I was excited when I saw Soundcore advertise their upcoming Sleep A20 earbuds as they seem tailor-made for me.  Sometimes when my mind is racing, I find that listening to an audiobook provides just enough distraction to fall asleep…but…

• The audiobook plays too long
• I start to get an annoying low-battery alert that wakes me up
• The earbud comes out and gets lost in the bedding
• I can’t roll onto my side because the earbud is uncomfortable

The Sleep A20 earbuds are intentionally designed for those for whom audio is a key tool for helping get a good night’s sleep, cinlduing:

• Soft touch materials
• Sound masking (can monitor snoring and give smart volume)
• Extremely long battery life (14 hours in sleep mode)
• Access to custom white noise/nature sounds
• Auto switch from audio source to sleep mode (white noise)
• Gives you sleep analytics

I was intrigued…and apparently many others were, too, as Soundcore has already had nearly 15K backers giving around 1.6 million on Kickstarter.  So how good are they? Find out in my thorough video review below, or by reading through my review notes found here…

Follow Me @ YouTube | Patreon |  Instagram | Facebook | DA Merchandise | Flickr | 500px | X

Thanks to Soundcore for sending me a review sample. As always, this is a completely independent review. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Features

• A lot in the box.
• Many configuration options
• Ear wings are part of custom fit
• Everything is very soft touch
• So low profile that they can be hard to see
• MUCH smaller than my Soundcore A20i buds
• Deep amount of customization options in the Soundcore app.
• Case can deliver up to 80 hours of playback (definitely does not need to be charged often!)

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

How I Used Them

• Traditional earbud things (music, audiobooks, video playback)
• Sleeping
• Running
• Mowing the grass

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Real World Observations

• Audio quality is good but not as much low end as the A20i, which are great bang for buck buds
• There is no single tap, and the tap controls aren’t as responsive as some other earbuds (intentional so to prevent disturbances in the night?)
• They are very soft touch and quite comfortable when sleeping (though not as comfortable as wearing nothing)
• Enough sound isolation to listen to an audio book while using a lawn tractor
• Snore-masking works pretty well – more like a distant rumble (you feel it, not just hear it when sharing a bed)
• Battery life is very impressive for both normal and sleep modes.  I tested smart switch one night and started listening to an audiobook, fell asleep, and it switched to nature sounds.  In the morning (8 hours later) the buds still showed 50% battery life)
• Minimal thudding while running – gets worse over distance (don’t feel loose but must loosen).
• Capable of getting a great fit: never feel like they are going to fall out.
• Can have alarm go directly to ear bud to avoid disturbing others
• Find device mode will emit a beeping signal to help you find lost earbuds
• Charging case works well – lights up corresponding to which earbuds is charging (or both)

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Conclusion

I’ve enjoyed using the Soundcore Sleep A20 earbuds. They do seem purpose designed for my use, and I appreciate the careful thought into helping people like me block out noises and get a good night’s sleep. My chief annoyance is that they aren’t as responsive to tap as what I would like, which makes me less likely to reach for them while work (if my hands are dirty, I want them to quickly respond to tap input). My favorite aspects of them is how low profile they are in my ears and the amazing battery life. The Smart Switch option to transition from Bluetooth mode (audiobook for me) to Sleep mode is perfect.

These are fantastic if you plan to use the sleep function, but if that isn’t really your thing, considering different earbuds that are more tailored to your priorities. Soundcore makes a lot of quality earbuds that cost less, so you’ll have to determine if the sleep functions are worth $120-150 USD to you.

_________________________________________________________________________

Purchase the Anker Soundcore from Soundcore | Amazon | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Germany

_________________________________________________________________

Want to support this channel? Use these affiliate links to shop at: B&H Photo | Amazon | Adorama | Camera Canada | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Ebay | Make a donation via Paypal

Buy DA Merchandise https://bit.ly/TWIMerch

Keywords: Sleep A20, Sleep A20 Review, Anker, Soundcore, Bluetooth, Noise Cancelling, Sleep, 14 hour battery, Hands On, Review, Dustin Abbott, demonstration, photography, Peak Design, Heipi, #Neewer, let the light in, #letthelightin, DA, #da