See glossary below for more detailed information and explanation. Click on the model for a detailed
review / rating based on owner reviews.
"NA" below means feature not available.
| Brook- stone | Brook- stone Travel | Ecotones Duet | Conair | DEX | Graco | HoMedics Sound Spa | HoMedics SS-3000 | HoMedics SS-4500 | Marpac 580A | Marpac 980A | Marsona TSC-330 | Sharper Image | Sound Oasis Travel | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owner satisfaction | 83% | 76% | 86% | 70% | 65% | 79% | 81% | 66% | 77% | 91% | 88% | 90% | 60% | 73% | |
| Sample size | 250+ | 93 | 110 | 325 | 360 | 90 | 500+ | 260 | 425 | 1,600+ | 1,200+ | 83 | 75 | 175 | |
| Price | Poor-Fair | Fair- Poor | Poor-Fair | Excellent | Good | Good- Fair | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Good-Fair | Fair-Good | Fair | Fair- Good | Fair-Poor | |
| Reliability | Fair-Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair-Poor | Fair | Good | Good | Good- Excellent | Fair | Fair | |
| Clock/alarm | NA | Good- Fair | NA | Fair-Poor | NA | NA | NA | NA | Fair | NA | NA | NA | Good- Fair | Good-Fair | |
| Timer | Good | Good- Fair | Good | Good-Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good | NA | NA | NA | Good | Good | |
| Sound quality | Good-Fair | Fair- Good | Good-Fair | Fair | Fair | Good- Fair | Fair | Fair-Good | Fair-Good | Good | Good | Fair-Good | Fair- Poor | Fair | |
| Loops not noticeable | Fair-Good | Good- Fair | Good-Fair | Fair-Poor | Fair- Poor | Fair | Fair | Fair-Good | Fair | Excellent | Excellent | Good- Excellent | Fair- Poor | Fair | |
| Volume potential | Good-Fair | Good- Fair | Fair | Good | Fair- Poor | Fair- Poor | Good | Fair | Good | Good-Fair | Good | Fair-Good | Fair- Good | Fair-Poor | |
| Variety of sounds | Good-Fair | Good- Fair | Good-Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair-Good | Good | Poor | Poor-Fair | Fair-Poor | Good | Good | |
| Nature sounds | Good-Fair | Good- Fair | Good | Good-Fair | Good | Good- Fair | Good | Good-Fair | Good | NA | NA | Good-Fair | Fair- Poor | Good- Excellent | |
| White noise | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Good- Fair | Good-Fair | Good-Fair | Fair | Excellent | Excellent | Good-Fair | Good | Good-Fair | |
| Can run on batteries | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | |
| Travel friendly | Fair-Good | Good- Fair | Fair | Fair-Good | Fair | Fair- Good | Good-Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good-Fair | Fair | Good- Excellent | |
| No excessive brightness | Poor-Fair | Fair | Good | Fair | Good | Fair | Good | Fair | Fair-Poor | Excellent | Excellent | Good | Fair- Poor | Fair |
Percentage of actual owners who indicated that overall they are satisfied with the product. The maximum
margin of sampling error is ±4 percentage points.
Number of owners included in the research for each product.
How well the sound / white noise machine adequately
masks unwanted noise and produces sound that
creates a more relaxing atmosphere.
How well the speaker(s) produces sound that is clear, realistic and pleasing to the ear.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
How well the machine is made and how long it can be expected to last given reasonable care.
The dimensions of the machine and whether it has a small "footprint."
The machine's weight. Most sound machines weight 1-3 pounds.
The machine does not be to be plugged in to operate. Most machines can run on four AA batteries.
The machine is reasonably compact, lightweight and can be battery powered if necessary.
The machine includes a clock and alarm built into its design.
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.
The style and design are pleasing to the eye.
The machines can be set to go off automatically, as opposed to manually.
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.
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