Soundcore Sleep A30 tried: These earphones might help you sleep better

The Soundcore Sleep A30 are particularly small and flat earbuds that are designed to allow you to sleep even when lying on your side. Active noise cancellation, various sounds, and snore masking are also designed to help you get a quick and consistent night's sleep. ntv.de tested whether this works.

You can use regular earbuds while lying on your back to fall asleep. However, if you want to lie on your side, this doesn't work, as the earbuds then press uncomfortably or even painfully. This shouldn't be the case with the Soundcore Sleep A30, as they were specifically designed for side sleepers. They also offer additional features designed to ensure restful sleep. In our practical tests, the sleep earbuds performed impressively, but not under all conditions.

The A30, which cost around €250, are already the third generation of Soundcore's sleep earbuds, making them largely mature. This includes, among other things, a new active noise cancellation (ANC), which their predecessors lacked. Otherwise, the manufacturer has further developed a successful concept.

Well-thought-out design

It starts with the round charging case, which is specially designed for use on bedside tables. The flat, rubberized base ensures a secure grip on smooth surfaces. When you gently slide the lid back, two LEDs gently illuminate the earbuds, making them easy to remove even in the dark.

The 3g earbuds are significantly smaller than regular in-ears and ergonomically shaped so they don't protrude from the ear. To ensure a comfortable yet secure fit, Soundcore includes seven different tips made of silicone and memory foam, as well as three pairs of wings of different lengths made of the same material.

Problems only possible with hard pillows

It can take a while to find the right combination for both ears. Sometimes you only notice after a few hours that the earbuds are too loose and fall out while you sleep. Or you wake up in the middle of the night because the tips are too big and are uncomfortable. Once you've found the perfect pair, the Soundcore Sleep A30 are surprisingly comfortable, and ideally, you won't notice them any more than a pair of foam earbuds.

However, testing has shown that harder neck pillows make it almost impossible to wear the earbuds comfortably. Even though they're very flat, the Soundcore Sleep A30s usually reach their comfort limits over time—especially for those with extremely sensitive earlobes.

Sound a bit thin, reduced control

If you want, you can use the earbuds to listen to music, audiobooks, or podcasts on your smartphone as usual to help you fall asleep. The sound from these small earbuds is a bit thin, but okay. However, you can also pre-select and save different sounds in the accompanying app, which you can then listen to without a Bluetooth connection.

The controls are minimalist and simple, appropriate for their intended purpose. Two or three taps on the outside of an earbud turn ANC or Bluetooth on and off, or adjust the volume.

Great sound selection and customization

The sound selection is extensive, especially if you log in with a Soundcore account. Under "White Noise," you'll find several dozen sounds from the categories of water, nature, everyday life, and meditation, which you can even combine with each other, for example, rain and a chime.

Particularly interesting are the possibilities of so-called AI wave audio. According to Soundcore, this uses AI to generate harmonic scales and intervals that harmonize with brainwave frequencies, based on the principles of psychoacoustics and neuroscience. Here, too, there are presets to choose from that can be customized. Sound density, surround sound, and brightness can be adjusted. Spatial audio (3D) is also available.

In the settings, you can specify that the soothing sounds stop as soon as the sensors of the IPX4 sweat-resistant earbuds detect that you've fallen asleep. This worked in our practical test, as did the alarm clock, which you can set to wake you up.

Acceptable ANC, good snore detection

The active, adaptive noise cancellation also works, but it can't be compared to that of conventional ANC earbuds. It primarily dampens quieter, deeper hums, such as those from the refrigerator or traffic behind a closed window.

While such familiar, gentler sounds rarely wake you up, a snoring partner can often rob you of sleep. ANC dampens this sound, too, but the Soundcore Sleep A30s have an even more effective method. The charging case also has microphones. If they detect snoring, sounds are played at a correspondingly louder volume for what's known as "snore masking."

This actually worked in our test with canned snoring. However, you might also wake up from the louder sound; the effectiveness probably depends on how loud the sawmill next to you is.

Accurate information, satisfying endurance

Another feature that only works with Soundcore registration is the recording of sleep information, such as the duration of phases and movements. The data capture is astonishingly accurate, comparable to that of a good smartwatch.

This also applies to battery life. Without Bluetooth, the earbuds last a little over eight hours with ANC enabled before silently shutting off. The case offers enough power for about four full charges.

Conclusion

The Soundcore Sleep A30 are definitely earbuds that can help you fall asleep and stay asleep – even when lying on your side. Comfort issues can only arise with very firm pillows. The sound settings offer a huge range of options, the snore detection is good, and the active noise cancellation is okay. Whether the overall package actually works depends on your individual circumstances.