With its selection of six sounds designed to block out noise and soothe you to sleep, Pure Enrichment’s Wave Premium Sleep Therapy Sound Machine is an affordable sleep aid. In order to evaluate its design and overall effectiveness, we gave it to our tester, who told us that without the machine, it was typically taking her at least 30 minutes to fall asleep each night and that she often woke up from outside noises. She used it nightly for weeks and reported back on the machine’s visual appeal, variety of sounds, special features, and effectiveness. Read on to see why she thought it was a worthwhile purchase—with a few notable shortcomings.
Design: Stylish in any home
With its light grey color and compact size designed to fit neatly on a nightstand or even in a suitcase for travel, the Wave Premium won’t be an eyesore in your home. “The machine’s design is a personal favorite,” our tester said. “It is sleek, thin, savvy looking, and lightweight—all plusses.” Since 2010, Pure Enrichment has claimed that it has “thoughtfully designed, rigorously tested” products, and we think it shows. “When it comes to the buttons, they are all easy to press and clearly labeled,” our reviewer said. “Some of the details are also well thought-out in terms of placement—the bottom of the machine has a rubber strip that allows it to sit securely on any countertop, without slipping or scratching.” There’s also a removable chrome stand that props the machine up and gathers the power cord and USB cable (if you’re using one) so everything is neat. Our tester felt like the design contributed to her sleeping experience, too. “I also appreciated that there was no light emission from the machine, except for a faint, small light if you set a timer, which you could easily angle away from yourself if it is bothering you,” she explained. Unfortunately, there is no option for battery power, though, which could limit this sound machine’s use, particularly for those traveling. It’s also something to keep in mind when you are thinking about where you would want to set the machine up. Our tester said, “It’s annoying to plug the outlet in/out every time you want to use it, and leaving it plugged in all the time was personally not an option because I needed the outlet for other things.” What about when it’s time to wake up? Take a peek at some of the best alarm clocks you can buy.
Sound Selection: It’s a personal preference
According to Pure Enrichment, the Wave Premium boasts a “seamless looping of six soothing nature sounds with little repetition and no audible break for a peaceful listening experience.” The available sounds are white noise, fan, ocean, rain, stream, and summer night. “All six sounds did a great job blocking out noises, but I did not enjoy all of them,” our tester said. “As a group, they were also all very repetitive.” Obviously, this comes down to personal preference, but our tester did find certain sounds more soothing than others. The three sounds she really enjoyed were stream, rain, and summer night, with stream being her absolute favorite. Calling it “relaxing, sleep-inducing, and realistic,” our tester raved, “[The stream option] does sound like you’re standing next to an active stream you came across during a hike—I almost want to dip my hand in to feel the cool, refreshing water.” Our reviewer also thought the rain sound was realistic “with the classic combination of white noise-type features mixed in with the occasional sound of raindrops hitting the window.” She continued, “The rain noise is a bit high-pitched—there is no thunder or deep undertones in the noise, which could have made it more realistic, but overall I’d give this option a 4 out of 5.” Describing summer night, our tester said, “Although it had some static-like qualities in the background, it was the only noise with a crisp, unique component (crickets).” However, she also noted, “It is extremely repetitive, with basically the same noise looping over and over again, which gets quite annoying after a few minutes.” Our tester was not impressed with the ocean sound, dubbing it “neither realistic nor relaxing.” “There’s just not enough sound crispness and you cannot differentiate the sound of the waves,” she explained. “There’s a slight dip in volume to indicate when the waves waver, but it is not enough and overall the sound is too much like static white noise.” The white noise option is just that—white noise—and therefore might be best used for blocking out distracting sounds rather than inducing sleep. Our tester said it’s “incredibly static-heavy and sounds like a broken TV channel. She added, “In that sense, this option is realistic, but personally, after a few minutes, it made my brain hurt.” Our tester found the fan noise “realistic,” like the sound of an air conditioner, but again, the pleasantness of each mode comes down to personal preference.
Sound Quality: Effective and clear
Taking into account that the soothingness of each sound depends on the preferences of the user, it is important to note that our tester found the volume control and audio quality to be superb—a plus for everyone. “The overall sound quality is impressive for such a sleek, lightweight machine, but the specific quality really depends on the sound option you choose,” she reported. “However, I do believe that the quality of the less crisp sound options has more to do with the actual recording than the sound quality of the machine.” Then, there’s the question of effectiveness. “First and most importantly, it did an excellent job blocking out unwanted noise, which often distracts me from falling asleep,” reported our tester. “There is a generator outside my building that gives off an annoying buzzing that stops me from falling asleep, and every night around midnight a truck from the store across the street starts up, makes some noise, and pulls off, which tends to wake me up,” she said. “The sleep machine did an excellent job drowning out the generator noise and blocking the truck noise, so nights I used it I did not wake up at midnight.” Our tester said that the machine helped her relax at night and fall asleep quickly. “More often than not I was asleep within 15 minutes of turning the machine on, whereas it would usually take me at least half an hour (on a good day),” she said. “I won’t go as far as saying that I get a more restful night’s sleep, but I definitely do fall asleep much faster and calmer.” She found the sounds she selected at night were immersive and induced an almost meditative state. She also gave the volume high praise. “The machine is very responsive to the volume control button and the speakers provide top-notch sound quality at all volumes, even low ones,” she declared. “The sound seems perfectly balanced—no one feature stands out as the volume is adjusted up or down.”
Extra Features: Add convenience
Our tester was a big fan of the energy-saving automatic shut-off timer, which can be set for 15, 30, or 60 minutes, although she would have liked more than three options. She thought this was a particularly useful feature if you have a partner who isn’t a fan of noise at night. There’s also a USB port in the back with 2A output, which is powerful enough to charge your phone, tablet, or other USB device while you sleep. “I didn’t have to choose between plugging in this machine or my phone charger,” our tester shared. Need some more help finding what you’re looking for? Read through our best night lights round-up.
Price: An affordable, value-driven purchase
For less than $50, this sleep machine provides quality white noise at a solid price. You’ll be hard-pressed to find better sound or more advanced features for cheaper.
Pure Enrichment Wave Premium Sleep Therapy Sound Machine vs. Adaptive Sound Technologies Sound + Sleep High Fidelity Sound Machine
For around double the price, Adaptive Sound Technologies’ Sound + Sleep sound machine certainly provides more customization. There are 10 different sound selections to choose from, each with three levels of richness, resulting in 30 distinct sound profiles. It also features patented Adaptive Sound technology, which is supposed to adjust to your environment to block out unwanted noise. Plus, there’s the option to connect your own headphones or speaker. However, even with all those options, there is no Bluetooth connection and the unit (which is larger than the Wave Premium) still has to be plugged into an outlet. What Pure Enrichment’s Wave Premium lacks in sound selection, it makes up for in a compact design. If you’re looking for lots of bells and whistles and a ton of sound customization, it might be worth it to splurge on a more expensive machine. But if you’re looking for a basic sound machine—one that specializes in high quality and effectiveness without being over the top—our choice is the Wave Premium. Want to take a look at other options? Read through our list of the best white noise machines. Our tester’s takeaway was simple: “Overall, the product delivers on its promise of offering a more peaceful way to fall asleep, enhance relaxation, and block out unwanted noise, and with its price point, it’s a good starting point for anyone who wants to try a sound machine and doesn’t want to use their phone/computer to play similar tracks.”
