Upgrade from Baratza Sette 270wi. Niche Zero? Lagom DF64P? - Page 2

Recommendations for buyers and upgraders from the site's members.
Vindibona1
Posts: 141
Joined: 7 years ago

#11: Post by Vindibona1 »

adamzero wrote:I followed the instructions here: Quieting the Baratza Sette - 4 reversible mods tried & tested
1. I installed anti-vibration washers under the screws that hold the motor assembly to the case.
2. I coated the inside of the case with constrained layer dampener material designed for car audio (I coated it much more thoroughly than the person in that post did).
3. I wrapped the motor in mass-loaded vinyl.

The Sette is subjectively less than half as loud as it was, and much lower pitched. It would never be called loud now. It's a huge difference.

Because I could not order the materials in such small quantities that I would not have excess, I have enough leftovers for 2-3 more mods. If you would like to buy some of my extra materials, DM me, I'd be happy to send you a little kit of them.
Very interesting. What I heard on the recording from the attached link is primarily that the process knocked out the upper "overtones" (I'm a musician), so the lower pitch you hear is the absence of the upper "harmonics" which often predominate and sound loud naturally. I'm not sure what you mean by "coating" the the inside of the case?

At some point I might be interested in dampening my grinder, but if what I heard on the recording replicates the result, for the moment I don't think it would be worth the time and effort. My 270 grinds 18g of beans in about 8 seconds. In the morning I make one or two shots. That's it. I can live with 16 cumulative seconds of noise. I think one of the reasons I went for the Sette is its speed. I never considered it excessivly noisy. Certainly no noisier than my old cheap Cuisinart burr grinder.

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slybarman
Posts: 1207
Joined: 12 years ago

#12: Post by slybarman »

just too add a bit of perspective, using the sound meter app, both grinding on my 270wi and purging the steam wand both topped out at 77 db measured from about 10-12" away. grinding a dose on the 270wi lasted 8 second.

while there are definitely quieter options on the market, to me the noise thing feels slightly overblown in the context of noises one hears in the course of a tropical morning, but y'all do you.

Vindibona1
Posts: 141
Joined: 7 years ago

#13: Post by Vindibona1 replying to slybarman »

I think I agree with you about the noise being an overblown issue (at least for some if not many). In my case the "noise" issue isn't really an issue. The steam and the pump aren't all that much quieter and go on for a lot longer. Grinder consistency seems to be the most important factor. And once I figured out how to use the WDT everything started to become very consistent. The Sette has always had consistent looking grinds, but the WDT seems to insure the distribution better (often followed up with a OCD then tamping).

I will have to check the decibel levels of each when I get an opportunity. FWIW, the DB meters on phones aren't all that accurate, though iPhones are reported to be more accurate than Androids measuring DB's. A true DB meter will provide the most accurate reading, but the phones are good enough for comparative readings.

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slybarman
Posts: 1207
Joined: 12 years ago

#14: Post by slybarman »

Vindibona1 wrote: FWIW, the DB meters on phones aren't all that accurate, though iPhones are reported to be more accurate than Androids measuring DB's. A true DB meter will provide the most accurate reading, but the phones are good enough for comparative readings.
agree - I think they are "accurate enough" in terms of comparing the grinder db relative to the steam purge db - even if not truly accurate in terms of the exact db number itself. They would need to be calibrated before the actual number itself would be trustworthy or in terms of comparing your phone to my phone.

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