AcousticSheep SleepPhones Review

• Review
• Specs
• Comments

Have trouble falling asleep without background noise? Does it drive your partner crazy to hear the television or music playing while they are trying to rest? Or maybe you just want to drown out the background noise to hear your choice of music, or television show uninterrupted.

No matter your specific need, SleepPhones were designed to help you get better rest through soothing sounds to help you fall asleep faster and remain in a state of deep sleep. Of course they are quite multi functional as well to work with your choice of music, television, or audio books through a wireless bluetooth connection.

Breakdown of SleepPhones Bluetooth Headphones

Bluetooth capabilities have open up a whole new line of products for consumer convenience. Bluetooth simple provides a wireless connectivity between two products to provide both comfort, and mobility without having to take your device with you wherever you go, and cords that get tangled up.

Unlike other bluetooth headphones or earbuds on the market, SleepPhones were designed with your comfort while lying down in mind. Most other common Bluetooth sound products on the market cause pressure against your ears while laying down. But SleepPhones utilize a state of the art Bluetooth receiver with adjustable flat speakers within a comfortable headband to allow for you to listen in any position.

This is a product that can be utilized by anyone looking for a way to provide soothing background noise to fall asleep to, to listen in on a favorite television show without disrupting their partner, to follow along to an audiobook while working around the house, or travellers who love to be able to rest their head against a pillow and listen to their favorite shows or music. Honestly there isn’t anything you can’t use it for due to it’s comfortable, washable headband design.

Features & Benefits

The SleepPhones arrived on my front porch within about a week of having them ordered, which is pretty good since I live out in the middle of nowhere. Plus they shipped free, which is an added perk. I know I hate dropping money on a product and then having to add on what I consider unreasonable shipping charges. They do come in a marked box so anyone can see what is within them which could be a problem if you live in an area where people like to snoop.

Other than that, they are well packaged within a much smaller box tightly surrounded by protective materials. Upon opening you can tell care is taken in providing a decent product with quick start and charging instructional guides, an informational booklet, and customer service card so you don’t have to read through a ton of fine print if you need some help with your product.

Headband

First off I can tell you I approached this whole earphone headband idea with a lot of skepticism because I’m the type of person who easily gets tension headache from having anything wrapped around my head. A tight ponytail can even do it to me. So the first thing I did was put them on and wear them around the house while I did evening chores to see if they bothered me, and if they would stay put.

I’m happy to say they passed that first test with flying colors as the headband stayed where I placed it and never caused any discomfort. In fact, I got to thinking how useful they might be on cool evening walks.

Choices

The Sleep headbands come in two choices (and multiple colors) in either a soft fleece or a breeze, polyester/spandex material. They also have multiple sizes to choose from: xs, one size (actually a medium), and extra large. I choose a one size in the breeze material as I live in a warmer climate and would like to get year round use out of these things. I don’t have a big head by any means, and it fit me well. I imagine I could have gone with an extra small for a more snug fit, but I honestly had no movement complaints with the medium, one size choice.

Comfort

I already established that the band stays in place while walking around and didn’t cause me any tension pressure, but since they are designed with sleep in mind, the question remained if they would stand up to that hype as well.

I don’t move around a lot at night, and if I do it’s because I was woken by either one of my kids or one of the dogs barking at their own imagination. Both happen frequently, but anytime I was woken up, the headband seemed to have stayed in place.

I am also stomach sleeper and have a tendency to drape myself over a pillow so I can actually use one under my head to keep from waking with neck pain. That means my ear is directly up against a surface but I couldn’t feel any difference at all, which really did surprise me as I figured I’d feel something.

And for those of you who wear glasses, I tried them out with mine on without any changes in comfort either.

Bluetooth Module

This was another concern of mine. Upon first glance I figured there was no way I wouldn’t begin to feel that through the night, and how in the world would I access the buttons? I tend to approach things with potential problems in mind, and so after deciding the headband (with all components inside) was pretty comfortable while walking around, I checked out the bluetooth module in detail.

Accessibility

To access it I had to undo the small velcro opening located in the back of the headband. SleepPhones provides a nice tag to help mark how or where the band, as well as where the opening is. Upon attempting to remove the module, I could tell right away this was going to be a task to pay attention to. The materials may be as durable as can be, but they feel delicate, and the module, and attached earphones take some maneuvering to remove.

Once out you can tell the module itself is well built. It’s encompassed in a soft rubberized material and has flex to it to help sit against your head comfortably. I tried it out both in the back of my head and reversed everything to wear in in front and found it equally comfortable both ways.

Charging

It also charges pretty quickly from what I can tell. It says 3 hours, but mine was done in a little less than two each time I charge. The charger plugs in quite effectively and a red light shows continually while charging, and turns off when done.

Power and Volume

The buttons, which had me in a conundrum at first, are actually well designed to feel easily through the headband. The center button is the power button, which also serves as a play and pause button, while the top and bottom work as a dual volume and skip track control. I messed with them multiple times and found them easy to reach and responsive.

If your device becomes disconnected, the module will turn off after 5 minutes. According to the company when you manually turn off the SleepPhones or it powers down automatically due to battery life, you should hear a ‘power down’ voice. I was never able to make that happen, so perhaps it was an improvement upon the newer model I received.

Earphones

These things really are innovative. My only concern is how thin and delicate the wires look, so I have taken extra care in removing them or the module to keep from accidentally pulling on them too hard.

Flat speakers are encompassed within a thin, soft fleece with color coded threading to mark your left from right speaker. Plus the cords are marked as well in case you can’t remember which is which. Once inside the headband you can easily move them to get them exactly where you need them to be for maximum sound usage. During the night I did notice these might shift a bit as you sleep, but since I was sleeping it’s not like it bothered me. I just had to fine adjust them the next time I wore them which takes mere seconds to do.

Comfort

I couldn’t feel these things at all. Even with my ear up against a pillow it’s like they aren’t even there. This is pretty impressive to get such a thin speaker within a material and to not feel it while being worn. Bottom line – I have been impressed with the comfort design of this entire thing.

Charging and Pairing

As I mentioned, charging was done easily using the included universal micro-USB charging cable. A USB wall adapter is not included, but the company does offer them on their website. Charging was simple enough, with the standard charge taking 3 hours for a 13 hour play time on low volume. I found mine took less time to charge, with an average play time of 11 hours, probably because I would listen to video streaming over them on louder volumes.

I’ll reiterate here: be gentle taking your module in and out to charge The whole wire connections seem very delicate and although I haven’t had any problems, some online reviews mention they have over time. The company even offers a wireless charging system now as part of a new SleepPhone package.

Pairing

Pairing was also simple as all you have to do is hold down the power button (center button) for 5 seconds or until you hear a 3 ring tone and a series of beeps. Make sure you either wear the SleepPhones while doing this, or hold one of the speakers up to your ear or you’ll miss it for sure like I did – multiple times.

Once you hear the tones, you should see AcousticSheep pop up in your Bluetooth settings on your device. I paired mine to multiple devices with no problem, although it does help to refresh the settings page if you don’t see it right away. Once paired it’s easy to reconnect anytime you want.

Sound

I expected decent sound at the price SleepPhones are sold at, and I was not disappointed. In fact, I was VERY surprised at the quality of sound those little speakers put out. To get the full effect, you really do need make sure you have them positioned over your ears well. You can still hear them if they are shifted a bit to the front or back, but it’s very obvious when you have them sitting over your ears correctly.

Because the headband and system design is practically weightless on your head, you really get a surround sound feel. I have a pair of wireless earbuds I use when mowing the lawn and such, but it’s very obvious they are there due to how they sit within my ear, but with SleepPhones it sort of feels like you are sitting in a room with a well designed sound system since you can’t really feel the headband or speakers.

The power button also serves as a bass button of all things, and the difference is slight, but noticeable. I found no complaints with sound quality as it was crisp and clear without distortion of any kind.

Volume

The volume buttons rise and fall in 10% increments, and I found I never really used it above a 5 or 6 when listening to the television or music. If you change the volume without something playing, it will provide you with a short beep to let you know what your volume is to help protect your ears from too loud a volume. These do have a 20 Hz – 20 kHz frequency which is a standard, and acceptable quality for the headphone industry.

Sound Downloads

The company also offers free sound downloads as well as audio for purchase focused on soothing nighttime sounds, or white noise. To take advantage of the free MP3 tracks, I did have to actually search for them to find an article that had the links available since they weren’t off the main website. But they are a nice perk and only play for a half hour or so and then stop, which is nice because it won’t drain your battery.

Overall Results

It’s important to note that the company offers various designs focused for listening to television (TelePhones + a tv bluetooth transmitter), a corded version, a simple (wireless, pre-loaded with soothing audio tracks) version, and RunPhones made specifically for an active outdoor lifestyle.

Honestly, I used my SleepPhones multiples times while working out. Having chosen the Breeze comfort headband over the fleece may have made this a bit more comfortable, although wearing anything over my ears did heat me up a bit. I can totally see myself using these in the colder months, especially since they will fit nicely under a winter hat.

Overall I have really enjoyed my SleepPhones and have put them to the test with a variety of things. The only thing I haven’t done is travel with them, but I already know they are going to be a nice change on long flights compared to the earbuds or headphones I normally use that don’t allow me to rest my head against anything. Plus earbuds make my ears itch after a while.

The only things I wish they would address is the overall accessibility. With the new charging system mentioned, this does solve the problem of having to take the module out to charge. I get nervous everytime I take it out because I worry I’ll screw up the wires. It does come with a 1 year warranty however, so it should be enough time to see how durable it really is.

You may be interested in: Sleep Headphones Amazon Has to Offer

Consumer Reviews and Feedback

This company has been around for the last 10 years, having been founded in 2007 by Sleep doctor and her video game developer husband. SInce then they’ve applied many new technologies to meet the needs of their customers, and because of it many reviews do exist online.

Of course this is a product that lends itself to much personal preference in both sound and comfort. I was very much impressed overall despite the small issues I could see developing with the design over time, and most reviews who have rated this product feel the same. It is good to note that for every comment that mentioned they found fault and had a speaker go out due to the design within 2 years, other commenters mentioned that they have been using theirs for years with no problems.

You may want to read: The Best Wireless Sleep Headphones

Conclusion

I’ve established this is a product I have been happy to have. The overall design and sound are on par with quality wireless headphones currently on the market, and the comfort is amazing. Plus, because of how it is constructed, the added surround sound feel is a definite perk. If you struggle to sleep without background noise, or need to block out your partner’s snoring, this is an awesome device to help you do just that.

Plus it’s really multi-functional for a variety of other things. If you think this is a product you would like to take a closer look at, head on over here to check out SleepPhones, “The Pajamas for Your Ears”.