When a luxury car door shuts with a deep, satisfying thunk, or a premium espresso machine hisses with precision, customers feel something they can't quite name—but it directly affects what they're willing to pay. Research shows that sensory cues like sound can increase perceived product value substantially. Still, many high-ticket brands treat sound as an afterthought.
Across luxury markets—automotive, high-end appliances, and premium electronics—the visible design and technical specs get most of the investment. Sound perception, however, is an invisible brand ambassador. Hollow-sounding closures, buzzy motors, or tinny clicks undermine trust and reduce willingness to pay. This issue impacts product teams, brand leaders, and investors who rely on premium pricing and strong brand equity.
Who This Is For
This piece is for product designers, brand strategists, engineers, and investors working with high-ticket products who want a practical playbook for using sound to strengthen brand positioning and increase margins.
Insights & Analysis
Sound is brand communication: it signals safety, craftsmanship, precision, and exclusivity. Leading brands—automotive OEMs and premium electronics firms—invest heavily in acoustic testing. Key observations:
- Deep, controlled 'thunks' convey safety and solidity.
- Crisp mechanical clicks signal precision and engineering care.
- Well-managed silence (low mechanical noise) communicates luxury and quality.
The Framework
Kelstron's four-step approach helps brands convert acoustic design into measurable value:
Step 1: Sound Mapping — catalog existing sounds and identify misalignments with brand values.
Step 2: Consumer Perception Testing — run qualitative focus groups and biometric/implicit measures to quantify reaction.
Step 3: Engineering Refinement — iterate materials, tolerances, and damping to sculpt target sounds.
Step 4: Brand Sound Codification — create a reproducible sound standard for manufacturing and QA.
Kelstron acts as the strategic guide while the client remains the hero executing their brand vision.
Mini Case Study
A premium appliance brand experienced recurring feedback that its control buttons felt 'cheap.' Kelstron re-engineered the button mechanism and tuned the acoustic pitch. Outcome: customer satisfaction up 22% and successful price increase of 12% with no loss in sales velocity.
Practical Takeaways
- Treat sound as a core brand asset, not an afterthought.
- Validate acoustic choices with real users (and objective measures).
- Standardize sound specs across SKUs to protect brand consistency.
- Leverage both sound and silence strategically—quiet signals quality.
- Small acoustic improvements often produce outsized ROI in premium markets.
Great luxury products don't just look and perform well—they sound right. Kelstron helps teams embed sound engineering into product strategy so that every sensory touchpoint reinforces value. If you're exploring how to boost perceived value through sound, let's talk.