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Reviews / Ratings of Brookstone Tranquil Moments Sleep Sound Machine -- Based on Over 235 Actual Owner Experiences
Page last updated: May 2010
What You Need To Know
89% of Brookstone Tranquil Moments owners are satisfied with the product.
Pros
Effective overall; generally good sound quality and realism; sound variety
Cons
Unwanted light; somewhat pricey; less than stellar reliability
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About Our Research
Our research findings are based on at least 235 actual owner experiences collected from diverse sources including online message boards, product review websites and product review sections on retailers' websites.
Ratings of Brookstone Tranquil Moments Sound Machine
Sample size: 235+ owners
Effectiveness |
Good |
Sound quality |
Fair-Good |
Loops noticeable |
No |
Volume potential |
Fair-Good |
Plays
nature sounds |
Yes |
Plays
white noise |
Yes |
Variety
of sounds |
Good |
Reliability |
Fair-Good |
Compact |
Fair |
Light weight |
Fair-Good |
Can
run on batteries |
Yes |
Travel friendly |
Fair |
Clock
/ alarm |
No |
Lights |
Yes |
Appearance |
Good |
Timer |
Yes |
Value |
Fair-Good |
Price |
$130 |
Glossary
The Brookstone Tranquil Moments provide 12 sounds: five nature
soundscapes and seven clinically engineered sounds including
white noise.
The sounds overall are of good quality and realism, but some
of the sounds are a bit "tinny." The sounds are generally
effective in masking most unwanted noises of low to medium volume.
However, louder sounds may not be effectively masked because
the Brookstone itself cannot generate particularly high volume.
The machine can run continuously or by 30-/60-/90-minute timer.
Sound machines made by most manufacturers have a sound loop
where 1) you can hear when the track loops back to the start,
and 2) your brain memorizes the pattern and begins to focus
on the track's repetitiveness. This can be distracting and actually
cause stress in some people, especially audiophiles. The Brookstone
does indeed use recorded tracks that are replayed over and over,
however, you cannot notice when they replay. The result is less
distraction and more relaxation.
A nice feature is the Sleep Enhancement Technology which gradually
slows playback speed over a 20-minute period to lull you to
sleep. In other words, there's no abrupt halting of the sound.
A convenient feature of the Brookstone is that it remembers
your previous settings so you only have to hit one button to
replay it.
The main complaint for the Brookstone is that the lights behind
the selections are too bright even on the lowest setting. As
a result, the lights act as an unwanted nightlight which can
prevent sleepers from having the darkness they need for optimum
sleep. Owners report taking all kinds of actions to deal with
the unwanted light, such as putting a cloth over the machine
or putting it under their bed.
The product does provide a headphone jack, but the headphone
volume may be too loud to tolerate for some people.
The product is fairly tall and wide (6” w x 3.25”
d x 6.125” h), but still compact enough to be travel friendly.
It can operate on four AA batteries.