This study systematically investigates the phonetic and phonological characteristics of implosives in Khmer by comparing production in Cambodia and diasporic speech communities of the United States. It begins by asking what acoustic measures are involved in implosive production. To address this question, I made recordings collected from native speakers in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Then, I developed a method to study the phonetic realization of implosives, which have been impressionistically described as gradient (Ladefoged & Maddieson, 1996). Key metrics analyzed include Maximum Voicing Amplitude (MVA), voice-onset time (VOT), Voicing Proportion (VP), and Voicing Amplitude Slope (VAS) during oral closure. By integrating acoustic analysis on data collected from 22 native speakers of Khmer in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and statistical modeling, the first part of the study explores the acoustic correlates of implosives, their role within the phonological system of Khmer, and their variation across Cambodian speakers in Phnom Penh. Using these methods, I studied the effect of phonological factors, such as word-internal position and place of articulation – finding initial position shows more voicelessness and labials are more implosive than coronals. I also analyze speaker-by-speaker patterns finding that women tend to produce stronger implosives than men. In the second part of the study, I ask how implosives in the Khmerican diaspora are produced in comparison to those in Cambodia. Using the results of the Cambodian study, I examine diasporic speakers of Khmer in the United States from Long Beach, California and Seattle, Washington. Findings reveal that implosives in heritage speakers show greater variability overall. While initial implosives tend to be produced the same in both Cambodian and Khmerican populations, medials are significantly different based on levels of proficiency.