrum Mechanical Keyboard with just the user manual and a product catalog.

THE EXCALIBUR SPECTRUM

With a length of 450mm, width of 150mm and height of 34mm the 1.3kg heavy Excalibur Spectrum is pretty much as large as your average 104-key keyboard.

Tesoro has placed their logo right above the 3 activity LEDs.

Instead of the Esc tag Tesoro has placed their logo and i have to admit that it looks nice.

F1 through F5 also double as profile keys while F6 through F12 also double as the multimedia keys (via the Fn key).

You can actually scroll through the preset modes and the 4 different brightness levels via the arrow keys (and the Fn key of course).

Here we see the Kailh red mechanical switches and the spectrum LEDs.

At the base we see 4 small rubber feet and two height adjusters.

The height adjusters raise the top-end of the keyboard roughly 14mm from the desk.

A gold plated USB connector with the Tesoro logo on it is placed on the end of the 1.55m long braided cable.

CONTROL SOFTWARE

Since the keyboard doesn't come with a software CD in the bundle you will need to download the latest drivers from the Tesoro product page as seen above.

Unfortunately the software remains the same as with previous versions so although it looks nice it's not the easiest to use.

Still it does give you 5 onboard profiles which you can customize (plus the PC mode) by programming each of the keys, record/edit/delete macros and of course you can also choose one of the 7 illumination modes and 16.8m colors.

Here you can see the lowest and highest brightness levels (and off).

We've also placed some pictures of the available modes and colors (the wave mode is my favorite).

AUDIBLE FEEDBACK

Many people ask my opinion on what keyboard they should get for their needs. Some want a “silent” model for use in their living room or even in their bedroom while others ask for a model with good audible feedback for use in the office or for gaming. Because of this I decided to test keyboards by placing our ExTech HD600 vertically over each keyboard (5cm distance) and typing NikKTech a total of 6 times with each (after that the max recorded number - max hold - is placed in the graph). I have to admit that this may not be 100% accurate but it does give a good idea on what you can expect from each model since aside the type of switches used keycaps and keyboard material also matter.

CONCLUSION

   The Excalibur Spectrum Mechanical Gaming Keyboard is yet another example of what mechanical keyboards aimed towards both gamers and professionals should be like. It’s not that different compared to the Excalibur RGB which we tested a while back (more modes and improved per-key illumination) so if you have that you need not look at this but if you’re looking for a new keyboard the advanced spectrum key illumination is well worth your attention. I still prefer the Lobera Spectrum in terms of design but it goes without saying that if you don’t have a large desk the Excalibur Spectrum could be a better fit. As for the keys well Kailh red switches provide good audible and tactile feedback and although they are slightly harder to press compared to Cherry MX Reds (50g vs 45g actuation force) I can hardly tell the difference between the two. Still if one thing applies for both that’s the fact that they are not really ment for typing so if you type a lot I strongly recommend getting the blue switches version. Once again I have to point out that the control software still needs some work since it may look nice but it’s not very easy to use.

   With a very large number of mechanical gaming keyboards in the market price plays a very significant role. Fortunately there aren’t that many mechanical gaming keyboards in the market currently capable of RGB key illumination so the current price of USD99.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and 114Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk) set for the Excalibur Spectrum Mechanical Gaming Keyboard with Kailh Red switches is actually well justified. In the end design and lack of dedicated macro keys are the two things that may push some gamers away but other than that we see nothing wrong with the Excalibur Spectrum which is why it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Size
- Full RGB LED Illumination (16.8M Colors)
- 7 Modes / 4 Brightness Levels
- Individual Key Illumination
- Gold Plated Kailh Mechanical Switches (60M Actuations)
- 6 N-Key/Full N-Key Rollover
- Braided Cable / Gold Plated USB Plug
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Control Software Design
- No USB/Headphones/Microphone Ports