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I recently spent some time with Bose's Noise-Masking Sleepbuds. When I first wrote about them, I recognized that I was not the target market for these little guys. Fortunately, I have the chance to sleep almost anywhere, anytime. It's good to hate myself.
But these landed in my hands as I lived the most hellish time difference in my life. There has never been a better time for me to test something like that.
Update: This article was published on October 29. Since then, I have tested one of the new features and included my experience before the "Should you buy them? section. Enjoy!
Bose Sleepbuds
WHAT IS THAT?
Earphones designed to help you sleep
PRICE
$ 379.95
AS
They are comfortable, have a long battery life and are effective for blocking noise.
NOT AS
You can not play your own tracks and they are expensive.
What are they?
These are wireless headphones specially designed to help people sleep. They use "sleep tracks" that can be selected from the badociated Bose Sleep app (available on Android and iOS) to hide surrounding sounds such as street noise, snoring, and neighbors annoying.
What's interesting is that you can not play your own music, podcasts or sounds. On the plus side, this means that they will not kill your phone's battery because tracks are stored on the buds themselves as opposed to streaming via Bluetooth all night long.
The application is also minimalist and easy to use. You can use it to select your track (including how long you want to play), your preferred volume and an alarm if you wish.
What are they good for?
Blocking the noise
Before getting into the thick of it, it's important to note that these are not noise canceling headphones – so powerful sounds will filter out. But I found that the night noise of the street was well hidden and faded once I heard the sounds. And when the partner spoke next to me, her voice became incredibly muffled.
I had these results having the atria at 50% volume. I also hit them at 75% and 100% when noisy cars pbaded (we live on a main road where people like to make melodies and race at a distance) and I could still hear them faintly.
So why not settle them 100% all the time? Because it was too much for me personally. I certainly could not sleep even with the most relaxing sounds at this level. That being said, the tracks are designed not to cause hearing damage and such heights may be suitable for other people.
Battery and charging case
One of my favorite things about Sleepbuds is his pursuit in charge. Not only is it elegant and incredibly lightweight, but it gives the buds 16 hours of power before needing to be recharged. This makes it the ideal solution for long-haul flights and business trips.
You can see how much charge the crate has left by its lights, and the buds snap magnetically into place when you want to extract them. You can also check the level of charge of the buds themselves via the Bose Sleep app.
The downside to the really impressive battery life is that it comes at a cost, but we'll come back to it.
Alarm
This may seem like a strange inclusion. After all, every phone is capable of this feature. But they do not deliver these demonic sounds directly into your ears. The sleepers do.
I love this feature. It is ideal for those who have a partner who does not get up at the same time as them. My fiancée and I are journalists and we usually get up at the same time … except during the equipment launch season.
These were great when I had to get up at 2am for the launch of the new iPhone, as well as for the announcement of Google Pixel 3 and Huawei Mate 20. They allowed me to get out of my peaceful sleep without sounding an alarm throughout the room.
As for the tracks, once you have set the alarm, it is stored in the buds themselves, not on the phone app. It will not empty your battery if you have not connected during the night.
Comfort
I was really impressed by the level of comfort offered by the Sleepbuds. They did not stick, I was able to sleep comfortably and they were safe enough to stay all night. Although you can of course always know that you are wearing something, they are much more comfortable than most ordinary ear plugs or ear buds with which I have already tried to sleep.
The Sleepbuds set also comes with three ear tips of different sizes, which contributes to personal comfort and ensures that those you choose are not too small, as this would allow the loss of sound.
Relaxation
I do not mean that it will certainly help you sleep – because there are many variables – from the environment to the person who uses them.
But I will say that they helped to calm my brain agonized by jet lag. And that's what made me sleep. The relaxing sounds of the crackling campfires and breaking waves helped to calm my mind and not to think of all my loved ones dying someday.
When I first used the Sleepbuds, I fell asleep quite quickly for the first time in over a week – and I stayed asleep. That being said – I'm a big sleeper. Once out, I usually stay like this. That's why I did not have to worry about a track break, so be awakened by a loud noise that was no longer stuck.
In fact, during the following nights, I only configured the track for a few hours. For me, Sleepbuds were used to sleep, not to stay there. For other people with more serious sleep problems, it may not be that simple.
What are they not so good at?
Versatility
Sleepbud tracks have been specifically designed to help hide noise and promote sleep. They also have a maximum level of 50 dB to protect against hearing damage. In addition, the limitation means that the tracks can be stored on the devices so as not to empty the battery of your phone. I understand why these technical choices have been made and I can see the positives.
However, I still think that these limitations could deter people who want to listen to their own music and podcasts, or even the ASMR and meditation tracks. Not to mention those who would like to use a device as expensive as their daily headphones.
Although Bose intends to produce more sounds over time, I do not think that will be enough. I hope that the next generation of Sleepbuds will find a solution so that users can get more for their money and enjoy the best of both worlds.
On the other hand, the sounds they produce are excellent.
My favorites are Campfire, Shower and Swell. I guess fire, rain and waves are obvious choices, but they have been incredibly relaxing as they have been for me. And it was important for the way I approached the earpieces. These sounds have calmed me down.
Interestingly, there is also an "Altitude" track that emulates the sounds of an airplane. The buzz of the motor aspect, not that of screaming children, slapping utensils and flushing toilets.
Long haul flights are one of the times I would like to use the Earbuds most often – to block the sound of a flight – so I found it amazing that some people could enjoy the persistent buzz. But hey, everyone in turn. We all have our own version of happiness.
Update of November 11, 2018:
As Bose had promised, several new tracks were added to the Sound Library a few weeks ago and I have now had the opportunity to test the download process.
As we mentioned earlier, the files are not played via Bluetooth, they are actually stored on the buttons themselves. Transferring new programs is a more difficult process than it should be.
There are more than 10 new sounds, which you can all preview before the transfer – which is pretty cool. I liked a lot of them and I wanted to download all my selections on the bed buttons.
No dice.
As I quickly discovered, you have to transfer each new track individually. Not only that, the app warns you that it can take up to a few hours and that the buttons need to be pulled out of the feeder during the transfer.
Because of this very special process, the application also recommends you to transfer overnight, while you are already using the buttons. I resigned myself to wait another 24 hours before falling asleep to the sound of dulcet "Shoreline".
When I woke up the next morning, only 2% had been transferred. I was not happy.
On my second attempt, I transferred the track to work while the Sleepbuds were playing next to me and playing no sound. The track transferred without problems within 37 minutes. My third attempt in the same environment also took place in less than an hour.
I was much happier with these results and I hoped that the first failure was only a glitch. That being said, I could do without the application that would not tell me how to transfer songs …
Each. Unique. Time. I go. AT. Make. He.
I think this annoying process is another example of first-generation problems with Bose Sleepbuds. I still love them enough for what they are, and I fully hope that the process will be simpler and more practical in the future. But for the moment, they could still use work.
If you buy them?
Although I enjoyed my experience with the Bose Sleepbuds, I find it difficult to exceed the price. Lack of versatility is likely to be a problem for potential buyers, regardless of their technique and reasoning.
It is also undeniable that this first-generation product is far from perfect. It can not completely suppress the noise; if a track is cut off, you could wake up anyway, you can not read your own content and comfort could be further improved. And on top of that, there is no guarantee that it will actually work for you until you try it.
There is a lot to love here, but $ 380 is still a lot to ask for a product with such a singular function that will have varying results from one person to another.
But as I said in my initial hands – I'm someone who has no trouble sleeping outside of jet lag situations. I do not know what it's like to manage the lack of long-term sleep or any other sleep problem. If these buds can potentially improve the quality of life of someone, they could very well be worth it.
But with such a lack of guarantee due to subjectivity, perhaps try to borrow first. Or, if you are ready to do a punt, you can get a 30-day risk-free trial on the Bose website. Make sure to keep your receipt!
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