The Best Sound Machine for White Noise
| Rank | Products | Highlights |
| #1 | 
Homedics |
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| #2 | 
Marpac Dohm Classic |
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| #3 | 
Adaptive Sound Technologies |
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| #4 | 
PICTEK |
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| #5 | 
SNOOZ |
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| #6 | 
Big Red Rooster |
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Despite hearing about it, white noise can be confusing to define. Not just that, but it’s also difficult to understand how it’s possible for the human brain to fall asleep with white noise when the whole purpose is to avoid noise in the first place. Today, we’re going to show you some of the best white noise machines on the market. But first, a little word on white noise.
You may want to read: Review of the Best Sound Machines
Table Of Contents
- What Is White Noise?
- Why Is White Noise Useful?
- — It helps you sleep
- — It can mask tinnitus
- — It can help people concentrate
- — It can help the mind relax
- Top 6 Sound Machines for White Noise Reviews
- #1. Homedics White Noise Sound Machine
- #2. Marpac Dohm Classic White Noise Sound Machine
- #3. Adaptive Sound Technologies High Fidelity Sleep Sound Machine
- #4. PICTEK White Noise Machine
- #5. SNOOZ White Noise Sound Machine
- #6. Big Red Rooster White Noise Machine
- Bottom Line
What Is White Noise?
People often associate white noise with the static noise you hear from a TV with no reception. However, on a scientific level, white noise is way more complex than that. To better understand how it works, think of white noise as a combination of all sound frequencies that the human ear can perceive.
There might be a slight confusion we need to explain: white noise isn’t an accumulation of all possible sounds, but rather a combination of all the frequencies that our ears and brain can perceive. What’s even more fascinating is that there are about 20,000 different frequencies that we can hear at the same time.
Picture the following scenario: you are in a football stadium, with maybe hundreds or even thousands of people talking at the same time. The brain merges all these sound into a sort of background noise, which can be perceived even as a hissing sound. White noise works pretty much the same. The different frequencies heard at the same time are all mixed up in background noise.
You may want to read: Homedics Sound Machines
Why Is White Noise Useful?
Since white noise is a combination of so many audio frequencies, its most important use is masking the sound. There are a lot of people that quickly get used to the sound of white noise, which is why white noise machines have become a very powerful sleeping aid.
— It helps you sleep
And this is its most important function. There are a lot of people that, for several different reasons, have a hard time falling asleep. There are also people that sleep light, and wake up even at the slightest noise. Some people work at night, which means they have to rest during the day. And we all know that daytime isn’t our most silent ally. For all these people, white noise sound machines are the next best thing to complete silence.
— It can mask tinnitus
Tinnitus is a medical term used to describe the constant noise that people may hear. It is often characterized by a buzzing, ringing, or roaring type of sound. While it’s not fatal, tinnitus can be a very annoying condition, causing people to love focus because they are disturbed by it.
A lot of people who suffer from tinnitus can attest that white noise has helped them overcome this annoying problem, by training the brain to redirect its attention away from the internal noise.
— It can help people concentrate
Just as our brain is a complex and fascinating machine that can process so many different things at once… it also gets easily distracted. Unless you’ve mastered a finer form of self-discipline and can work or study without even batting an eye when there’s noise around you, a white noise machine can actually come in handy.
— It can help the mind relax
White noise machines typically offer a whole lot more than just plain white noise. Even the most basic options now include nature sounds, which can be very relaxing. For just a few bucks, you can buy a white noise machine that integrates ocean, rainforest, thunder, or even jungle sounds.
You may want to read: Know About Sleep Sound Machines
Top 6 Sound Machines for White Noise Reviews
Sound machines are yet another amazing example of how the most complex machine in the world is actually a human brain. Studies have shown that it’s possible to mask noise with even more noise and to train the brain to adjust to a constant noise output, ignoring all the other background noises. If a sound machine is something you might be interested in, we’ve narrowed down the options to some of the best choices currently found on the market.
You may want to read: Everything You Need to Know About Sound Machine White Noise
#1. Homedics White Noise Sound Machine
SPECS
- Dimensions: 6.5 x 6 x 2 inches
- Weight: 8 ounces
- Sounds Available: 6
- Battery Powered: Yes
Label: Amazon’s choice
HoMedics is one of the most popular white noise sound machines currently sold. Despite it being a very basic machine, it provides the sleepers with the necessary functions, meeting the market’s expectations in terms of how well such a device should perform.
It features six different noises to choose from: brook, summer night, rain, ocean, thunder, and white noise. There is an auto shutdown feature given to you by the integrated timer, which can be set at intervals of 15, 30, or 60 minutes.
The on and off dial also doubles as a volume knob, while the overall dimension of the unit make it easy for the owner to throw it into the bag and take it wherever needed. You have two power options to choose from: either plug the device in and let it take its juice straight from the power outlet, or insert four AA batteries and no longer depend on a power source.
| Pros | Cons |
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Who Should Purchase This?
If you’re looking for a basic unit, a starter’s kit if you will, the SoundSpa sound machine is your best options. It doesn’t cost much, comes with the white noise features, and is easy to carry wherever you may need to take it.
#2. Marpac Dohm Classic White Noise Sound Machine
SPECS
- Dimensions: 5.8 x 5.8 x 3.8 inches
- Weight: 0.16 ounces
- Sounds Available: 1 adjustable sound
- Battery Powered: No
Label: customer’s choice
The Marpac Dohm deserves more than just one label, to be completely honest. Not only is it highly-rated by thousands of customers, it’s also a best-selling unit, one that you can rely on, and not really the most expensive one you can find.
The Dohm has a very different design compared to other similar devices. The sound can be customized by twisting the unit, which allows the sleeper to fine-tune the tone of the device, to a higher or a lower pitch. The power button can be flipped upwards for a lower volume, and downwards for a higher one.
The device only runs when plugged in, which limits the portability feature, unless you always have a power outlet nearby. However, it is one of the most intuitive devices, as all it takes is turning the unit on, twisting it to find the best pitch, and then leaving it to do its job.
| Pros | Cons |
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Who Should Purchase This?
People have always been more inclined to purchase the product recommended by other people, and that’s probably one of the reasons why the Dohm became one of the most popular sound machines ever. If you feel more confident buying something approved by other customers, this is your go-to unit.
Please see our review about: Marpac Dohm Sound Machine
#3. Adaptive Sound Technologies High Fidelity Sleep Sound Machine
SPECS
- Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.5 x 4.5 inches
- Weight: 2 pounds
- Sounds Available: 30
- Battery Powered: No
Label: most sound options
Uhhh, techy stuff! I love techy stuff. And I particularly love the features of this Adaptive Sound Technologies sound machine. Let me briefly walk you through some of the cool things you can do with this device.
In the center of the front panel, you have a big knob called “SoundStories”. By turning this knob, you can choose between white noise, meditation, brook, rainfall, city, train, meadow, ocean, fireplace, and waterfall sound options. But here is where things get interesting.
The device is packed with another two buttons: one for turning the adaptive mode on and off, and one for selecting the richness level. Just as the name suggests it, the adaptive mode can literally adapt to the level of noise in your room. When the integrated microphone detects any other sounds, it enhances the richness of the sound is playing.
The richness features are absolutely crazy. With three different intensity levels, it enhances the sound you’re currently listening to, by adding more elements as you select a higher richness. For example, if you are listening to the ocean sounds, setting the richness to “high” will add for sea lion noises or some fog horns.
| Pros | Cons |
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Who Should Purchase This?
Most of the cheapest units come with a very limited number of sounds. Aside from having the white noise feature, high-end machines like this one, provide many more sound options. So, if you want white noise, and a little something extra, Sleep+Sound is here to help.
#4. PICTEK White Noise Machine
SPECS
- Dimensions: N/A
- Weight: 10.6 ounces
- Sounds Available: 24
- Battery Powered: Yes
Label: best lullaby white noise machine
Babies deserve and need sleep even more than you do. Sometimes, babies suffer from sleep deprivation because of noises, so a white noise machine can actually do a lot of good. And when you encounter a product as low priced as the PICTEK, it doesn’t hurt to give it a try.
The machine comes with an integrated timer, which can be set to turn off the device either 30 or 60 minutes in. The volume knob allows for full control of the sound volume, which is way better for a nursery compared to units that just have switches for choosing between low and high volumes.
PICTEK offers no less than 24 different options, ranging from white noise, waves, lullabies, lightning, rowing sounds, birds, and even old record. While the device does come with a power adapter, you can also use a USB cable to charge it, but this is not included in the product’s package.
| Pros | Cons |
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Who Should Purchase This?
The PICTEK white noise machine does a lot more than just emit a white noise. With 24 different sound options, you’re bound to find something in here that your little one might like.
You may be interested in: The Best Sound Machine for Babies
#5. SNOOZ White Noise Sound Machine
SPECS
- Dimensions: 5.6 x 5.6 x 3.2 inches
- Weight: 1.6 pounds
- Sounds Available: 1
- Battery Powered: No
Label: most energy-efficient option
SNOOZ is a sound machine based on fan noises, which will help mask any possible auditory disturbance in your sleeping environment. It features 10 different volume setting, controlled by a pair of touch capacitive buttons.
The outer shell of the unit can be twisted to adjust the tone of the sound you hear. You can switch from the lightest fan sound all the way up to a deep fan drone. But we haven’t even gotten to the best part yet.
SNOOZ is operated by an app that you install on your phone. The app works similar to remote control and allows you to adjust different settings, such as naming the multiple SNOOZ units you have in your home, scheduling the device for an auto shutdown, and even calibrating the volume for units placed inside a nursery.
| Pros | Cons |
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Who Should Purchase This?
SNOOZ has operated thanks to a brushless motor that consumes 98 percent less energy compared to a box fan. That makes it a very efficient sound machine, suitable for all of you who want to switch to a power-saving unit.
#6. Big Red Rooster White Noise Machine
Specs
- Dimensions: 4 x 4.4 x 2.6 inches
- Weight: 5.9 ounces
- Sounds Available:
- Battery Powered: Yes
Label: best-seller
If you ever come across other review roundups that promise to give you best sound machine options and fail to mention Big Red Rooster, they’re not accurate. Quotes as one of the best white noises machines, this little fellow is both a best-seller and a customer favorite, and here are a few reasons why.
What’s really amazing about the Big Red Rooster is how basic the machine really is. It just goes to show you that sometimes all we need are the most basic choices, and don’t have to spend money on high-tech gadgets.
The device comes with six preset sound options: white noise, summer night, thunder, rain, ocean, and brook. In fact, these are pretty much the standard choices for all units within this price range. The unit comes with an integrated timer, allowing the sound machine to shut off automatically in a 15, 30, or 60-minute time frame.
It comes with a power plug, but can also be powered three AA batteries, which is important because of a. It makes the machine more portable and b. The device can run even through a power outage. Big Red Rooster doesn’t really have anything that sets it apart from the crowd, but customers are absolutely bonkers over it.
| Pros | Cons |
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Who Should Purchase This?
If you’re looking for the best-selling sound machine of 2018 (which will probably continue to sell just as much in 2019), this is the best choice. It balances a good price with the basic sound features that you need a machine like this to provide.
You may want to read: Tinnitus Sound Machines Reviews for Sleeping
Bottom Line
In the end, the best white noise sound machine is the one that puts you to sleep and makes you stay that way. Some people prefer units that are more versatile in terms of the sound options they provide, but it all depends on what you’re looking to obtain from such a unit.
You may discover that the timer option is a really cool thing to have when you don’t want the device to continuously run until you manually turn it off. If you want a white noise machine for a nursery, consider one that can be controlled remotely, so you won’t have to enter the baby’s room every time you want to change a setting.
To some people, portability is everything. If you’re one of them, consider a unit that’s compact, lightweight, but one that can also be powered by batteries, such in case you want to use when you’re too far from a power source.