QuietOn 3.1 Sleep Earbuds review - data-backed performance tests (2024)

At times we are compensated for the links you click at no cost to you. Learn more about why you should trust our reviews and view our disclosure page.

Ever wish you could turn off the world just so you could get a good night’s sleep? Not all of us are lucky enough to sleep in a soundproof room but noise-cancelling earbuds are are the next best thing, if not better. Specifically designed to cancel out active noise while sleeping, in this QuietOn Earbuds 3.1 review we take a look at QuietOn Sleep’s latest sleep tech offering. But is it worth the splurge? Let’s find out.

Get an automatic 10% discount when you click the above button

QuietOn Earbuds 3.1 Review

Check Current Price | Best Smallest ANC Device for Sleep

Pros

• Active noise cancellation
• Long battery life
• Comes with a range of foam earplugs
• Comfortable even for side sleepers

Cons

• Some people may not be comfortable sleeping with anything in their ears
• Pretty pricey
• Foam ear tip can tear easily

Get an automatic 10% discount when you click the above button

Who should buy QuietON 3.1 Noise-Cancelling Earbuds?

Get an automatic 10% discount when you click the above button

People who have difficulty sleeping due to any noise are the ones who would benefit the most from buying active noise-cancelling earbuds like the QuietOn 3.1. Frequent flyers who mostly do long haul flights would also do well by choosing the QuietOn 3.1 earbuds as opposed to traditional earplugs.

Normal foam earplugs or silicone earplugs are not very good at total noise reduction which can be an issue when trying to get good quality sleep.

Design

At first glance, the QuietOn 3.1 wireless earbuds look sleek and small – smaller even than Air Pods or Bose Sleepbuds. In fact, they are reputed to be the world’s smallest noise-cancelling earbuds. They come encased in nifty little white and silver compact case that looks super stylish and you’d definitely want to have it out on your nightstand.

The case itself is also the charger for the earbuds and a usb-c cable is also included. The case is so small that it can fit into the palm of my hand.

Of course not everyone has the same sized ears so QuietOn has conveniently included 3 different sized foam tips from extra small to large. The earbuds themselves come pre-fitted with the small size, which I found fit snugly into my ear canal – and that’s what you want. You need the earbuds to fit snugly into your ear shape creating an airtight seal for them to mask out sound properly.

We found that the medium tips fit most people, as confirmed by verified reviews. Normal earplugs or regular foam earplugs tend to be either too small or too big for a person’s ear canal.

Like most noise-cancelling headphones and earbuds on the market, the QuietOn 3.1 earbuds feature active noise cancelling technology. But what does active noise cancellation really mean?

Proprietary noise masking tech per company may vary but active noise-cancelling headphones and earbuds have the ability to mask out not only external noise but low frequency noise as well. Examples of low frequency noises are anything from the sound of a snoring partner to distant traffic to the sound of a refrigerator humming to construction work.

Let’s face it, there’s nothing worse than not being able to sleep because of a partner’s snoring (you should convince them to try the ZQuiet mouthpiece in addition to blocking out the sound with earbuds).

But some people actually think ambient noises like the hum of household appliances to be relaxing sounds! If you’re one of them, you might want to look into the Bose Sleepbuds II.

While some people may find ambient noise to be relaxing enough to fall asleep to, not many do. This is where active noise-cancelling earbuds like the QuietOn 3.1 come in.

Unlike other noise-canceling earbuds however, the Quieton 3.1 does not feature a listening mode where you can listen to relaxing sounds nor can it play music. QuietOn Sleep earbuds are designed solely to drown out active noise allowing you to get good quality sleep night after night.

Performance

First, let’s talk comfort before anything else.

As I’ve mentioned, the QuietOn 3.1 earbuds come pre-fitted with the small ear tips which I found to be my perfect size. But if you need something bigger or smaller, changing the foam tips can be a bit fiddly. Fair warning: if you’ve got long nails like I do, changing the foam ear tips can result in a bit of tearing and snagging so please be very mindful when changing them out.

As soon as you take the Quieton 3.1 out of their charging case, it starts in the hearing mode. After 20 seconds, it then switches to noise cancelling. To switch modes back to hearing mode, the earbuds need to be in close proximity to the charging case, which can be tricky because it means if you still want to keep wearing the earbuds, you need to hold the charging case up to your ears.

Like most high-tech earbuds nowadays, there’s a designated left earbud and right earbud for each ear. Make sure you have the correct earbud in. Once you’ve inserted them into each ear, twist them ever so slightly to fit into your inner ear – you know you’re wearing them correctly when nothing juts out. You then have to wait a few seconds for the earbuds to adjust to fit.

Once they’re in, you do feel them but it’s nothing like earbuds that’s made from hard plastic. As someone who does not really like anything in my ear when I sleep, the QuietOn 3.1 felt surprisingly comfortable. No matter your sleeping position but especially if you’re a side sleeper, the QuietOn 3.1 feel malleable enough to be comfortable but solid enough not to fall out. Still, it took me a couple of nights of getting used to.

You know the feeling when you’re under water and everything seems still and yet you still here faint, muffled sounds? That’s how it feels like with the QuietOn earbuds on. The noise reduction rating of the QuietOn 3.1 has been tested up to 85dB. For reference, the highest NRR rating is only up to 33dB for earbuds. That goes to show just how active noise-cancelling these earbuds are.

The QuietOn 3.1 earbuds have a longer battery life, twice as long as its predecessor the QuietOn 3 which has now been discontinued. The QuietOn 3.1 has a battery life of up to 28 hours which in my case meant around 4-5 nights of continuous use.

For those of you worried about electromagnetic radiation, fear not. Since it has no bluetooth connectivity, it emits no radiation whatsoever.

But the QuietOn 3.1 need not just be used for sleeping. I found it pretty useful as well when travelling, especially on long haul flights. No more crying babies. I also found it to be helpful when I want to drown out noise when I’m out in a coffee shop working.

As for the downsides, these might not be the best earbuds to wear when you’re living alone and already faint of hearing – you might not hear any alarms and that’s not really a good thing. But all in all, I’m pretty satisfied with my QuietOn 3.1 earbuds.

Warranty

The QuietOn 3.1 comes with a 30 day risk-free return policy and comes backed by a 1 year international warranty.

Buy: QuietOn 3.1

About QuietOn

Based in Finland, QuietOn was developed by former Nokia engineers in 2015 through an Indiegogo campaign to massive success. With multiple iterations up until the latest 3.1 version, QuietOn Sleep has launched what is currently the world’s tiniest ANC device developed solely to promote a good night’s sleep.

• You can contact QuietOn Sleep via their contact support page.
• Instagram – @quieton
• Twitter – @quietonearplugs

FAQs

Conclusion

If you’re someone who needs total silence to be able to fall asleep and regular foam earplugs just won’t cut it anymore, you might like to look into getting noise cancelling headphones or earbuds like the QuietOn 3.1 that features active noise cancelling technology.

Next step: Try out QuietOn Noise-Cancelling Earbuds. If you sleep in a noisy environment, these are the best earbuds to buy. They block out all sounds so you can sleep through the night peacefully. If you aren’t sure which brand to go with, choose QuietOn.

Get an automatic 10% discount when you click the above button

Psst… the sleep review industry is full of liars, sharks, and thieves. It’s a modern-day version of getting ripped off at your local mattress store. So, why should you trust us?