Disclaimer: We may receive a commission for products purchased through some links in this article.
Best White Noise Machines Reviewed
As first-time parents, we didn’t know what we didn’t know. There were (and still are) a lot of lessons to learn, and aside from just diving into being mommy, we didn’t have a clue where to start.
When we had our first child, it didn’t take too long before my husband noticed our daughter falling asleep nearly instantly every time I turned on the vacuum cleaner. So naturally, he jumped on the iPad and found a white noise app that we turned on during nap time. But we soon found that we wanted to actually use the iPad, rather than have it banished to our daughter’s bedroom!
That’s when we started looking around for the best white noise machine for babies. Unfortunately, what we initially found was not overly impressive. But we didn’t let that stop us.
We bought our first white noise machine online, and though it had fairly decent reviews, the sound quality degraded over just a few short months. Something started rattling inside whenever we turned it on, and there was a noticeable loop where the recording re-started. On top of that, from across the hall it sounded like a mechanical, repetitive racket, and it started keeping me awake at night.
We picked up a second sound machine online, which was as equally disappointing as the first. On top of poor sound quality, it stopped working entirely after a month.
As things often go, the third time was the charm! We bought our third and final white noise machine online from Amazon, and we have been happy and satisfied with it for over two years.
You can see that sound machine as our #1 pick for the best white noise machine for babies in our depth review below.
With that said, your might like some of the features provided by a different white noise machine model than the one we use. After all, there are a number of things worth considering that could particularly appeal to you or your kids. After searching far and wide for an acceptable sound machine, we want to help you find what you are looking for. Check out which features to consider below, or jump down to the quick comparison chart for fast and accessible answers to all you questions.
Check out our White Noise Machine
Top White Noise Machines Comparison Chart
Best White Noise Machine
1. Adaptive Sound Technologies LectroFan High Fidelity White Noise Sound Machine
Adaptive Sound Technologies LectroFan High Fidelity White Noise Sound Machine
At the top pf our list of best sound machines is the high fidelity Lectrofan from Adaptive Sound Technologies.
Yes, this is the sound machine our family has adopted and loves.
After purchasing a number of other white noise machines, this one outperformed all the rest, and helps our kids sleep like angels.
When Adaptive Sound Technologies was developing its new LectroFan, it’s clear that the firm wanted to do a lot more than simply stuff a fan in a box. The sound quality is unmistakeable, and the modern technology of the device enables it to give parents and their babies far more effective and customizable white noise (and other varieties for that matter) than the older types of sound machines.
The device comes with ten fans sounds, as well as ten pre-installed white noise variations that Adaptive Sound Technologies designed to block out a variety of ambient noises that might interrupt your sleep patterns. The machine is simply ideal for babies who struggle to sleep soundly in noisy environments, as well as adults who suffer from restless sleep.
Let’s start with the many positives of the device. First, Adaptive Sound Technologies gives you a choice of how you want to power it. You can either hook it up to USB or connect it to a main AC socket adapter.
The choice of power connections is a bigger deal than you might imagine. Sometimes you’ll want to power the unit from nearby devices like PC’s or laptops instead of searching high and low for another AC plug.
The other prominent feature of the device is the sleep timer. You can set when you want the noise to start and when you want it to shut off, depending on your child’s sleep patterns.
There is plenty of good news to share with this device. One of the things we love the most is the “smoothness” of the white noise that comes through the speaker. While the volume control allows it to get plenty loud enough, it also has ten variations of white noise that range from lower frequencies that have more “rumble” up through higher frequencies that sound more like old-school TV static.
With incredible volume and frequency variation, you are sure to find a setting you and your loved one’s will enjoy.
These customizable settings have had exceptionally positive effects on our babies sleep patterns. If you’re in the market for a white noise machine to block out the sound of your other kids, neighbors, or other background sounds, we don’t hesitate to pint you toward Adaptive Sound Technologies’ LectroFan.
2. HoMedics Ultra-Portable Rechargeable Sound Machine
HoMedics Ultra-Portable Rechargeable Sound Machine
While having multiple power adaptor options is a boon for the LectroFan, you still need to plug it in for it to work. The same doesn’t apply, however, to the HoMedics Ultra-Portable Rechargeable Sound Machine.
As you might imagine from the branding, batteries power the HoMedics white noise device, meaning that you can take it anywhere you like. When you think about it, that makes a lot of sense. Parents with young children and babies travel all the time, meaning that they often need a way of portably canceling noise. Thus, at-home white noise machines simply won’t suffice.
The great advantage of the HoMedics, and why it is one of the best sound machine products on the market is that it’s the only device you need in your quiver. You don’t need two separate machines – one for when you leave the house, and one for when you’re at home. It’s all right here in one device.
One of the concerns that people have with portable devices is that they sacrifice on features. With the HoMedics, however, that’s not the case. The compact machine provides twelve sounds, including fan (which is similar to regular white noise), ocean, energize, rainforest, and zen.
Durability isn’t an issue, either. HoMedics constructed its white noise machine with strength in mind. It’s the sort of product you can take on multiple family holidays and even use at the beach without having to worry about any of the internals becoming damaged.
Are there any downsides to this machine? We were hard-pressed to find any. However, there has been the odd quality control issue here and there for some customers.
3. Sound+Sleep High Fidelity Sleep Sound Machine
Sound+Sleep High Fidelity Sleep Sound Machine
The Sound+Sleep High Fidelity Sleep Sound Machine is by far the most sophisticated white noise product we’ve seen in this review so far. The front of the device is awash with dials and buttons, like an old stereo. It allows you to adjust practically any function, including the display, volume, type of noise, and even the so-called “richness” of the sound.
In total, the Sound+Sleep High Fidelity Sleep Sound Machine offers more than thirty sound environments and ten categories – different types of sounds for different situations. While Sound+Sleep market the product for parents with babies, it’s clear that the company wants to appeal to a broader audience than this. The Sound+Sleep High Fidelity Sleep Sound Machine, for instance, comes with an audio jack, allowing you to enjoy private relaxation.
What’s fascinating is the sheer amount of technology that Sound+Sleep has managed to cram into the device. The machine dynamically adjusts the noise it emits based on the sounds that it can detect. Thus, if traffic noise outside your baby’s window is loud, then the device will ramp up the volume. Likewise, if the sound goes down through the night, so too will that of the machine. Sound+Sleep, therefore, cares about more than merely creating a device that will generate noise. They’ve built something that will optimize your baby’s sound environment for the best sleep possible.
The only downside to the device is the quality of the construction. While it has a premium look, the components are somewhat lacking. The speakers, for instance, aren’t of particularly high quality. There’s a tendency for some of the sounds to take on a kazoo-like tone. And while this might not affect the experience of the baby, it is something that marks the Sound+Sleep High Fidelity Sleep Sound Machine apart from its closest rivals.
4. White Noise Machine from AVANTEK
White Noise Machine from AVANTEK
Listening to sounds that loop over and over again is annoying, even for adults. Avantek, therefore, set about creating a machine that could generate reliable non-looping sounds, continually chopping and changing while your baby sleeps while also blocking out noise. The result is the company’s white noise machine – a value-oriented product that comes with a variety of noise and time settings.
The Avantek speaker is surprisingly high quality and approved by the FCC and RoHS. It goes up to 115 dB, though you will probably never need to take it that high. What’s more, it’s adept at producing crisp and realistic-sounding sounds, not something synthetic. From the perspective of your baby, it is very much like they’re listening to raindrops or the sounds of an ancient forest.
When it comes to fiddling around with how long noise plays, you have two options. One is to put the white noise machine on continuous play mode that will keep going until you switch it off. The other is to put it in timer mode, which allows you to set the duration that sounds play between one and seven hours. Fundamentally, it depends on how long you expect your baby to sleep and how bad the noise environment is.
Most parents want white noise machines that do the following: They must be able to get loud enough to block out sounds coming from outside where a baby sleeps. They must also be able to play a variety of sounds, including “brown.” They must be tough enough to withstand babies, and, finally, they must shut off.
The great thing about the Avantek is that it delivers on all these points, making it an ideal product for parents who want a machine to cancel out sounds for their babies.
5. LectroFan Evo White Noise Sound Machine
LectroFan Evo White Noise Sound Machine
The LectroFan Evo White Noise Sound Machine is a stylish, small, charcoal-colored device that features both USB and AC power options (like the other LectroFan we reviewed above). The device will run for eight hours straight and offers a variety of white, pink, brown, and blue/ocean noises for your baby.
As a white noise machine baby device, the LectroFan is, in many ways, ideal. It’s small, robust, and will easily fit on all but the most modest of bedside tables. It is portable, so you can’t take it with you on trips or long car journeys, and it comes with a USB adaptor included, allowing you to plug it into your vehicle.
The LectroFan Evo is undoubtedly one of the best white noise machines online. There are plenty of sound options, and the quality is exceptionally high owing to the quality of the speaker unit. One of the excellent features of the machine is that it remembers the track and settings you chose the last time that you turned it on, meaning that you’re not forever playing with dials. You just push the button, and off it goes.
The Evo, however, isn’t as sophisticated as some of the other products we’ve seen in this review. Yes, there is a range of timer settings, but it won’t adjust the sound output to the environment. If you want to change the noise because the sound of traffic outside has died down, you’ll have to do it yourself.
Overall, the LectroFan Evo is probably the most reliable product on the market right now. While it doesn’t have some of the features of the most expensive sound machine for kids out there, it does come with a host of impressive features. LectroFan wants to make white noise machines accessible and easy to use for parents, and this is precisely where the Evo delivers.
Top White Noise Machine Features To Consider
Sound Quality
Right at the top of the list for our family is the quality of the sound. The best white noise machines will have no recognizable loop and will produce rich sound in a wide range of frequencies. In layman’s terms, that translates into not just high pitched, harsh, or hissy sounds, but a well-rounded mix of sounds, like those that naturally occur from the hum produced by a fan, vacuum, or vehicle.
Sound Variety
Some of the most common sounds that people are looking for in a good sound machine for kids are white noise sounds. Today’s top white noise machines often allow for modulating these sounds into either higher or lower pitches depending on your preferences. Fan sounds are infamous among those enjoy sleeping with a gentle hum. Another common category of sounds is the nature sounds. Whether peeping frogs in a forest, ocean waves, or a distant rumbling thunderstorm, nature sounds have a nice soothing effect that can help all ages sleep well.
Non-Repeating
This is a big one for me personally. Repeating loops catch my ear and become very annoying. Even worse, some repeating loops are so short that they begin to sound mechanical, like a factory machine is running in the next room. Quality sound machines feature high fidelity digital recordings that mix in a variety of sounds so no discernable repeating loop is heard.
Power Source
Typically, sound machines for babies are going to be plugged-in to AC power outlets in their bedroom. But being able to use your white noise machine with a variety of power sources is very helpful, particularly when your family is traveling. In those situations, having a rechargeable battery powered sound machine is pretty nice, but USB power can also be helpful for convenient charging from a laptop or computer.