Performance

There is the usual N-key rollover USB here out of the box, as Aqua's test confirms. Note that there is a toggle to switch between 6KRO and NKRO, so if you notice the former, use Fn + Del to switch to NKRO. Similarly, no key chatter was detected on all the keys using Switch Hitter.

When first connected, the Tesoro GRAM SE Spectrum lights up in a breathing lighting effect in the spectrum color option. The flickering here is a recording artifact of the camera used because it isn't the best for video recording; it does not exist in real life. Regardless, the transitions between colors are rapid and could be a lot smoother. The problem is that there is no option to control the speed of the lighting effects, be it onboard or via the software driver, so what you see is what you get.


I then manually set all the keys to white using the software driver to test for color fidelity since RGB LEDs have a hard time depicting white, and it was more of a cool white with a blue hue to it in this case. In a separate test using the Spectrum effect, I tested for light bleed (not pictured), and it was minimal and had the matte finish on the top plate not reflecting colors much, which definitely helps.

Here are some more of the lighting effects demonstrated. Note that Tesoro has quite a few type-responsive effects here, with few animated effects in general. Perhaps this is a limitation of the software driver more so than the hardware driver, but it does a decent job with the per-key lighting options added in. However, I am still left feeling that there is a lot more left to be put on the plate here, and those wanting the most customizable RGB lighting will definitely be able to find it elsewhere.


One thing I do like are the extensive onboard controls Tesoro kept here, so if you are not a fan of installing software drivers then so be it. The manual does a decent job of telling you how to operate the keyboard with functionality and lighting in mind, but of course, there are inherent limitations here. Key assignment, for example, is only possible through the software driver's software profiles since there is no hardware playback here.


The switches are one of the best, if not outright the best, thing about the GRAM SE Spectrum. Both the optical red and optical blue switch are a joy to use, with smooth sliders and a consistent feedback as applicable. Indeed, the use of the click bar in the optical blue allows Tesoro and Gateron to go with tactile and clicky feedback that does not affect the actuation itself, which is an advantage of optical switches over purely mechanical switches. The Tesoro optical switches have a rated actuation distance of 2/2.3 (+/- 0.6) mm, actuation force of 45/60 (+/- 15) gf, travel distance of 4.0/4.0 (+/- 0.4) mm for the red/blue switch respectively, and a rated lifetime of 100 million keystrokes. As such, the optical red switch here is similar to the Cherry MX Red, while the optical blue switch is heavier than the Cherry MX Blue switch when compared. In practice, the optical red switch measured in at an average actuation force of 44.02 gf across twenty switches, so perhaps the error margins in its rated specs are erring on the side of caution.


As always, the sound of a keyboard is based on more than just the switch type. So when comparing sound clips, consider the keyboard as a whole. In this case, I have provided above an example sound clip of me typing on the Tesoro GRAM SE Spectrum sample at ~95 WPM. You will notice that near the end, I used the provided four optical blue switches to show how these clicky switches sound as well. For context, you can find sound clips from other keyboards here, including those with linear and clicky switches. I did bottom out with both switches.