Soundcore Sleep A20 Review Notes

Key Features

• Comfortable for all-night wear.
• Small size due to no active noise cancellation (ANC).
• Offers white noise and ambient sounds through the app.
• Customizable audio options available.

Earbud Design

• Arrived in a compact, stylish box.
• Housed in a round case; top slides open.
• Interchangeable wings and tips for a good fit:
  • Tips have double layers for improved noise isolation.
  • Comes with three wing sizes and seven tip styles.
  • Material: soft silicone for comfort.
• Battery life:
  • Up to 14 hours in sleep mode.
  • 10 hours in Bluetooth mode at moderate volume.
  • 80 hours total with charging case.

Soundcore App

• Two main modes: Bluetooth mode and sleep mode.
• In Bluetooth mode:
  • Stream any audio (YouTube, Spotify, etc.).
  • Select sleep sounds for sleep mode.
• Custom sound combinations available.
  • Volume can be independently adjusted for each sound.
• Features:
  • Smart Volume adjusts based on bedroom audio.
  • Smart Switch transitions to sleep sounds when falling asleep.
  • Equalizer functionality, but hard to access.

Comfort Testing

• Comparison with other headphones:
  • Comfort rated via lying position.
  • Rated 9/10 for back and side sleeping with soft pillows.
  • Rated 8/10 with firmer pillows.
  • Overall comfort subjective; different experiences possible.

Audio Quality

• Better than previous sleep headphones tested.
• Surprising sound quality for sleep-focused design:
  • Not as punchy or warm compared to high-end headphones.
  • Better than other budget sleep headphones (SleepPhones, Philips Kokoon).
• Effective at masking moderate snoring and music but struggles with severe snoring:
  • Best results with sound combinations.
  • Severe snoring difficult to fully block without high volume.

Sleep Tracking

• Accuracy issues:
  • Only uses accelerometer; no heart rate monitoring.
  • Mistakes stillness for sleep.
  • Limited insights: only deep sleep recorded.
• Not reliable for personal sleep data; not a primary feature.
• Suggested to focus on audio enjoyment rather than sleep tracking.

Additional Features

• Alarm function useful for not waking a partner.
• Customizable controls on each earbud.
• Stable Bluetooth connection.
• "Find Device" feature for locating earbuds.
• Robust design; survived water exposure.
• Price: £119.99 (UK), $149.99 (US).

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Comfortable for all sleep positions.
• Good audio quality for sleep headphones.
• Excellent battery life.
• Customizable noise masking options.
• Stable Bluetooth connection.

Cons:

• No active noise cancellation.
• Fiddly wing and tip adjustments.
• Unreliable sleep tracking.
• Limited audio storage in sleep mode.
• App can be confusing to navigate.

Final Verdict

• Strikes a good balance between comfort, audio quality, and value.
• Recommended for those prioritizing comfort in sleep.
• Good audio performance for various genres and podcasts.
• Customizable sounds effectively mask external noise.