Today I would like to review Advanced Sound Group's new model, the Sleeper. I was sent a pair free of charge to try out and review. I have spent over a week with them and have tested them out in various uses. They are marketed as a model designed sleeping and travel. I tested them in bed, outside walking/running around, and basic traveling such as a commute. The Sleeper is only $19.99 and can be found on the ADV website: https://www.adv-sound.com/products/sleeper
Specifications
Driver unit Full-range dynamic driver
Impedance 16 Ohm+/-15%
Sensitivity 90dB+/-3dB at 1kHz
Frequency response 20Hz – 20kHz
Rated power input 3mW
Max. input power 5mW
Cord length 1.2M
Plug 3.5mm gold plated
In The Box
In the small and simple box are only the earphones and two small cards for registration of the product and the warranty.
Design
The Sleeper is designed to be small and unobtrusive. Easy to use. Good for travel and when sleeping. They have integrated the one button mic remote into the Y-join so you may sleep without a small pod on one side of your face bothering you. The cabling after the Y is color coded red and black for easier right and left identification. The housings are a soft and flexible one piece silicone rubber sheathing that incorporates the ear tips. The cable has a decent rubber like covering. The cable ends in a straight or "I" shaped plug.
Design Thoughts
What did I think of the design? How did it work for me in my time with them? I found the Sleeper a bit of a mixed bag. A bit hit or miss that depended on the use. I found that the small housing did allow wind noise more than a ear filling design might. Though if used for sleep or travel in a car or bus/train that would not be an issue. I like the color coded cables. No looking for little dots or letters to Identify L and R. The small one piece silicone design is small and great for laying down and wearing any type of head wear or scarf over them. Though not being able to changes tips did not let me get above average isolation. The tips are a tapering narrower to the front design with no other way to change width and they are fairly soft and average thickness of the silicone layer itself. Fit is not difficult and won't stick out at all. The after Y length is shorter so the mic is at a higher level. This did hinder over the ear wearing for me being a bit over six feet in height. There is also no chin slider if you do prefer one. The rubber cable going practically straight into the ear cabling did transmit some noise more than average so a clip would be useful and using one did help me on this front. I did pass this along to ADV and they were quite agreeable in that a cable clip was a good idea and may be a future batch add on. This will sort out the microphonics nicely. I like what they were trying with the design though, in my time spent living with them, I did have some positives and negatives.
Sound
The Sleeper is a well tuned earphone. Always nice to see solid tuning for $20 and also tuned for it's intended use situations. It is both neutral leaning in it's tuning but also weighted nicely. Decent clarity yet some warmth and weight to it lending itself nicely to lower level bed listening and travel. Does not sound thin or bass light in bed with less volume. Has a little bloom that sheds off against external sound but doesn't lose too much substance or weight outdoors either. Smooth and level on the treble so you can use higher volumes without them getting shouty. Enough treble is there to not disappear and dull them in lower listening situations.
Solid SQ level for the $20 you pay. The overall balance is very good. The treble shows enough to be heard in the mix and give some detail but still be polite. The mids are a nice focus making them great for podcasts and watching shows on your phone. The bass is well done like the treble is having a very even character. The emphasis is lower on the spectrum since the midbass is not boosted. The reach is decent but seems even better since the lowest end is the most emphasized part of the bass. The bass is also quite tight so it has a good amount of decay that has weight but does not slow it down like a consumer tuned earphone might. This tightness shows a bit more detail and gives some air/space to the bass notes. Well done bass that is both pleasant and realistic and has just enough resolution to not feel lacking. The mids and treble do exhibit the same traits so the Sleeper is coherent and closely matches the graph you'll find on their site. They exhibit a "W" type of sound with the focus at good points; the lower of the lows, the rising through the vocal range, and a small hump boosting between 5K and 10K just enough to give some extension and focus so cymbals and such don't get too smoothed and buried. Sound stage is average and has a bit less depth than width or height. A little bit of air as to not be cramped but I would not call the Sleeper very open airy. I might think making them more airy would hurt the weight that makes them good for sleep and travel situations so that is not a bad thing. Very well tuned with just enough technical ability for your $20. Nicely done!
Overall
The Sleeper are not much too look at. They are not about that. You most likely see no more of them than a cable sticking out of someone's ears. They are not about that. They are about being small and easy to use and being pleasing on the ears in most listening situations. I gave them 3.5 out of 5 stars taking off for zero accessories, more limited size range of the one tip option(the more handy can certainly tweak the tips for best fit if needed) and for having some wind and cable noise when out running around in the real world. You may find hoods, hats, and cable clips help out so you may find they are a 4 out of 5 for you. Or if your use is indeed sleep or sitting on a bus or in a car those issues will not factor in as much. The sound quality side of the coin is very solid with a well done purposeful tuning that will appeal to most looking at the Sleeper. The sound proved enjoyable and issue free in most situations and with all devices I tried them with. They are indeed an nice little sleeper model that fills the niche they are marketed for.
Specifications
Driver unit Full-range dynamic driver
Impedance 16 Ohm+/-15%
Sensitivity 90dB+/-3dB at 1kHz
Frequency response 20Hz – 20kHz
Rated power input 3mW
Max. input power 5mW
Cord length 1.2M
Plug 3.5mm gold plated
In The Box
In the small and simple box are only the earphones and two small cards for registration of the product and the warranty.
Design
The Sleeper is designed to be small and unobtrusive. Easy to use. Good for travel and when sleeping. They have integrated the one button mic remote into the Y-join so you may sleep without a small pod on one side of your face bothering you. The cabling after the Y is color coded red and black for easier right and left identification. The housings are a soft and flexible one piece silicone rubber sheathing that incorporates the ear tips. The cable has a decent rubber like covering. The cable ends in a straight or "I" shaped plug.
Design Thoughts
What did I think of the design? How did it work for me in my time with them? I found the Sleeper a bit of a mixed bag. A bit hit or miss that depended on the use. I found that the small housing did allow wind noise more than a ear filling design might. Though if used for sleep or travel in a car or bus/train that would not be an issue. I like the color coded cables. No looking for little dots or letters to Identify L and R. The small one piece silicone design is small and great for laying down and wearing any type of head wear or scarf over them. Though not being able to changes tips did not let me get above average isolation. The tips are a tapering narrower to the front design with no other way to change width and they are fairly soft and average thickness of the silicone layer itself. Fit is not difficult and won't stick out at all. The after Y length is shorter so the mic is at a higher level. This did hinder over the ear wearing for me being a bit over six feet in height. There is also no chin slider if you do prefer one. The rubber cable going practically straight into the ear cabling did transmit some noise more than average so a clip would be useful and using one did help me on this front. I did pass this along to ADV and they were quite agreeable in that a cable clip was a good idea and may be a future batch add on. This will sort out the microphonics nicely. I like what they were trying with the design though, in my time spent living with them, I did have some positives and negatives.
Sound
The Sleeper is a well tuned earphone. Always nice to see solid tuning for $20 and also tuned for it's intended use situations. It is both neutral leaning in it's tuning but also weighted nicely. Decent clarity yet some warmth and weight to it lending itself nicely to lower level bed listening and travel. Does not sound thin or bass light in bed with less volume. Has a little bloom that sheds off against external sound but doesn't lose too much substance or weight outdoors either. Smooth and level on the treble so you can use higher volumes without them getting shouty. Enough treble is there to not disappear and dull them in lower listening situations.
Solid SQ level for the $20 you pay. The overall balance is very good. The treble shows enough to be heard in the mix and give some detail but still be polite. The mids are a nice focus making them great for podcasts and watching shows on your phone. The bass is well done like the treble is having a very even character. The emphasis is lower on the spectrum since the midbass is not boosted. The reach is decent but seems even better since the lowest end is the most emphasized part of the bass. The bass is also quite tight so it has a good amount of decay that has weight but does not slow it down like a consumer tuned earphone might. This tightness shows a bit more detail and gives some air/space to the bass notes. Well done bass that is both pleasant and realistic and has just enough resolution to not feel lacking. The mids and treble do exhibit the same traits so the Sleeper is coherent and closely matches the graph you'll find on their site. They exhibit a "W" type of sound with the focus at good points; the lower of the lows, the rising through the vocal range, and a small hump boosting between 5K and 10K just enough to give some extension and focus so cymbals and such don't get too smoothed and buried. Sound stage is average and has a bit less depth than width or height. A little bit of air as to not be cramped but I would not call the Sleeper very open airy. I might think making them more airy would hurt the weight that makes them good for sleep and travel situations so that is not a bad thing. Very well tuned with just enough technical ability for your $20. Nicely done!
Overall
The Sleeper are not much too look at. They are not about that. You most likely see no more of them than a cable sticking out of someone's ears. They are not about that. They are about being small and easy to use and being pleasing on the ears in most listening situations. I gave them 3.5 out of 5 stars taking off for zero accessories, more limited size range of the one tip option(the more handy can certainly tweak the tips for best fit if needed) and for having some wind and cable noise when out running around in the real world. You may find hoods, hats, and cable clips help out so you may find they are a 4 out of 5 for you. Or if your use is indeed sleep or sitting on a bus or in a car those issues will not factor in as much. The sound quality side of the coin is very solid with a well done purposeful tuning that will appeal to most looking at the Sleeper. The sound proved enjoyable and issue free in most situations and with all devices I tried them with. They are indeed an nice little sleeper model that fills the niche they are marketed for.
