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Product Details
- Binding
- Health and Beauty
- Brand
- Adaptive Sound Technologies, Inc.
- Feature
- 10 high quality natural sound recordings create the most realistic and natural sleep environment possible
- Label
- Adaptive Sound Technologies
- Publisher
- Adaptive Sound Technologies
- Studio
- Adaptive Sound Technologies
- ItemDimensions
- Height:550
Length:630
Weight:200
Width:450 - PackageDimensions
- Height:620
Length:880
Weight:285
Width:830
Editorial Reviews
The Ecotones family of Sleep Sound Machines from Adaptive Sound Technologies is designed to provide the most realistic, natural sound environment possible to help people relax and sleep better at night. Each device includes ultra-high quality natural sound recordings for the most realistic listening experience. They use ASTI's patented Adaptive SoundTM Technology that listens and responds to background disturbances. The Ecotones family delivers a relaxing and peaceful environment wherever it is needed.
The worst offenders: a large clanking steam radiator; upstairs neighbors clomping around in hard-sole shoes on a bare hard-wood floor; construction noises next door and down the block; plus the usual assortment of horn honks and blaring sirens from vehicles on the avenue two doors over.
For some years, I have used the Marsonic travel white noise machine (around $80), which was the best unit I auditioned at Hammacher-Schlemmer at the time. It offered excellent sound and admirable volume, especially for such a small device, plus two sounds, waterfall and ocean, with a tone control.
But I was interested when I heard about Adaptive Sound's first machine, the one that sells for $300. Unfortunately that price busts my budget, so I was delighted to discover that their new machine, the Duet, sells for half the price.
What is their exclusive adaptive technology? Well, it is NOT a phase-inversion technology, as used in noise-cancelling headphones. In other words, the machine doesn't make intrusive sounds disappear. What it DOES do is pump up the white noise volume almost instantaneously to mask intrusive sounds, a surprisingly effective technique.
The Duet still couldn't hide the clanking radiator -- at least in waterfall mode -- but I will try again tonight with "Meditation" mode -- a steady midrange drone that a yoga class would appreciate. The Duet did, however, make the footfalls upstairs disappear, as well as the construction and street noises. That beats the Marsonic by a mile!
Otherwise the unit is very well designed and built, with excellent sound provided by a separate woofer and tweeter mounted on top. A microphone in the front panel listens for room sound and makes immediate adjustments. I tested this by dropping an earplug case on the counter by the machine, and it responded instantly with a roar of white noise.
The sounds provided are of excellent quality. Unlike lesser units, which typically use a recording that keeps repeating and soon proves annoying, these recordings -- the manufacturer calls them "sound stories" -- go on for thirty minutes before repeating.
You can spice these aural environments up with "richness" -- random sounds that give the "sound stories" more authenticity, like birds chirping by the brook or sitar shrieks and percussion effects in meditation mode. Fortunately, you can also turn them off for when you're sleeping.
I like the selection of sounds provided. They have been well chosen for their restfulness -- I found the brook putting me to sleep as I was sitting at my desk yesterday afternoon -- and the variety allows you to find a "sound story" with frequencies appropriate to the most intrusive noises in your environment.
The one sound that amused me was "city" -- that's the environment from which I'm trying to escape! Maybe if you're a refugee from the city living in the country, however, you would appreciate this one! Otherwise, I enjoy the meadow, the brook, the crackling fireplace, the train, waterfall, ocean -- and meditation. There also is a plain vanilla white noise setting, which I imagine psychotherapists will use in their waiting rooms.
The machine also includes an output that lets you play the sounds through your stereo. It occurred to me that Adaptive could make a less expensive unit that dispenses with its own amplifier and speakers and just plays through your stereo. However, the sound quality of the Duet and the fact that it uses less electricity than my big rig justify a self-contained machine on my nightstand.
So if you need help sleeping or concentrating in a noisy environment, you should audition the Duet. IMO it is the most effective (and cost-effective) white noise machine now on the market.
UPDATE: ah, I tried the brook setting last night instead of waterfall, and -- I didn't hear a thing during the night. NO clanking radiator, NO footfalls upstairs, NO construction noises next doors. I slept like a babe. The moral of the story is: try different sound settings to see which ones mask the intrusive noises in your environment.
The Duet could soon become the city dweller's best friend, surpassing even small dogs and local pizza vendors...
UPDATE NUMBER TWO: the Duet is missing one useful feature: visual or aural confirmation of the volume setting. Because it uses "higher" and "lower" buttons to raise or lower the volume, you can't even tell by the position of a knob where the volume is set.
Because the sound stories seem to play back at different volumes relative to one another, you might want to crank up the volume for one and then turn it back down for another. When you return to your favorite sound story for sleeping, for example, you may not have the volume setting that you know from experience you need.
The solution would be a numeric readout or aural confirmation, like a female voice saying, "Level Five" when you adjust the volume.
At any rate, the Duet is still a fine white noise machine, and I hope Ecotone incorporates volume confirmation into future models.
I occasionally have trouble getting to sleep and sleeping pills leave me groggy in the morning. My Duet does the trick. For the last several nights, I have fallen asleep in 20 minutes or so. Of course since there are no drugs, there are no more groggy mornings.
The sounds that help me sleep the most are the evening meadow and the babbling brook. The ocean is also nice, but I haven't tried it yet at night. The noise masking feature works well although that is not why I bought the unit.
Last year I tried the Brookstone machine, but the sounds quality was so horrible that I turned it off after 10 minutes or so. Duet creates an absolutely believable naturescape. I like it.
I've had several cheap sound machines over the years, none of which met my expectations. Unlike the others, my Ecotones machine has no obvious short 'loop' recording that repeats every 30 seconds, with a 'burp' at the beginning of each new loop. The sound is smooth, natural, continuous, and without the hiccups that drove me crazy in the recordings of the other machines I've used.
I can't say I have a favorite sound story - they're all good. The feature I find most interesting is the 'richness' setting. Playing around with this on the rainfall sound story: using no richness setting the rainfall sound is plain and simple; each additional richness setting adds new, different sounds to the plain and simple soundtrack - a feature allowing the user to customize their sound stories.
I doubt you'll find better customer service than Ecotones. They were very quick to respond to inquires I made both prior to, and after, purchasing this product. Corporate complaint departments would be obsolete if companies ran as efficiently as Ecotones appears to. After using my sound machine for 2 weeks, I can honestly say it's everything I hoped it would be, and more.
This product is well worth every penny I spent on it. I highly recommend it.
The machine's Adaptive Sound Technology hears outside noises and gently raises the volume to mask these sounds. This not only keeps the unwanted noises at bay, but it also allows you to keep the selected sound sample at a reasonably low level.
There is also a 'Richness' button, which adds complexity to the sounds. So for the ocean noise, it adds an occasional seagull; for the train, a whistle, etc.
I also tried this out as a sleeping-device, using its White Noise setting. While it was somewhat effective in helping me sleep and stay asleep, I still think that for sleeping white noise, the good ol' analog Marpac still can't be beat. Though it does work nicely in conjunction with the Marpac.
The digital sounds are sampled in 18 bit rather than the traditional 16 bit rate of CDs. I can tell the difference. The sounds are richer and more textured.
Overall, this is a great machine and way above the sound quality and capabilities of its digital competitors. My complaints are minor, and hopefully some of these issues will be addressed in a future version:
1. Volume Control: I would prefer a dial control rather than a push-button. I like to be able to change the volume in different settings, but since it's a push button, it's hard to tell at what level the volume is currently set. And what also makes it even more tricky is that in Adaptive mode, turning the volume down actually turns the volume down initially, because the machine interprets a button press as an unwanted sound.
2. Microphone Control: The microphone is built-in. This makes the device easy to use, but it would be nice to be able to use an external microphone in order to have more control of the source of the undesirable noise. For example, when the Ecotones is in my kitchen it not only adjusts its volume for the basketball court noise, but it also raises its volume for normal household kitchen noises that I'd rather not mask, such as a telephone ringing, or a conversation.
3. More Bass: The sound quality is pretty good--the best I've heard from any digital machine, but I think it would make a better sleeping machine if it could hit the lower frequencies.
As other reviewers have pointed out, the "City" setting is pretty funny. I did try it out, and it does not sound like a realistic urban setting--no car alarms, firetrucks, or iron grates being pulled open at 5:00 a.m. It sounds more like the Long Island Expressway than the Lower East Side.
However...I then contacted the company who made the sound machine directly, and they got back to me very promptly (within a few hours), and they are sending me a new replacement by second day air!!! I am very happy with their customer service!
I also really enjoy having the machine because it helps with my sleep tremendously, so I wish to thank this company for their prompt, courteous response in replacing my machine as quickly as they have.
After a bit of research (price vs. quality) we decided to take a chance on the Ecotones Duet. The first night we set it for "Brook" with complete sound stories and lo and behold, not only did it mask all the annoying sounds, but within 30 minutes, we were both fast asleep. The timer was set for 90 minutes...and while we did not hear it fade...it was definitely off when we woke. At last!!! We can sleep again!
The "Adaptive Sound Technology" is great. Except if you start chatting in bed. It gets louder to cover up your speech.
We tried a few of the different settings to see which one masked the sounds better and found that for us that "Brook" was the thing. My wife really didn't like "Ocean". And the crickets in the "Meadow" were a bit overwhelming for our purposes. (And we found "other pleasures" from the fireplace sound. Light a candle, for a little more atmosphere, guys, and off you go.)
But truly, this machine can deal with a large variety of different sound issues. It gives you a lovely soundscape to listen to, with random sounds breaking the monotony of a simple repetitive sound. Occasionally one can imagine little pieces of wood sloshing past, or a bird or squirrel rustling near the waters edge...next thing you know...it's morning and you've had another blissful night of sleep.
If you're having similar problems, buy it, you won't regret it.
I highly recommend this product and really appreciate the reviews that have come before mine to help me choose.
Ecotones Duet Sleep Sound Machine
The Brookstone
One of the many "white noise" machines made by Marpac.
I was interested in more than white noise, which, in and of itself, can be irritating depending on the situation.
That brought it down to two. I read all the reviews on this site for the two different Brookstones (the big one and the one with the alarm clock feature) and the reviews weren't very good.
The reviews for this product were quite good. Hubby was having trouble sleeping (stress from the company he works for being sold, military reserve stuff, studying for his Master's degree....) so I wanted something to help him drift off...
I bought this machine ($10 more expensive than the larger Brookstone) and have not regretted it. The only problem I have (and the reason for the 4 star rating instead of 5) is that sometimes (NOT VERY OFTEN) the sound is down to point where I cannot even hear it.
BUT, MOST of the time, it is fine... and the loop is so long that I have never been able to detect the "beginning" and "end". We use the "Ocean" setting. I was raised on the Oregon coast and the sounds are very natural. You can hear seabirds, foghorns, a bell on a buoy, clanging off in the distance.... it's very relaxing!
Hubby, from South Dakota, liked the "meadow" but the sound of the chirping crickets was so... monotone, I guess, for lack of a better word, that it bugged me. NO pun intended! ;-)
I think I would also like the "Train" setting, and will test that when he is gone with the reserves.
I CAN tell you that we are BOTH sleeping better because of this machine! The quibble I have about the sound is a minor one because most of the time, I'm asleep anyway... it is very soothing to me... and it does help both of us sleep better!
Having purchased four different sound machines, I can say that this is the best built and most functional of the machines with the most realistic sounds. It is a solid, heavy, well built instrument that offers a variety of sounds for you to choose from to block outside sounds.
The other reviews lead me to conclude that identifying the most soothing sounds is a personal choice that varies. Some reviewers preferred the brook, others the white noise, and I prefer the rain.
Although the price is justified, the cost of the Ecotones machine is high enough that I can't purchase one for every bedroom and every family member. Where cost and portability is a factor, consider the significantly less expensive Cloud B Sheep (a couple of options). Their sounds are also very realistic but they automatically shut off to preserve battery power when you made your machine to run all night. However, people may look at you funny when you carry your sheep with you on a business trip.
He loves us. He wants to keep us safe. And this is why, when the guy across the street leaves for work around 11:30 PM, the very sound of that car door causes said beagle to come shooting up from under the covers, emitting his full-throated uh-ROOOOOO cry at just about the moment when his muzzle is parallel to, and about three inches from, my ear.
And in nice weather, people come and go with amazing frequency. I am a city-dweller and am used to these sounds, but I also have a severe sleep disorder. I awaken easily all by myself, even when I have a belly full of (carefully prescribed) pharmaceuticals. Put the sleep disorder and the dog together, and it can make for a whole summer of really bad nights.
I am writing this with the assumption that there are a fair number of other readers who are considering buying this machine, at least partially, because they want to shut their dog up. Good news! It works, for all but the largest disturbances. The first few nights, I turned off the light to an extremely reproachful gaze; my hound knew there were noises out there from which his hearing had been blocked. I considered this very encouraging, and indeed, when the waterfall, the ocean, or the rain sounds are turned on at a medium volume, he does not hear the sounds of everyday life taking place out there. And neither do I.
Big noises get heard, but then big noises should. I want to know if someone shatters a window downstairs. I want to know if my smoke alarm goes off. So I am fine with the fact that really huge sounds will be heard. I wear foam ear plugs to bed, turn on the box, and everybody is happy.
I question the wisdom of the "fireplace" sound. Who wants to fall asleep to the sound of crackling flame? Scares the heck out of me! But I would buy this machine, for this price, for the sounds of the rain, ocean, and waterfall, even if no other sounds were offered. And I even kind of like knowing that "city" noises are there, just in case we should go on a lengthy wilderness experience (it is portable, can run on batteries). I get a little squirrelly if I am away from a big city for too long a time. I could see using that feature. I also like the fact that the white noise feature chosen will increase momentarily to cover up sudden louder noises (conversation outside, a truck being unloaded, your spouse passing wind...).
To sum up, this is an attractive, lightweight, reliable machine that will shut out moderate city and household sounds, and fool your pooch into being quiet, too. It won't cover up a siren going right by your house, or a marching band, or a smoke alarm. But then...would you want that? I think this item does exactly the job for which it was intended and at a safe level, and I would recommend it to anyone.
It arrived in great condition. I really didn't need the instruction booklet to get it set up - it was pretty intuitive. I like that you can choose from a variety of sounds and that you can increase or decrease the complexity and level.
I leave it on all night, since I tend to wake up during the night and need the background sounds to fall back asleep. The first night, I awoke disoriented by the sounds. I got used to it quickly and now run it every night.
The machine is compact and powerful - the sound goes quite loud if you need more background noise. It was easy to find a spot to put it. I am very happy with this purchase and would recommend it to anyone looking to buy a white noise machine for the first time.
As for what I like about it, I almost don't know where to start. It looks very nice, very simple to use yet lots of adjustments/features/sounds, great "adaptive" sound feature, excellent speaker that can put out surprisingly low frequencies, and is actually quite small.
I searched Amazon reviews and the only concern I had before buying was that a small percentage of buyers had it stop working at some point. The company promptly replaced these units, but I wanted to find out more so I called the company. I was told there was some component that caused a problem in a small percentage of units, but they identified the problem and fixed it. I was sold at that point.
I didn't intend to buy three, but wanted one for another room after buying the first, and the third is a backup in case these units ever become unavailable for some reason. I hope this company goes on to make more machines of this type. They are off to a great start!
He gave me a coupon code to use via Amazon and walked me through the ordering process. When there was a glitch with the coupon code. He evaluated the purchasing process and phoned me back within minutes and walked me throught the ordering process. That kind of customer service is unheard of these days. It is greatly appreciated and yields purchasing confidence. He also ensured me that I could use it for a 30 day trial period and send it back if I was not satisfied.
I am looking forward to receiving the device next week, so I can turn the fan off in my bedroom....which will save me money and keep my wife and I warm and sleeping soundly!! Thanks again Ira!!
There are a number of issues that make it not worth the money:
01) The sound output is very, very low. At full volume without the adaptive mode turned on it is loud enough, but with adaptive turned on the sound output is so low my box fans drown it completely out. Nor will it compensate very well.
02) For something called a "sleep" sound machine the sounds aren't very sleep friendly. (In fact, the book says the adaptive sound level 2 might not be good for sleeping. Why include it then?)
03) Most of the sound-sets aren't helpful as they are outside the range of normal noise. (Most people are trying to drown out a variety of noise. In order to be effective, a sound device has to dish out sound across the hearing spectrum from bottom to top. The only sound setting that worked was the river/brook one.) The ocean one had sea gulls of doom that would wake you right up. The fireplace one had logs-a-cracking that sounded like icebergs shearing off. The meditating drone was OK, but wasn't adaptable. Neither was the white noise setting. Rain was pretty good and I used it for a while.
04) The units have a tendency to stop working. BAZZZT and that's it. They won't work anymore. Mine began to make buzzing noises (after the short warranty, of course) and then stopped working a week later. This unit didn't take an electrical spike, didn't get moved, and doesn't even have fingerprints on it. They're just... very prone to failure.
05) The sound isn't very adaptable and you will hear outside noises. Even in a quiet room, talking 2 feet in front of the unit doesn't seem to pick up very much noise. It does pick up sometimes, not with any frequency though. The microphone needs to be separate from the unit.
In the end, you'd be better off with a white noise unit that is adaptable which is what I will likely purchase next.
UPDATE: 10.11.26 - I decided to try their warranty procedure. Following are the results.
10.11.24 @ ~12:45pm: phoned support at number given below. Answering machine. Did not leave message.
10.11.26 @ 10:08am: phoned support at number given below. Answering machine. Left message for callback.
10.11.29 @ 01:06pm: no reply. phoned support at number given below. Answering machine. Left message for callback.
10.11.29 @ ~01:20pm: Ira called back and informed me that they would be sending out a new unit. I had purchase it from them and they had my information on file. Should have it in 2 days and a return receipt for UPS.
We have used the white noise function exclusively so far, so I can't comment on the other sounds. We've just recently begun using the adaptive function, which I think is clever but my wife finds annoying when she is in the room and on the verge of putting our son to bed. She feels like the device is trying to "shush" her.
We are generally happy with the device, but for the money and our needs and preferences, I prefer the marpac device.
With respect to customer service, I can say many positive things about Ecotones' manufacture.
Our unit suddenly stopped working and would not power on after about six months of usage. I went to the manufacturer's site and registered our machine then sent an email to their support staff. Within thirty minutes I had a return email apologizing for the defect with a notice that a replacement was being shipped out that day. All I had to do was repackage the defective unit and send it back with the prepaid shipping label. This made the best of a bad situation and, I think, speaks well of the company.
This would be a perfect machine, in my mind, if you could upload a few third-party soundscapes to replace the programmed ones that don't work for you, say, with a flash drive.
My initial impressions were that I was impressed by the overall quality of the machine, but my first night of sleep left my less than enthusiastic. I typically use the rain storm sounds, and the version that I had received in August had an annoying loop after about 5 seconds that I was able to discern. Since I had bought the machine on the promise that most of the sounds had a longer recording time, I was pretty disappointed. I next tried the 'brook' sound, which I found to be nice, but for some reason the sound included a frequent wooshing-sound (like wind blowing) that I found distracting and tended to wake me up. I settled on the waves and waterfall sounds, which were peaceful (although there were annoying birds on the waves), but not quite as good as my Brookstone that I replaced.
Last week, the unit would not turn on and the AC adapter started making a high pitched sound. I contacted the manufacturer the next day and I must say I was very pleased with their service. They 2-day UPS'ed another machine to my house and had me send the old one back free of charge. I was pretty impressed that they would do this.
The new machine includes some new sounds, including an electric whirring fan sound. When I turned it on, I checked the thunderstorm recording and found that this appears to have been upgraded...I can no longer discern a pattern and I find that the "Richness" is a nice touch on this sound. No richness = simple rain storm. One click of richness = some light wind blowing from time to time. Two clicks = wind and some thunder.
I haven't bothered to check the other sounds as I am now very content with my rainstorm sound and sleep well with it.
I'm giving this item 3-stars because of my experience with the machine. I was very underwhelmed with the first unit I received and disappointed it broke so quickly. However, the newer unit I got from the manufacturer is awesome and the service was terrific. I would recommend this product on the grounds that the manufacturer stands behind their product and the newer unit I received has so far been terrific.
Even though the warranty was up on the unit, I started to read some of the reviews here on Amazon and noticed that some others had the same problem, so I called ASTI at 408-377-3411. I spoke to Ira, and he had me perform some minor troubleshooting on the unit. Since that didn't work, he informed me that the company would send me a new unit. Two days later we have the new unit and it works great. Also, that clicking sound is no longer heard in the RAIN setting. Great customer service.
The various sound settings let me choose one that I find relaxing. (Some did not relax me at all but I just don't use those.)
I had read comments from others who suggested that the machine was not loud enough but I find it to be more than loud enough. I don't use it at max volume as I found it would occasionally spike a bit too loud in adaptive mode.
I would definitely recommend it to others. (When I purchased this it was a Gold Box deal. I think is was $99.99 at the time.)
In short, I'm happy. Considering the reasonable price, there is an impressive array of options and the quality of the product is excellent. After two weeks of heavy use, I have had no problems at all. I would recommend it. No, it didn't "cure" my tinnitus, but it does seem to help me relax and focus on an external sound. I was concerned that I would have to use the headphones to avoid disturbing my wife, but she said she found it restful and, like Pavlov's dog, she falls asleep almost immediately with it on! In fact, I caught her the other afternoon taking a nap with the machine on. We joke about it, but we leave it on all night and it has become a routine which we enjoy. We prefer the brook setting with no richness or adaptive settings activated -- a babbling brook all night long.
I will make one comment about the Marsona. Its ONLY advantage is its size and portability, and the ability to use in European countries. The construction is cheap and the sound quality is poor. It only has two settings (which is really the same setting with bass and treble slide switch, and a volume control. There's not much more to it. Considering the price difference compared with the Ecotones (only $10 more), I would say unless you absolutely need the portability, stick with the Ecotones.
I got this because I moved into an apartment a month ago and I get so worked up over the obnoxious noises of the buses accelerating and the trucks and the ambulances and the people at the bars below me at 2:30am. I'm so excited about this product that I just opened it 10 mins ago - and, during the day, while watching tv, I put it on just to see. I can hear my tv, but, even trying to listen for the noise of the buses and the garbage truck that just passed by, I couldn't notice it. This was on "fireplace" mode. How charming. I have no idea how it adapts so quickly (I imagined that there might be a lapse -- maybe I'd hear a second of the bus noise, and then the machine would adjust. But I just miss it.)
After paying attention really closely, I could hear a bus accelerating slightly. But nothing like without the machine, and definitely not enough to be disruptive in any normal use (it's only because I was actively listening for it).
When the unit died we immediately purchased a new one and THEN contacted Ecotones customer service department in hopes of learning how to repair our old unit.
The Ecotones customer service was flawless. As soon as we e-mailed them to let them know our unit failed they gave us a call and sent out a new unit WITHOUT QUESTION!
When we received the replacement model that we purchased on Amazon, the unit had random static noises in the background every 5-15 minutes. We contacted Ecotones again and of course they asked to take back the item and replace it free of cost. *The replacement of both of these units happened within a week of each other.
Since we've gone through a few of these units now, they've offered us a discount by contacting them directly next time we're ready to purchase a new unit.
I would definitely recommend this company and this product.
I love the ocean and rainfall sounds. What an excellent product!
...and it's nice to actually have a company respond to you for once!
I want to convey my appreciative shocked amazement about this company's customer service. Our 5 month old product developed a power issue. I called the warranty service dept. and spoke to Ira, immediately! No call back, no wait time. Without asking for any documentation or requesting that I return the product first he said 'we will 2nd day air you a replacement product'. Ira was the most professional CSR I've ever dealt with. I was so surprised by this exemplary customer service I checked the financial sites to see if he was a company executive. Nothing. Within 10 minutes of my call I received a prepaid R/A shipping form for U.P.S to return of my defective unit. The e-mail requested that I wait to return the item after I received my replacement product. It went further, 'if you don't have the original packaging...send your old product back in the new products box'.
What more can anyone ask of a company?
In an age where many companies make customers jump thru hurdles, putting up barriers to discourage customer returns, rebates or simply asking to receive what they paid for...here is a company that actually TRUSTS their customer.
This is the way to run a company.
These are the available sounds: WATERFALL, FIREPLACE, OCEAN, MEADOW, TRAIN, CITY, RAINFALL, BROOK, MEDITATION AND WHITE NOISE. I prefer mainly the water ones, including "meadow", which has a gentle brook sound in the background, plus plenty of crickets sounds. (In fact, I'd love to hear more "outdoor venues", including the sounds of gentle wind in the trees, spring peepers and/or other frogs, and cicadas. But that's just me.) I also like "rainfall", but I wish it had some good thunder along with it. "Ocean" with its crashing waves is good, as is "Brook" and "Waterfall". I don't care for "fireplace" that much--sounds too synthetic, for one thing; and I'm not big on white noise in general, either. "Train" and "City" are fine, also. You can hear the train clacking lightly as it goes along the tracks, and a bell softly clanging, too. No train whistles, though I would not object to that. "City" is just like cars and things, but bland--no sirens or horns (thankfully). "Meditation" has an eastern Indian sort of flavor, with a drone note and other notes, but no melody. This one didn't help my sleep, but you may want to meditate to it, or try it for concentration. That about covers the settings; something for about everyone, I think.
The black, teardrop shaped unit is OK looking on a nightstand, but the thin cord is rather short. I think my unit stopped working after it fell unto the carpet, less than three feet, so handle with care, and it should last. If not, just contact the manufacturer; they are very pleasant and helpful.
1. My girlfriend is a morning worker while I am a night and as such she is in bed when I get home, most nights. If I have a friend over or watch TV, it can keep her up.
2. There is an annoying bird in the tree outside our window (we THINK it's that tree, hard to say).
This machine does the job I got it for. GF is sleeping well and when my neighbor joked about getting out her BB gun the other day to take care of the bird problem, I forgot what bird she was talking about.
I think its one of those things - not everyone would love a noise machine. For example, my gf's best friend (who actually guilted me into the whole sound machine deal) swears by her air purifier's noise as the best noise for sleeping, and after hearing all the sounds on this machine, did not think any of them were restful except maybe white noise. My girlfriend finds white noise creepy, but likes "Rain" and above all, "Train." Personally I like "Fire" but it reminds her of Freddy Krueger, and I do love "Train," so every night we get aboard. :) What's funny is when we first got it, we both were like "Train? Who wants Train!" Us, that's who.
Since we got the machine they sleep through the night almost every night. Naptime lasts longer and my babies are more rested and I am happier. I can't recommend this machine enough.