QUACK! Hello There!
Ducks from the Mountain is an engineering house founded in 2024, specializing in solving audio-related problems within the consumer audio market. This Pond is new, but the Birds in it, have over 20 years of experience in audio engineering and testing. We know our stuff, and our clients agree.
We excel in developing solutions for Bluetooth speakers and TV audio, but we’ve also provided various audio solutions for industrial and vehicle-related challenges over the years.
Our in-house capabilities include an 8m x 8m x 8m anechoic room and state-of-the-art lab equipment for precise audio measurements and testing.
Our clients are primarily mid-size or large corporations in Europe, and we also work with startups. About 90% of our revenue comes from outside Finland.
The Team
The Team
The founding members of Ducks from the Mountain trace their roots to the Finnish audio design community that grew around Nokia Mobile Phones two decades ago. During that period, we worked as audio engineers on various Nokia mobile device projects.
Since then, we’ve been busy as entrepreneurs and audio engineers on a variety of projects, from a ‘Singing Sofa’ to custom electronic solutions for extreme outdoor conditions. We believe our professional journey has proven our ability to adapt, learn new skills, and always rise to a challenge.
While many consulting company websites tuck their team section away, we are incredibly proud of our people, including our talented testing engineers and Janis, our smartest—or at least most educated—member!
We can’t wait to see what our team can do for your project.
Heikki Vartiovaara
Owner, Senior Audio HW specialist
+358 44 3442 567
heikki.vartiovaara@ducksfromthemountain.fi
Audio device system design and concepting, power budget, audio electronics, EMC. Over 30 years of electronics experience.
Mobile devices, audio amplifiers, etc.
Mikko Sundman
Senior Audio Specialist
+358 40 5755 412
mikko.sundman@ducksfromthemountain.fi
Loudspeaker design, audio dsp tuning, measurement systems, concepting, audio product-market-fit, project management, over 20 years of audio experience
Eeli Kaikkonen
Audio Testing Engineer
Audio system testing (smart speakers, speakers).
Schematic/PCB design. Sofware development (desktop & mobile; C++, TypeScript, PHP, python, SQL, Java etc.). Electronics PCB assembly, device assembly.
Allu Tuohino
Audio Testing Engineer
Audio system testing (smart speakers, speakers).
Electronics assembly and repairs. Generally, assembly and repairs of everything
Janis Heldmann
Acoustics Engineer,
Doctoral Researcher, acoustics
Computational Acoustics (FEM, BEM, Transfer Matrix Methods), Multiphysics Simulation, Numerical Modelling, Programming (MATLAB, Python, C++), Commercial Simulation Tools (COMSOL, ANSYS, Odeon), Advanced Signal Processing & Data Analysis
How we can help
Audio engineering is heavily dependent on mechanical and industrial design.
In a typical project, we work as part of a larger team, collaborating with ID and mechanics to achieve a balanced design that meets all targets for sound quality, loudness, and ID. This includes services such as:
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Acoustic concepting for loudspeaker devices
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(Includes mechanical support, FEM modeling, 3D-printed prototypes, measurements, and support with driver selection/design.)
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Component Sourcing and Off-shore Audio ODM Selection
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Audio Measurement Services
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(Performed in our anechoic room with equipment like Audio Precision, B&K HATS, and more, available upon request.)
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Audio Electronics Design
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(Services include schematics, layout design, and DSP amplifier selection.)
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Audio Engineering Services
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(Adjusting the parameters of a DSP-enabled amplifier, system testing, and audio quality target definition.)
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References and Project examples
Client “X” (2020-2024)
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What: Small mass-market Bluetooth speakers and TVs.
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Why: A long-term client partnership where we were responsible for the complete loudspeaker and audio hardware architecture (including market segmentation), acoustic design, and factory support. Typical manufacturing quantities range from 300K to 1M units per project.
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Tasks: Acoustic design, loudspeaker driver design, FEM/BEM simulations, Audio DSP settings, measurements, etc.
Smaller Projects (2016–2025)
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What: Projects ranging from Bluetooth speakers and smartwatches to soda cans and sofas to CNC milling machines.
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Why: We’ve handled various short-term assignments for local and international clients. We either get involved in the early stages, helping with acoustic concepts, or we come in late to save the sound and solve the client’s problem.
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Tasks: Acoustic design, loudspeaker driver design, FEM/BEM simulations, Audio DSP settings, measurements, etc.
Have something to quack about? Please send us a message!
The Ducks From The Mountain Oy
Yrttipellontie 6, FI-90230 OULU, FINLAND
VAT-ID: 3466580-1
Email: info@ducksfromthemountain.fi