Soundcore Sleep A20 Earbuds Review
Soundcore Sleep A20 Earbuds: Comfortable, long-lasting with sleep-focused features. Ideal for side sleepers. No ANC or mic.
Soundcore Sleep A20 earbuds are the newest in Anker’s Soundcore series, following Sleep A10 from 2022. These earbuds are designed to help you fall asleep and stay asleep longer.
I often have trouble sleeping and usually use foam earplugs to block out noise, though I miss listening to podcasts. My AirPods Pro 2 have great noise cancellation but aren’t comfortable for side sleepers. So, I was eager to try Sleep A20, which are made for side sleepers.
Sleep A20s might be a good choice if you’re a side sleeper needing comfortable earbuds for sleep. However, they don’t block out noise very well, so they might not be best for people who have trouble sleeping or are light sleepers.
Table of Contents
Main Points
- Audio Quality: Sound isn’t the best, but it’s okay for sleep.
- Comfort: Comfortable for side sleepers with various ear tips for a good fit.
- Battery Life and Features: Long battery life and sleep-tracking data available in Soundcore app.
Soundcore Sleep A20 Earbuds Specification
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Price | $149 / £119 |
| Colors Available | Beige |
| Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) | No |
| Battery Life | 14 hours (Sleep mode) / 10 hours (Bluetooth mode) |
| Charging Case Battery Life | 80 hours (Sleep mode) / 55 hours (Bluetooth mode) |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.3 |
| Durability | IPX4 (Splashproof) |
| Control Type | Tap controls |
| Design Features | Soft-touch plastic case, rubber padding for comfort |
| Additional Features | Sleep-tracking data via Soundcore app, customizable controls, sleep sounds |
Soundcore Sleep A20 earbuds Review: Price & Availability
Soundcore Sleep A20 earbuds came out in Spring 2024 and cost $149 in US or £119 in UK. They are quite pricey. If you’re looking for a more affordable option, previous model, Sleep A10, is still available and costs $129 in US or £109 in UK.
You can buy Sleep A20s from Soundcore’s official website or on Amazon. Right now, they are only available in beige color.
Soundcore Sleep A20 Review: Features
Sleep A20 earbuds are designed to help you sleep, so they don’t include some features you might expect in a $149 set of earbuds. For example- they don’t have a microphone for phone calls, and they don’t offer active noise cancellation (ANC). These features are left out to keep earbuds small and comfortable for side sleepers.
Sleep A20s also lack wear detection. This means that even if you take them out of your ears, they will keep playing. I found this out when the earbuds fell out during the night and continued to play. When I tried to use them again in the morning, the battery was already dead.
However, Sleep A20s have some useful features when you use them with the Soundcore app. You can set an alarm that plays through the earbuds and choose from a variety of soothing sounds like rain, campfire, or white noise to help you sleep. App also has ping feature, which helps you find earbuds if they fall out during the night.
Soundcore Sleep A20 Review: Design
Soundcore Sleep A20 earbuds are built with a premium feel and look. Their case is shaped like a matte beige pebble and made from soft-touch plastic. It has a brushed metal Soundcore logo and three small lights that gently flash to show the status of earbuds. On the back of the case, you’ll find a USB-C port for charging and a button for Bluetooth connections.
Opening the case gives a satisfying ‘thunk,’ and earbuds click into place magnetically. Even though the case is somewhat large, it is lightweight, so it’s easy to carry around without noticing it much.
Earbuds themselves match the case with soft-touch plastic and a brushed metal logo. They have a lot of rubber padding around them. This padding is very important for comfort, especially if you sleep on your side. Regular earbuds can be uncomfortable when lying on your side but Sleep A20 earbuds are designed to be more comfortable.
Rubber padding helps cushion the ear’s different parts, so the earbuds don’t press into your ear. Plus, earbuds are designed to be low-profile, meaning they don’t stick out too much from your ear. This design helps reduce pressure from your pillow, making earbuds more comfortable to use while you sleep.
Soundcore Sleep A20 Review: Controls
Soundcore Sleep A20 earbuds use tap controls which can be tricky to use. Sometimes, they register double tap when you are trying to perform triple tap, making them hard to operate accurately. There is no single tap option, so you only have four possible controls (which can do different things on each ear). This limited number of controls can be somewhat restrictive. However, you can customize these controls using Soundcore app, which is helpful feature.
Soundcore Sleep A20 Review: Passive Noise Reduction
Instead of having active noise cancellation (ANC), the Sleep A20 earbuds focus on passive noise reduction. They use two rubber seals: one on the eartip and another seal around the ear canal.
Soundcore claims the earbuds produce “noise masking sounds” to cover up unwanted noises, like snoring. However, these sounds are more like white noise from the Soundcore app and don’t work very well at masking loud sounds. In my tests, the noise masking sounded tinny and didn’t block out loud noises like snoring.
Earbuds also have adaptive volume control, which adjusts the volume based on the noise level around you, using your phone’s microphone and the Soundcore app. I found that noise reduction was poor. On my commute, the earbuds didn’t block out the noise from voices, cars, or the train. In a quiet room, they could block some noise but not enough to prevent me from hearing soft sounds, like a whisper or my dog moving.
Soundcore Sleep A20 Review: Sleep Performance & Comfort
I usually have trouble falling asleep and often use my phone’s speakers to help me relax. The Sleep A20 earbuds were a big improvement because they delivered audio directly into my ears, making it easier to fall asleep.
On the first night, I fell asleep before the end of a piece of music. On the second night, I fell asleep during a podcast episode. The earbuds initially fell out during the night, but switching to a smaller ear tip solved this problem. While using earbuds to sleep on my side for a few hours, I had to wake up every three to four hours because of some pain. Even though my ears aren’t very sensitive, discomfort could nonetheless bother other people. These earphones are uncomfortable and their lackluster noise suppression makes me wonder if they’re appropriate for those who have difficulties falling asleep.
Soundcore Sleep A20 Review: Sound Quality
Sleep A20 earbuds are not designed for high audio performance. When I first used them outside, I was disappointed because they couldn’t handle low and mid frequencies well, only producing tinny high frequencies.
These earbuds are meant for use in quiet environments, not outdoors. Testing them in a quiet setting, I was pleasantly surprised by the sound quality. For example, the low bass notes in some songs were clear, and the midtones in guitar riffs sounded good. However, the high frequencies, like drum cymbals, always sounded tinny.
Soundcore Sleep A20 Review: Battery Life
Sleep A20 earbuds have a battery life of up to 14 hours in Sleep mode (playing background noise) and up to 80 hours with the charging case. In Bluetooth audio mode, they last about 10 hours on their own and 55 hours with the case.
While I didn’t measure the battery life precisely, the figures seem accurate. I used the earbuds for 2-3 hours during the day and then while sleeping. They ran out of battery after about 7-8 hours, which fits with the expected 10-hour battery life in Bluetooth mode.
Soundcore Sleep A20 Earbuds Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Durable build | Ineffective noise reduction for light sleepers |
| Stylish design | Sound quality is low outdoors |
| Comfortable for side sleepers | No ear detection feature |
| Helps with falling asleep | Expensive |
Conclusion
Soundcore Sleep A20 earbuds have some limitations. The passive noise reduction is not very effective for sleep, and the earbuds aren’t suitable for use in loud environments or for high-quality music listening due to weak drivers. The controls are awkward, and the price is quite high.
However, if you need earbuds to help you fall asleep or want a comfortable option for side sleeping, the Sleep A20s could be worth trying. They offer a relaxing and immersive audio experience, making it easier to fall asleep. But the poor noise reduction might not be enough for people who need better quality sleep. While they help you drift off, they may not keep you asleep throughout the night.
