This is the next installment in my white noise machine test and review series.
The Sleepbox is a budget sound machine and one of the few white noise machines with a removable (!) rechargeable battery. With a weight of only 5.4 oz (152 g) and a small housing (4.3×4.3×1.4 inches) it is very portable indeed.
Here are my observations in a nutshell
The Sleepbox is a very decent budget sound machine if you like water sounds.
It features three different rain sounds, three brook sounds, and three different ocean sounds. Most of these sound pleasant when played through the speaker.
The three ocean sounds are my favorites on this machine.
Like many budget sound conditioners, the Sleepbox plays short sound samples on repeat (in a loop). The designers have managed to implement this fairly well: there are no obvious breaks in any of the sounds as far as I can tell.
The Sleepbox also has a nice lullaby: Brahm’s Cradle Song. I believe this is one that has been used to get me to sleep in my toddler days.
Some samples, however, including the birds, the train, and one of the three brook sounds are so short that I notice a pattern right away, rendering them unusable for me.
The fireplace sounds nice, but needs more variety to keep it interesting.
I like half of the white noises (#1-brown noise, #4-white noise) and fan sounds (#1, #4). These sounds are very decent for blocking/masking environmental noise.
White noise #4 appears a bit harsh, but it is a useful tool: it works quite well together with earplugs to block higher-pitched environmental noise.
In white noise #2 (pink noise) I hear a faint repeating “chirping sound” and in fan #2 a periodic “train sound.” I think these sound artifacts are caused by the looping mechanism. In any case, I won’t use these.
I wish the Sleepbox used longer recordings for the nature sounds and a synthesizer to dynamically create white noises and fan sounds.
In reality, most budget white noise machine manufacturers currently use short recordings.
Contents
Operation
The Sleepbox has an unlit 4-direction control button on the top (and a power button at the front). Placing my index finger in the center, I can feel the layout and operate the machine in the dark.
S allows you to cycle through all 22 sounds in the following order:
Selecting a sound is pretty straight-forward, but if you accidentally skip over one, you have to cycle through all other sounds to get back to it.
I would prefer if the sounds were put in three different sound categories, each accessible via its own dedicated button, e.g., white noises & fans, water sounds, and other sounds.
Volume control and maximum volume
I like that the volume can be controlled in fine steps from very quiet to very loud. The maximum volume depends on the sound, but should be more than sufficient for listening to nature sounds.
The max sound power (and frequency spectrum) is important if you want to mask/block environmental noise or completely fill a room with sound.
For the brown noise selection (#1), which I find a useful sound for masking external noise, I measured 69 dBA (1m distance). This is very respectable.
For comparison, I measured a similarly pitched sound on the Lectrofan at 78 dB (i.e., the Lectrofan is almost twice as loud).
The Sleepbox’s white noise (#4) goes up to 80 dB, but that sound is too high pitched for me unless I wear earplugs.
The machine can be set to play sound throughout the night but it also has a sleep timer (1, 2, 3 h). At the pre-set time, it slowly fades out the sound.
It also memorizes the last sound selection and volume.
All indicator lights can be turned off.
I prefer to sleep in complete darkness. The Sleepbox has three white timer LEDs and a blue power indicator. Long-pressing the timer button turns off all (!) lights. This is great.
It doesn’t memorize this setting though, so you have to do it every time you go to sleep.
Power supply, dimensions, and portability
The Sleepbox is light (5.4 oz.) and small (4.3×4.3×1.4 inches) and can be powered via its rechargeable battery, the multi-voltage power adapter that comes with the machine, or another USB power source.
The machine features a standard Mini USB port, making it easy to swap out the power cable should you ever lose it.
What sets this sound machine apart is that you, the user, can remove the battery. When powered by an external source, the battery doesn’t even have to be in the unit.
Using the battery, I get about 26 hours of continuous play time at 50% volume. It takes a bit under 5 hours to fully charge the battery.
I went ahead and checked whether a replacement battery is readily available. I haven’t bought one yet, but googling the number, it appears to be a Nokia feature phone battery.
Review and samples of the sounds of the Sleepbox
The Sleepbox has a total of 22 sounds and focuses heavily on water sounds.
Personally I like its brown noise, fan sound 1, and the three ocean sounds best.
Considering its small footprint, the sound output of the speaker is very respectable. I can crank it up to max volume without noticing any rattling or excessive distortion.
White noises (4) and fan sounds (4)
The first sounds in the Sleepbox are brown, pink, blue, and white noise, in that order:
