Bose SleepBuds: Worth the Price?

Bose’s newest product are the Bose SleepBuds, designed to help you sleep soundly through the night. Retailing for $249 and releasing today, are they worth the price? Early reports of the new wireless ear buds are in, and we’ve got the review round-up for you right here. 

No True Sound Cancellation 

An odd note on these new earbuds, to start, is the lack of Bose’s normal noise canceling technology. Instead, the SleepBuds rely on ten pre-loaded relaxation tracks in the included app to cancel common sleep distrubances. The tracks in question include nature sounds and white noise. They were apparently tailored specifically to block nighttime disturbances from waking the user. According to bose, their typical sound-proofing isn’t as effective at blocking out snoring and noisy neighbors as it is as silencing daytime noise.  

No Streaming Music Options 

Even more odd than the lack of true noise cancellation is the lack of a streaming music option. The SleepBuds are only compatible with the ten relaxation tracks included with the app. While this would be understandable if they were stand-alone sleep aids, they connect to smartphones via an app. Why can’t you just send music through them? It’s an odd design decision, to be sure. 

Bose SleepBud Design and Specs 

The SleepBuds are lightweight and non-invasive in the ear. It’s easy to lie down with them in, which is good, and necessary for sleep aids. They sport an excellent 16-hour battery life to boot. They actually do an excellent job of blocking common nighttime sounds, and their sound quality is what you would expect from Bose. However, the glaring lack of true music streaming continues to be a head-scratcher. These would be perfect for those who sleep with earbuds in for normal music, yet that option isn’t available. 

In light of that and the steep MSRP, it’s hard to recommend these. If you really, really want some sleep aids that are comfortable to sleep in and don’t mind the price, these might be for you. However, for most general use, the price precludes them from being a solid option. 

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