Bose Sleepbuds II

Like I imagine many of us do these days, I often have trouble sleeping. To add to that, I have always been a light sleeper and can be easily awakened by a variety of noises: an especially loud siren outside, a crack of thunder, the heat suddenly coming on in the early morning hours. So I was the perfect person to try out the Bose Sleepbuds II, a set of $250 earbuds, which are specifically designed not to play music or podcasts, but to block out and replace sounds that might disturb your sleep.

The Bose Sleepbuds II are a pair of small — very small — earbuds that were built specifically to try to help you sleep using a combination of sounds and music. They are a follow-up to the rather disastrous introduction of the first-gen pair, which suffered from inconsistent battery life and sudden shutdowns. This second generation has gone through several improvements.

GOOD STUFF

Comfortable to wear Masks a good range of external noises

Variety of sounds to use

Can improve sleep patterns

BAD STUFF

Expensive for a single-use product

Isn’t effective for all external noises Usefulness depends on individual environment and circumstances