Bose Sleepbuds II
Built to help you sleep.
The second iteration of Bose’s earphones that are designed for sleeping in, the Sleepbuds II, improve on the original release (named simply Bose Sleepbuds) with a bunch of fresh features and also correct the issues users were having which led to them being discontinued.
For those unfamiliar with the original release, the Sleepbuds II (that we’ll also call the Sleepbuds 2 in this review) haven’t been made for listening to your fave tunes under the covers – they’re designed for relaxing you and preparing you for a good night’s sleep through a specific selection of soothing sounds.
Some people (us) can be quite fussy when it comes to sleep routine. Adding something new to the equation at bedtime, no matter how small, can easily throw you off. For example, a different feeling in the ears, even if only a slight change to the norm, could – quite easily – prove irritating and make it much harder to drift off.
However, just when we thought they couldn’t get any better than the originals, the Sleepbuds 2 design offers even better ergonomics. They’re super lightweight and delicate and so go completely unnoticed in your ears.
The new soft and springy silicon tips help here, adding an extra feeling of comfort in the ears. This is all packed up superbly in a sleek and minimal-looking anodised aluminum charging case.
The Bose Sleepbuds 2 don’t disappoint when it comes to performance, either. They successfully mask external sounds which helps keep you asleep for longer and are operated by a really use-to-use companion app. On the app you’ll find a selection of 35 relaxing sounds to help you sleep, up from the 10 in the original Sleepbuds model.
However, we found it quite irritating that you have to install these onto the buds first before using them to go to sleep, which is quite time consuming, and then only a limited number of sounds can only be stored on the earphones at one time.
Nevertheless, massively improved battery life means you’ll likely get four nights’ worth of use between charges, which will be a welcome improvement for users of the previous model as this was one of the biggest complaints.
All-in-all, this is a fantastic piece of hardware that does exactly what it says on the tin, but will set you back a pretty penny and thus will likely prove too expensive for those who only have minor issues with sleep.
In a bid to make up for the mistakes the original Sleepbuds made, Bose’s latest sleep-masking earbuds bring plenty of improvements, such as a much better, comfier fit, increased battery life and a better range of sounds to help you drift off. The design is exactly what you’d expect from Bose, with everything exuding a high-end, sleek aesthetic you’d be proud to sit on your bedside table.