Marpac SleepMate 980A Electro-Mechanical Sound Conditioner
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List Price: Our Price: $54.00 You Save: $5.95 (10%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Health Care See more product details |
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Customer Reviews of Marpac SleepMate 980A Electro-Mechanical Sound Conditioner
Customer Review: Over 13,000 hours and still as good as new
Summary: 5 Stars
We purchased the SleepMate white noise generator 4 years ago. The nice thing about this device is that it produces a very natural white noise. It has two volume settings and the level and "pitch" of the noise can be changed by adjusting the rotating top and sides of the device. When our children were younger, we wanted something that would filter out the typical sounds children make at night, but would still allow us to hear them in case of emergencies.
Even though our children are no longer babies, we still use the SleepMate EVERY night simply because it helps us to sleep soundly. One of our neighbors recently complained about a dog barking in the middle of the night. The dog in question lives immediately across the street from us, but his barking has never once woken us at night -- thanks to the SleepMate. I advised our neighbor to get a white noise machine of his own.
There are various other electronic devices out there that offer multiple sound types, touch screens and lights. In my opinion, all of those features are COMPLETELY unnecessary (and possibly counterproductive). The design of the SleepMate strikes me as kind of retro -- it looks like the typical beige plastic appliances you would see in the 1970's. But you know that if an appliance STILL looks like this and is STILL popular, it must be very good at its job.
Now the most important part: we have used the SleepMate at least 9 hours per day, 365 days per year for the past 4 years (13,000+ hours) and it works just like the day we bought it. In this day and age when EVERYTHING seems to be increasingly disposable (how long do your children's toys actually last?) it's very nice to have something like this that just keeps going and going.
I can even take a nap during the day when my kids are playing with friends at home. That says something :)
Customer Review: Has a nice sound, but not that loud
Summary: 3 Stars
Obviously, when it comes to these noise makers, the most important issue is
what noise you are trying to drown out. In other words, what are you using the machine for? I live in a large apartment building in the New York City area. I am trying to drown out 2 different, annoying sounds in my life--
pigeons, because my upstairs neighbor likes to feed them, and a crying, wailing baby across the hall. This noise machine did not do a good enough job against the cooing pigeons underneath my window. I could still hear the pigeons. It does do a good enough job drowning out the sound of the crying, wailing infant. I just put this machine near my front door. The point is that this machine, even at its loudest setting, is not that loud. The sound is very soothing and consistent, though. After a while, you don't even realize you have this noise machine on. You just feel pretty good because you've blocked out or muffled that noise that was bothering you. This machine would be good to create a calm atmosphere for a baby.
Also, I've seen a few therapists in my day and some of them use this
noise machine so nobody else can hear your conversation. I'm not sure if that works. If you want something that is louder than this machine, try
the Sound Oasis. The Sound Oasis has nature sound effects as well as white noise.
Two very important points about this machine: it does NOT take batteries
and the power cord is a little over 7 feet.
Please note, this is a good noise machine. It has a very nice design that seems to take up no space in any room--it's inconspicuous. It has a nice nice sound, very natural sounding. The noise it makes, a kind of rush of air, does not have that digital sound that some machines can have. this sound is calming and meditative. But even at it's highest volume, it is not that loud.
Customer Review: i'm torn on this thing
Summary: 3 Stars
i bought this expecting a miracle but really it is just a slightly higher-decibel derivative of a small 10" oscillating table fan that you could buy for $20 at wal-mart. i know, i have one. i'm sure you could buy a 12" or slightly bigger fan and get an even louder noise out of it.
the bottom line is that it isn't loud enough, although it's small and fits in simple places and makes noise that isn't overwhelmingly adjustable for such a steep price. i live in an apartment that i am convinced is either built poorly (shouldn't be for the price i pay) or i have overweight neighbors that walk VERY LOUDLY in the mornings when they wake up 2 hours ahead of me. this wakes me up every morning. i know i am a light sleeper, but i've lived in a dozen apartments in the last 10 years and only one other time had problems like this, and have lived in much cheaper apartments. also, not until now did i break down and purchase one of these because of my dire situation. so it is safe to say the level of noise that comes from the apartment above me is not something even this little machine on crack would be able to cover up.
with that said, this product didn't solve my problem and i still wake up every morning when the neighbors get up. but even if it had solved my problem, my $20 table fan would have as well (and i wouldn't have had to buy this unit). "this item is for apartment dwellers" is in the description of the item, but i will refute that statement 100 times over if you have upstairs neighbors with weight issues OR thin walls.
marpac should really make an extreme version for people that have extenuating circumstances like mine and put a 747 jet engine in it. 3 out of 5 - too much money and not as loud as you are expecting it to be. compare with a small table fan later for proof.
Customer Review: The perfect white noise machine
Summary: 5 Stars
This sound screen is exactly what I was looking for. I have trouble sleeping at night and in order to block out those night sounds I have been using a Honeywell HEPA filter on high all night long for the last 3-4 years. The problem is the HEPA filter is moving a lot of air and draws roughly 250 Watts of electricity, which is a lot to be running 12+ hours a day, ever day of the year. Also its not very feasible for me to take it with me traveling, which makes it hard to sleep on the road. Electronic white noise equivilents all sound very electronic to me and I can usually hear the point of repetition, which bothers me and keeps me awake.
So I asked for and received the Marpac 980 A for christmas - it is the perfect solution. It draws a lot less electricity, which was something I was looking for. It creates the same sort of sound the air filter or a fan creates - the dial allows you to adjust how loud it is and the type of noise - one way is a mostly rushing air noise, the other is more of a pleasant mechanical hum. It also has two settings on the on/off switch, low and high.
The sound screen is a lot softer volume wise than something like my air filter, when I first turned it on my husband remarked 'Is that as loud as it gets?', however, while my air filter sits on the other side of the room, far away, I put the marpac next to me on my nightstand and it actually seems about the same volume at that proximity. It's small size (about 4.5" diameter) means I can take it with me when travelling. I also liked that it has foam padding on the bottom so it will not scratch nice furniture it is set on.
It does let off a very very slight airflow out the holes, if I put my hand right over them I can feel it, but not enough to reach my face sleeping next to it and bother me.
Customer Review: Absolute night saver
Summary: 5 Stars
I think I have a mental problem -- I tend to fixate on a sound, especially in bed as I try to sleep. I'll lie there and just focus on that sound even though I'm dead tired and need to sleep. Unfortunately, I live in an apartment building with an old, retired couple living below me who watch TV all into the night. I need to wake up early for work so I go to bed early, and I would just lie there listening and listening to the sound of their television below me. It would drive me insane, but I couldnt bear to go down there, band on the door and tell them to keep it down. The way I see it, they have the right to use their space as much as I have the right to use mine, and as I said, I have a problem -- I don't think they were playing their television THAT loudly, I was just sensitive to the sound.
After researching the web and reading up on white noise, I found this product and was really skeptical. But, I bout it anyway becuase, hey, what can I lose, except for $50 bucks?
The first night with it was fantastic. For those other reviewers who say this machine doesn't drown out all noise, I agree. But I don't think that's the point. For me, it gave me a new, consistent, and soothing sound that I could focus on rather than the thumping/banging/music/this and that sound from a television. If I focused REALLY hard, I could still hear the television sound below me with this machine on, but lying in bed, I'll just focus on the fan noise of this machine and I'll be in doze land before long.
I've had this machine now for about 10 months, and I keep it on all night every night (sometimes longer on the weekends because I'll sleep in). I have not had a problem with it yet. But even if it does break down, I'll buy a new one because it works so well.