Hikoustics

Dear Backers,

This campaign has been so fun! We are into mass production now with major issues in the rearview mirror. Our team spends a lot of time together - and even with diverse backgrounds, we have a lot more in common than just love of coffee and product design.

Extreme geek content in this bonus update. Backers looking for more general information should wait until the next official update!

Something many of us used to do a lot of was analyzing sounds: language, vocals, spoken word, music and audio signals. We mentioned before that we think Hiku has superior “acoustics” that are pleasing to us. This seems to result from a combination of the solid machined enclosure, the tight coupling of mechanism and burrset, the snug fit of the lid on the enclosure body, and the ability of our custom, large diameter burrset to really efficiently interact with the beans as they progress from whole to cracked to crushed and expulsion. Nothing squeaks and the burr doesn’t waste rotations struggling to fill. It’s a satisfying experience so we thought we’d show you that it really does sound different.

Below are three frequency spectrum plots of three premium hand grinders set to a medium grind using medium roast beans. The audio recording was done at 48kHz with a high quality directional condenser microphone array so there was lots of resolution and fidelity.

Can you tell which one is Hiku?

Sincerely,

Amanda and team