Adaptive Sound Technologies Sound + Sleep Review

The Sound + Sleep sound machine uses adaptive sound technology to mask environmental distractions that keep you from concentrating or sleeping soundly. It also boasts a richness setting that changes the tone of the sleep sound you are listening to.

Top Ten Reviews Verdict

The Sleep + Sound machine's high-quality sounds and ability to adapt to its surroundings make it a top choice in our comparison.

Pros

  • +

    This sleep machine can automatically adapt to environmental sounds.

Cons

  • -

    The waterfall setting sounds like a box fan.

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The Sound + Sleep sound machine uses adaptive sound technology to mask environmental distractions that keep you from concentrating or sleeping soundly. It also boasts a richness setting that changes the tone of the sleep sound you are listening to. Not many sleep machines let you control the tone of your sleep sound like the Adaptive Therapy system does.

Our testers found the sound profiles on this sleep machine to be high quality. After listening for an extended period of time, none of our reviewers were able to hear any distinguishable looping. The lack of obvious looping helps the sound profile sound more natural and realistic. The sound profiles – especially the rain profile – are rich, full, soothing and soft on the ears.

The sound masking ability of this white noise machine is top shelf as well. Reviewers sat in our test room with the Sleep + Sound playing while another reviewer outside of the room used a vacuum, blender, TV and stereo to produce noises found in a common household. The sound machine did a great job at completely masking both music from the stereo and the traffic outside of our testing facility (which is pretty loud). It also did a great job at masking conversational dialogue from the television. The one area of struggle – as with most sound machines – was the abrasive noises of the vacuum and blender. The Sleep + Sound was able to dampen the initial harsh hiss of both sounds, but both were clearly still audible. Overall, this is one of the best sound machines for masking unwanted noise

You can switch between the 10 sound profiles using the big circular dial on the front of the machine. The sounds include waterfall, fireplace, ocean, meadow, train, city, rainfall, brook, meditation and white noise. All of these sound great except for the waterfall setting. When the waterfall profile is set, without the richness settings on, it sounds like a box fan. When the richness setting is pressed, it sounds like the white noise profile. The rest of the sound profiles have unique, obvious sound characteristics of their real-world counterparts.

The sleep machine boasts two distinctive features. The first is the adaptive button on the front face. When the adaptive feature is turned on, the sleep machine uses a built-in microphone to evaluate the noise level of its surrounding environment. When environmental noise increases, the volume of the selected sleep sound will also increase to mask the intruding sound. The volume increases are subtle, not abrasive, to maintain a soothing environment.

The richness button is also unique to this white noise machine. It changes the tone of the selected sleep sound. For example, when the ocean sound is selected and the richness button is not activated, you will just hear the waves of the ocean. If you click the richness button once, you'll notice birds and seal noises in addition to the waves. If you click the button a second time (the highest setting available), bells and foghorns will be added to the sound profile as well. The richness button adds more depth and realism to each sound profile. You can use this to find the sound setting that best suits you.

This white noise generator can be set to play continuously until it is manually turned off, or a timer can be set to turn the machine off after 30, 60, 90 or 120 minutes. The timer on the Sleep + Sound machine offers more options than any other timer. The variety is nice and suits both those who take a while to fall asleep and those who fall asleep quickly.

The sound machine features a display button to turn the control lights off, in case they become a distraction in the middle of the night. Although this sleep machine looks like an alarm clock, it does not display time or have any alarm clock settings to wake you up in the morning. Unlike the HoMedics Sound Spa, this sound machine does not have a backup battery power source, so it needs to be plugged into the wall to be powered. The sound machine does feature a headphone jack on the right side of the device. This allows you to listen to your sound machine without disturbing others.

The warranty on the Sleep + Sound falls right in line with the one-year standard warranty that all other sound machines in our lineup offer. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the sleep machine, you can contact the company via phone or email. Phone support is the most direct and quickest way to receive support. Expect a response via email to take a couple days.

The Sound + Sleep sound machine is one best sound machines in our lineup. The sound profiles have a rich and full quality to them without any distinguishable looping. This sound machine also does a great job at masking intruding noises to create and keep a quiet environment. The Sleep + Sound also gives you control over the tone of the sound profiles with the richness button – something few sound machines do. This is a top pick for a sleep sound machine.

Billy Bommer

Billy Bommer is a former Top Ten Reviews writer who now works as a technical advisor at Best Buy. He's a keen sax player, and lives in Utah. Billy also has a BS from Weber State University in Communications and Media Studies. His areas of expertise are diverse, and he has a particular passion for AV and audio tech.