I’ve been testing the new Soundcore sleep earbuds – here’s why their white noise feature is a dream

A good pair of sleep earbuds is such an asset if you enjoy dropping off to white noise while dampening ambient sounds around you.

The Soundcore Sleep A30 earbuds are a feature-packed pair of sleep earbuds, boasting a range of useful functions including sleep reports, auto-off options, ANC, and more. They have a list price of $229.99 / £199.99, which is pretty pricey, but worth it if you love the idea of listening to music, podcasts, or customized white noise while snuggled up in bed.

I like settling down to sleep sounds, especially if my brain is still buzzing after a long day, but what soothes me one night may prove distracting on another. This is where the Soundcore Sleep A30 earbuds have come in really handy, thanks to their customizable white noise feature.

I found plenty to choose from in the Soundcore app’s audio library, including some lovely preset AI brainwave tracks, some of which are based on the starry sky, the ocean, and the forest. I actually preferred listening to these for relaxation or as background music while I worked, because the variety of sounds could prove a distraction when I was trying to drop off.

The white noise library was the perfect fit, however, thanks to the great selection of different sounds themed around colored noise, nature, life, meditation, and more. The thing I loved most about this feature was that I could layer up to three of the sounds and adjust the volume of each one, meaning I could fine-tune the individual elements to my satisfaction.

I must admit, some of the colored noises available were brand new to me. I’ve heard of white, pink, and brown noise before, but the Soundcore Sleep A30s audio library enlightened me to green, gray, orange, and red noise. None of the colored noises were my jam, though, to be honest, but I think that’s due to me having tinnitus and finding them a little overwhelming.

What I really loved were some of the layerable sleep sounds. There are options like tranquil forest, hail, rain, and piano music, but my personal favorites were the thunderstorm, rain, and ocean waves. I turned the thunderstorm lower than the other two elements, so it sounded distant, and set the rain to be a touch louder than the sound of the waves, and it was perfect for me to drift off to sleep to.

There are also some sounds that will please those who enjoy a bit of ASMR, with options including a cat drinking, a keyboard typing, and boiling soup, though that's more toward nightmare territory in my case.

If you happen to prefer listening to your own music or podcasts before dropping off, the Soundcore Sleep A30 earbuds have you covered there, too, as they can play content from other apps. What’s more, there’s an auto-off timer that can be set, or you can make use of the sleep detection feature, which means you won’t wake up to find yourself several chapters too deep into your audiobook.

One important factor to consider when choosing a pair of sleep earbuds is how comfortable they are when sleeping on your side. I have fairly petite ears, and I struggle to get a good fit with earbuds in general, so my managing editor gave them a go for me both at home and on his travels so that I could get a second opinion.

I would describe the comfort levels when sleeping on my side wearing the Soundcore Sleep A30 earbuds as manageable. I was able to get a fairly decent seal with the smallest memory foam ear tips, but it wasn’t perfect, and the body of the bud was a touch uncomfortable in certain positions, though I still found I could sleep through the night with them. I will note that I have sensory sensitivities, so I may well have been more over-sensitive than others would be, but I would advise caution if you also happen to have ears that are on the small side.

My managing editor had a little more luck with them, finding them to be comfortable in general. He did find that they stuck out just enough that he needed to adjust his usual position slightly when lying on his side to accommodate them, but noted that this may be due to the fact that he uses a memory foam pillow.

If your ears are smaller than average and you struggle with earbud fit generally, then I highly recommend checking out our pick of the best earbuds for small ears.

Overall, the Soundcore Sleep A30 earbuds look like a great choice for those who want to experiment with different white noise and sounds for falling asleep to, or even as pleasant background noise for studying or working.

If comfort is your main priority, and you’re happy to drift off without the help of white noise, then I highly recommend the Loop Dream earplugs, which have been the comfiest earplugs I’ve ever slept in.

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