Bose had an avid following when it launched its Sleepbuds, but discontinued the product after it “didn’t reach the level of adoption” Bose hoped it would, according to a Bose spokesperson. That’s when three ex-Bose engineers took the sleep earbuds under their wing and developed a brand and product of its own, under Ozlo. The Ozlo Sleepbuds are the best, most comfortable sleep earbuds I’ve tried to date.
While a new product isn’t without its flaws — the major one being that the app setup was annoyingly glitchy — the product itself is impressively effective at what it does: getting you to bed. Once the Sleepbuds are in your ears they produce noise-masking (not noise-canceling) white noise that’s dialed at the perfect volume to reduce external distractions and help you quickly fall asleep (and you don’t even need to connect them with a phone or the app for this to work). My bedroom overlooks a bustling Brooklyn street that is always polluted with noise, like police sirens, screaming ambulances, neighbors singing and celebrating into the wee hours of the night, and pedestrians yelling at each other. These earbuds simplified my descent into sleep — I put these earbuds in and couldn’t hear a song or chatter outside my window.
Also: I actually want to put these $300 sleep earbuds in my ears every night
If you download the app, you can customize your sleep sounds with up to 10 to choose from, set up an alarm in the earbuds, and put a timer on the earbuds for them to shut down after you’ve gone to bed. Some features, like sleep tracking, will also be coming soon in an over-the-air app update.
As far as comfort goes, you won’t find a sleep earbud that’s more comfortable to sleep in. This is thanks to the stabilizing ear wings that keep the buds in place without additional pressure buildup (that tends to cause soreness and sensitivity). I’m a side sleeper and found these the most comfortable to wear as I turned from one side of my head to the other. In my review, I write that they dissolved into my ears, becoming nearly invisible as I fell asleep, which is all that you really want out of a sleep earbud.
The earbuds were so good that Ozlo was awarded a Best of CES award in the wellness category, as selected by ZDNET, CNET, PCMag, Mashable, and Lifehacker.
Of course, $300 is still a pretty penny to pay for a decent night of uninterrupted sleep. But the Ozlo Sleepbuds are the best earbuds for a reason: they have a thoughtful design, are an effective sound-masking technology, and are a comfortable fit that makes me want to wear them every night.
Ozlo Sleepbuds tech specs: Form factor: Earbuds | Connectivity: Bluetooth | Battery: 10 hours in the earbuds | Fit: In-ear
Source: Robotics - zdnet.com
