Baristas’ Ear Candy - Audio Cues for Well-Sounding Brews (de)
* Presenting author
Abstract:
Background: The evaluation of technical product noises is mainly influenced by loudness and fluctuations (Sato et al. 2007) as well as roughness, sharpness (Xu et al. 2018) and brightness in vehicle noises (Ambros et al. 2023). Method: The impact of audio features on a positive sound experience was tested by using brewing noises from coffee machines. 73 test subjects (f=37; m=35; d=1; age:19-79, average: 35,4) assessed the valence and value/quality of 13 sounds. The assessment of quality was implemented by price estimation (150-1500€). Group differences through coffee consumption habits, auditory experience with sound and expressions in personality dimensions (von Georgi & Herr 2020) were examined (p<.05). Results : Valence and value ratings of coffee machine sounds show similarities: the strength of the fundamental contributes positively to the rating (rvalence=.555, rvalue=.734), whereas strong noise fluctuations cause negative ratings (rvalence=-.596, rvalue=-.590). The value assessment of audio examples turns out higher at lower loudness (rvalue=-.612) and is particularly decisive for people with higher expressions in neuroticism. The estimated value of devices decreases slightly with listeners age (rvalue=-.272) and shows group differences based on auditory experience, whereby the value of devices is rated on average 94€ lower with experienced than with inexperienced listeners (t(72)=2.006; p<.05).