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Like I imagine many of us do these days, I often have trouble sleeping. To add to that, I have always been a light sleeper and can be easily awakened by a variety of noises, the heat suddenly coming on in the early morning hours. So I was the perfect person to try out the Bose Sleepbuds II, a set of $250 earbuds.

To begin, they are using a completely different battery technology. which means they have approximately 10 hours of life rather than the previous 16 but should prove to be more reliable.

Other changes include better low-end response to improve noise blocking, and an anti-friction coating to prevent extraneous sounds (like rubbing against a pillow) to interfere.

So now that we know what’s changed, how do they work?

The Sleepbuds come with three differently sized tips. I tried the medium, which were on the buds when I first got them, but they were ufabet uncomfortable.

BUT DO THEY WORK?

So, the main question: are they effective?

To tell you the truth, as someone who is not used to falling asleep to anything but relative quiet (I live in NYC, so it’s got to be “relative”), the idea of purposefully listening to sounds or music seemed a little off to me. But I have to say, after trying it out, it is not a bad idea at all. I like listening to rain, and there were several noise-masking “rainy” sounds that worked quite well. The buds didn’t mask everything, but they took care of random street noises and the baby next door quite well.

And other noises were, if not completely masked, deadened to the point where they weren’t much of a disturbance. (I can also see where the Bose Sleepbuds II would be ideal for napping on a plane or train.)