diff --git a/frontend/src/shared/voice/voiceCues.ts b/frontend/src/shared/voice/voiceCues.ts
index cbe11bac..7513f965 100644
--- a/frontend/src/shared/voice/voiceCues.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/shared/voice/voiceCues.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
-// WhisperFlow-grade start/stop chimes, synthesized in WebAudio so they ship weightless and always
-// match: a soft two-note rise on start ("I'm listening"), the mirrored fall on stop. Sine + gentle
-// lowpass + fast attack / exponential release = crisp but soothing, never a system beep.
+// WhisperFlow-grade start/stop cues, synthesized in WebAudio so they ship weightless and always
+// match. Not a chime: a soft percussive "pop" (tiny click transient + falling tone), like a water
+// drop. Start pops slightly higher than stop, so the pair reads as press/release, not as an alarm.
 
 let ctx: AudioContext | null = null;
 
@@ -14,16 +14,38 @@ function ensureCtx(): AudioContext | null {
   }
 }
 
-function blip(ac: AudioContext, freq: number, at: number, dur: number, peak: number): void {
+// The transient: 6ms of bandpassed noise gives the pop its tactile "tick" edge.
+function tick(ac: AudioContext, at: number, freq: number, peak: number): void {
+  const len = Math.floor(ac.sampleRate * 0.006);
+  const buf = ac.createBuffer(1, len, ac.sampleRate);
+  const data = buf.getChannelData(0);
+  for (let i = 0; i < len; i++) data[i] = (Math.random() * 2 - 1) * (1 - i / len);
+  const src = ac.createBufferSource();
+  src.buffer = buf;
+  const bp = ac.createBiquadFilter();
+  bp.type = 'bandpass';
+  bp.frequency.value = freq;
+  bp.Q.value = 1.2;
+  const gain = ac.createGain();
+  gain.gain.value = peak;
+  src.connect(bp);
+  bp.connect(gain);
+  gain.connect(ac.destination);
+  src.start(at);
+}
+
+// The body: a sine gliding down fast with an exponential decay reads as a "plop", not a beep.
+function pop(ac: AudioContext, at: number, from: number, to: number, dur: number, peak: number): void {
   const osc = ac.createOscillator();
   const gain = ac.createGain();
   const lp = ac.createBiquadFilter();
   lp.type = 'lowpass';
-  lp.frequency.value = 2400;
+  lp.frequency.value = 3200;
   osc.type = 'sine';
-  osc.frequency.setValueAtTime(freq, at);
+  osc.frequency.setValueAtTime(from, at);
+  osc.frequency.exponentialRampToValueAtTime(to, at + dur * 0.7);
   gain.gain.setValueAtTime(0, at);
-  gain.gain.linearRampToValueAtTime(peak, at + 0.012);
+  gain.gain.linearRampToValueAtTime(peak, at + 0.006);
   gain.gain.exponentialRampToValueAtTime(0.0004, at + dur);
   osc.connect(lp);
   lp.connect(gain);
@@ -37,10 +59,10 @@ export function playVoiceCue(kind: 'start' | 'stop'): void {
   if (!ac) return;
   const t = ac.currentTime + 0.01;
   if (kind === 'start') {
-    blip(ac, 587, t, 0.16, 0.055);
-    blip(ac, 880, t + 0.085, 0.2, 0.05);
+    tick(ac, t, 2200, 0.05);
+    pop(ac, t, 760, 520, 0.11, 0.06);
   } else {
-    blip(ac, 880, t, 0.14, 0.045);
-    blip(ac, 587, t + 0.075, 0.22, 0.05);
+    tick(ac, t, 1600, 0.04);
+    pop(ac, t, 520, 360, 0.13, 0.055);
   }
 }