Customer Reviews

Pillowsonic Stereo Pillow Speaker

5 star:		(94)
4 star:		(42)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(16)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

Pillow speakers.... what a great idea!
Especially for self help, subliminal tapes etc. Even for sunbathing !

I've tried several pillow speakers in the quest for better sound quality AND comfort.
Apparently a difficult combination to attain for many manufacturers.
I began my quest by purchasing one of the first offerings, a standard size bed pillow, in which the speakers were embedded. A cord was attached to the pillow to connect to your device (walkman, in my case).
Afer several uses, (not that many) the speakers would cut out & crackle when I moved the cord.
Ended up as spare pillow sans speaker :o(

Next, I tried the standard $6 radio shack pillow speaker, which was actually rather sturdy, round & had a handy volume control (similar to the Sharper Image pillow speaker). Excellent for travel, but the sound quality really sucked, really tiny AND really tinny AND it really feels like there is a rock under your pillow.

After much searching, I came across the PillowSonic digital stereo pillow speaker insert, purchased for $19 from the manufacturer's website.
I received a free relaxation CD as they were running a promo at the time
I think PillowSonic has nailed it.
The cushioned pillow insert contains TWO speakers providing stereo sound (from both sides of the pillow). Surprisingly clear, quite adequate, although we are not talking Bose quality. Not too shabby.

The pillow sleeve itself is rather soft & cushioned well enough where the metal edges of the speakers are not annoying to your ears through your pillow. Unlike the hard plastic radio shack unit... (aka little rock);
PillowSonic is quite comfortable; you can barely feel the speakers.
I slide it into my pillowcase, underneath my pillow & cannot feel it.
Easy to pack & travel as well.

The only disadvantage I encountered was the lack of volume control on the cord or unit. You must use the volume control on your audio device, which is kind of a pain. However, the cord is approx 6', so your device should be close enough to adjust the volume.
Each of the pillow speakers I tried had disadvantages.
Personally, I'd rather have the better sound quality, so I'll sacrifice the volume control.

Of course, my puppy promptly chewed up the connection wire, so I guess I'll be purchasing another... Dare I hope the designers have upgraded the unit & included volume controls?

I listen to a relaxation CD while in bed and have not liked doing so while using headphones. The reason being that they are uncomfortable if one falls asleep while listening. Also, the sound in the rest of the house is blocked out. The Pillowsonic Pillow Speaker is the perfect solution. I have a very thick pillow and I can hear the music very well and the speaking also well with the volume up high. The person in bed next to me can hear nothing. A+ item.

Original Review:

This product is essentially two very flat speakers, but not that different from those in your headphones, inserted into a rectangular pocket of foam. There are hard pieces in the pillow speaker, but there is enough foam in front of it, that you can sleep on it comfortably, as the back of the speaker just presses further into your pillow.

I cannot use this underneath my pillow as I have a tempurpedic memory foam pillow - its just too dense to hear the speaker well even at the highest volume - but a regular pillow would work much better.

However, I put this right on top of my pillow and put my ear on top of it, it works great, I tend to keep it at the highest volume and just adjust the distance of the pillow to my ear depending on how loud I want to perceive it, the speakers do not have a volume on them (that would be a nice feature). I've slept on this every night for 7 months and no visible wear or tear has appeared.

The only drawback is that the pillow has two plastic tabs similar the small end of a plastic tag holder that holds a price tag to your new clothes on the front, and that scratches my face, I cut it off though with no apparent repercussions, I'm not sure what purpose they served, perhaps to hold wires in place.

Overall, this is exactly what I was looking for as I need to listen to something to fall asleep, but with kids and husband often sleeping in the same room, I don't want to play it on a regular speaker.

UPDATE 11/7/2011:

So I originally purchased these speakers in 2007. I have used a pillowsonic speaker every single night to fall asleep since then. Unfortunately I'd love to say that my original pillowsonic speaker is still going strong, but that's not the case. I don't remember the exact timeline, but after a while the original speaker ended up with one of the wires going to one of the speakers detaching, so only 1/2 worked, then eventually it quit altogether. I purchased another one and it had the same eventual problem. I'm now on my third. However, this is over 4 years of literally laying on the pillow speaker (because as I said above, I can't put it under my pillow) all night long and the speaker gets yanked around by the cord a lot and shoved into pillowcases and suitcases for travel. Listening to an audio book to fall asleep is just about the only thing I have found that works for my insomnia.

So, although I've had to replace it a couple times, I am not displeased with the amount of time each has lasted, given the price and how hard I am on them.

You do have to adjust your head a bit otherwise its muffled. It took me a few days to position it correctly under the pillow. I put it at a 45 degree angle and it worked perfectly. However, after about a month of use its starting to die on me. One of the speakers is really fissling out, and the other one is starting to fade as well. Its more irritating than "soothing". I would not buy this particular product again.

I purchased a "pillow speaker" a couple of weeks ago and it was terrible. It was one mono speaker attached to a 3/4" jack and would not get loud enough to hear throug my pillow. This pillowsonic stereo speaker however is much better! It's stereo for one and way loud enough also. To be realistic though, the sound is somewhat muffled. The way to get around this is to set your equilizer, if you have one, with higher mids and lower the bass. I use the "bass reducer" setting on iTunes and it sounds great!

I listen to meditation CDs when going to bed. Headphones are uncomfortable so I use the regular stereo when I'm by myself and can close the door. But that's not always possible. When trying these out, the other person in bed could hear the speakers slightly. However, when I actually put them on at bed time, he had no idea. If you can turn them up loud enough to place your ear on your pillow between the speakers, it is really excellent! But even if you have to keep the volume lower, you can put your ear right over one of the speakers and hear just fine. I think that might have been the problem with the other person reviewing this. If you don't have the volume up loud enough and you put your ear between the speakers, you really can't hear it. But move an inch either way and you're golden! I love these!

It is a good quality product. To listen thru the pillow takes a higher volume than I was comfortable with and moving your head can leave the sound behind.
Under the pillow case only was better for me. Sleeping on my side made it more difficult. On my side, I found placing my ear directly over one speaker worked best. Takes some practice and getting used to, but it should work for most people.

Loved this product at first but after a few months of gentle use, the sound cut in and out continuously. Pretty much unusuable. I opened up the pillow and discovered that the plastic coating that covers the wire to the actual speaker was worn away and the wire was getting thin-barely attached. Would cut in and out if moved even slightly. Looked like very cheap construction. Would not buy this product again. I was very careful with it at all times. Should not have worn out so quickly.

I bought a pillow speaker from Sharper Image that worked fine. The problem with that speaker was that even at full-volume, you could not hear it well through the pillow. You had to have it right under the pillow case. That presented a problem because it was hard plastic it was uncomfortable to lay on.

This product has the following:
PROS:
- Two speakers instead of one single speaker.
- The speakers are made for the hearing impaired, so you can place them below your pillow and still hear through the pillow. They can get really loud before you hear static/noise.

CONS:
- The cable from the speakers is short (about 3 or 4 feet). The speaker from Sharper image was around 6 feet long which made it nice to connect to stereos which were further away. Now I need to use a special extension cable to do the same.
- The connection into the speakers does not seem to be attached really well, so if you are not careful or a heavy sleeper, you may yank the cable out of the speakers.
- The speakers are hard plastic. If you lay on them directly, it can hurt... so it is better to put them under your pillow to add some cushion.

I like the product and am glad I have it. At $20, if I break it, it wouldn't be a huge loss. If it does break, I will buy this product again to replace it.

After the latest in a long string of earbuds stopped working, I looked for an alternative. This one had the best reviews and I took a chance. It has a heavy duty cord which should last much longer than the ultra-thin earbud wire. Ofcourse it works fine as an under the pillow speaker, but I've found it is more functional and comfortable to wrap it in a small pillow case and use it as a combination eye shade/speaker. The fidelity is better that way, too. The volume range is very good: from so low only I can hear to loud enough to be heard across the room. At the low level the sound is good for both voice and music; at the high level a bit tinny. Also, if something annoying is being broadcast on the radio it's easy to slide the speaker away from the ear slightly till it's over. At first I thought only one speaker was working; pulling the plug out slightly fixed that. I like it.