White Noise / Sound Machine Reviews / Ratings >>

Head-to-head Sound Machine / White Noise Generator Comparison → Based on Data From Over 3,400 Actual Owners

Page last updated May 2010




See glossary below for more detailed information and explanation. Click on the model for a detailed review/ rating based on owner experiences.

Brand /
Model
Owner satisfaction 89% 75% 67% 70% 73% 75% 64% 91% 88% 90% 77% 73%
Sample size 235 90 200 225 370 350 270 265 1,000 50 65 175
Fair-Good
Fair
Fair
Fair-
good
Fair-good
Fair-good
Fair
Good-Excellent
Good
Good-
excellent
Fair-good
Fair-
good
Price $130 $100 $35 $25 $25 $20 $30 $40 $50 $70 $30 $90
Good
Good
Good
Good
Fair-
good
Good
Fair
Good-
excellent
Good-
excellent
Good-
excellent
Good
Good
Fair-
good
Fair
Fair-Good
Fair
Fair-good
Fair-Good
Fair
Good
Good
Good
Fair-Good
Fair
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
--
--
No
Yes
Somewhat
Fair-
good
Fair-
good
Good
Good-
excellent
Fair
Good
Good
Good
Good
Good
Good
Fair
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Good
Fair-good
Good
Good
Good
Good
Fair-
good
Poor
Poor
Good
Good
Good
Fair-Good
Fair
Fair
Fair
Fair-good
Fair
Poor-
fair
Good-
excellent
Good-
excellent
Good-
excellent
Fair
Fair-good
Fair
Good-
excellent
Fair-good
Fair-
good
Fair
Good
Fair
Fair-
good
Fair-
good
Fair-
good
Good
Excellent
Fair-
good
Good
Good-
excellent
Fair-
good
Fair-
good
Good
Poor-
fair
Fair-
good
Fair-good
Good-
Excellent
Good
Excellent
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Fair
Good-
excellent
Good
Fair-
good
Fair
Good
Fair
Fair-
good
Fair-
good
Fair-
good
Good-
excellent
Good-
excellent
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
No
No
Yes
No
No
No
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
No
Yes
No
No
No
No
Yes
Good
Good
Good
Good
Fair-good
Fair-good
Yes
Fair-good
Fair-good
Fair-good
Good
Fair-good
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
Yes
Yes





Supplemental Results
The machines below are not included with the ones above because their sample sizes and / or number or sources are currently too small to provide a fair and accurate comparison. However, we provide the limited owner experience information about them that we have collected.

Sound / White Noise Machine Sample Size Owner satisfaction
Ecotones Duet Sleep Sound Machine 23 92%
Ecotones Sound Therapy Machine 21 95%
Marpac Marsona 1288A Sound Conditioner 20 70%
Marpac Marsona DS-600A Sound Machine 15 45%
Sound Oasis Deluxe Sound Therapy System 15 40%

 



Glossary
Satisfaction
Percentage of actual owners who indicated that overall they are satisfied with the product. The maximum margin of sampling error is ±4 percentage points.

Sample size
Number of owners included in the research for each product.

Effectiveness
This refers to how well the sound / white noise machine adequately masks unwanted noise and produces sound that creates a more relaxing atmosphere.

Sound quality
This refers to how well the speaker(s) produces sound that is clear, realistic and pleasing to the ear.

Loops noticeable
Most sound / white noise machines use uses digital recordings of noises to produce sound. These recordings last only a few seconds and then play over and over. If a person can tell when the recording starts over then the loop is noticeable, and this can be distracting to some people. The more expensive models tend to not have noticeable loops. Where "--" is
indicated above, the machine does not play recordings so "loops noticeable" does not apply.

Volume potential
This refers to how high the volume can go on the machine. Loud unwanted noises often require a machine that can produce high volume in order to mask them.

Plays nature sounds
This means that the machine plays nature sounds (rain, a flowing stream, waves coming ashore, croaking frogs, etc.), as opposed to producing only white noise (consistent, steady noise).

Plays white noise
This means that the machine plays genuine white noise (consistent, invariable noise). White noise is often, but not always, the preferred sound from a sound / white noise machine because is it steady and lacks inconsistencies, resulting in more relaxation. Nature sounds, by contrast, can lack consistency, such as when birds suddenly chirp or a wave crashes onto the shore.





Variety of sounds
This refers to the number of different sounds the machine produces. It should be pointed out that most owners of sound / white noise machines listen to only a small percentage of the sounds that their machine can produce. In other words, variety is not especially important to most people.

Reliability
This refers to how well the machine is made and how long it can be expected to last given reasonable care.

Compact
This refers to the dimensions of the machine and whether it has a small "footprint."

Lightweight
This refers to the machine's weight. Most sound machines weight 1-3 pounds.

Can run on batteries
This means that the machine does not be to be plugged in to operate. Most machines can run on four AA batteries.

Travel friendly
The means that the machine is reasonably compact, lightweight and can be battery powered if necessary.

Clock / alarm
The machine includes a clock and alarm built into its design.

Lights
This refers to whether or not the machine has lights on it. Having lights is an advantage in that you can easily operate the machine in the dark. But lights can also be a disadvantage in that they may prevent darkness and therefore sound sleep.

Appearance
The style and design are pleasing to the eye.

Timer
The machines can be set to go off automatically, as opposed to manually.

Value
Value does not necessarily mean a low price. It means that over the long term the sound / white noise machine is a smart buy. For example, you can buy an inexpensive machine and have it break within a year requiring you to buy another machine. Or you can buy a more expensive model that lasts longer and is actually cheaper over the long term because it does not need to be replaced.