Zanth
SHAman who knew of Head-Fi ten years prior to its existence
- Joined
- Oct 11, 2001
- Posts
- 9,570
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- 46
I have long been a member of Team Sleep. That is, when I get some, I usually want to be soothed into a nice dream state by some quality tunes. Historically I have used Koss KSC 35's or Ety's to fall asleep with. I don't move much in my sleep, so if I were to fall asleep on my back, I usually wake up in that position. Phones in tact!
I prefer, however, to sleep on my side. Herein lies the problem!
As most know, headphones and laying on one's side is generally a pain in the er...ear? I have been in contact with a very knowledgable head-fier who has just recently purchased the Sensaphonic 2x-s series and loves them for sleeping. Thing is...1k + CAD for these babies! That is a lot of coin for sleep phones!
I have been researching pillows for quite some time. I had used the run of the mill foamies for the first 23 years or so of my life before going with an extra firm Ralph Lauren king sized foam pillow. This did me well for 5 years but after the third year, the foam had significantly lost its firmness and the results were kinks in my neck, poor sleep all around and well...certainly no headphone listening with a foam pillow! Not on my side anyway.
I read about memory foam pillows from the best companies, but again, I would need to buy IEM's to sleep on my side. My search was primarily for a solid, firm, amazing pillow, music was secondary. I finally came upon the buckwheat filled phenomenon.
Quote:
I was interested in this mainly because of the fill, and the fact that it would seemingly be akin to beanbags but with better support AND the ability to nudge a nice pocket for whatever phones I wanted to wear!
I read for 6 months before finally deciding to go with Many Moons. They are a Canadian based company (yeh for cheap shipping and no import taxes/duties/charges!) and they, from repeated conversations, seemed to know what they were talking about, at least more so than the other companies I spoke with. There are a few companies located right in my own city, but their products were quite subpar compared to the Many Moons offerings.
Why buckwheat?
Well as I said, besides the fact that I could theoretically nudge a pocket for the cup of any phone while have my neck and head supported by nice soft but firm support, I was chomping to have a test run. However, sleep is the key here are the major advantages of buckwheat pillows (particularly from Many Moons):
Quote:
So I whipped out my cc, bought two (one for me, one for my wife) and received the pillows two days later. One first notes how HEAVY 7 lbs of fill is (I bought two of these). The heavy cotton casing and covering were really nice and exuded quality but the real test was how well I could sleep with one of these!
The first night I tried with all 7 lbs. I was warned against this. Most folks need 3 lbs or less and keep the other fill for rolling in later after the husks start to compress in a 5-6 years. I went all out and found that well...7 lbs was too much. The pillow was far too firm and there was no way I could make a pocket for any headphones. There was simply no room! So I took out 2 lbs the next night and finally ended up with a pillow with 3.5-4 lbs of fill the final and all subsequent nights.
I have never slept so well in my life! Oh the support! I just need to reposition a tiny bit of fill around my head to make the perfect pocket for myself. My wife who is horribly restless and moves a lot in her sleep, doesn't find that she needs to adjust ever, she has 3 lbs in there and her head is always supported. Therefore, it is not as if one needs to keep repositioning the fill for a quality "fit." The best part was when I tried some Grados! I was able to lay on my side without a problem and could enjoy the sound had it not been for the fact that well...Grados are open for a reason! Closing off the chamber is simply a no no (at least for me) and so I tried with the big R10's! (Yes call me nuts). Well...not a problem at all! I could lay on my side, listen as I fell asleep and never have to worry!
Mind you, I didn't actually fall asleep, I just tested it out. R10's are just too fragile for me to give it a night's worth of testing. However, it leaves me to believe that a nice cheap but closed headphone could really do the trick! Maybe the likes of an Ultrazone?
Of course, I was mainly after a very good pillow, and I found one. The fact that its design also facilitates full-sized headphone listening is a purk I was very pleased to enjoy. I may still go after some 2x-s' in the future but for now, I can easily lay on my side with Ety's and not have to worry I am going to pierce my brain in the middle of the night.
(1) http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/hort/f...Buckhulls.html
(2) http://catalog.com/organic/buckwheat/buckben.html
I prefer, however, to sleep on my side. Herein lies the problem!
I have been researching pillows for quite some time. I had used the run of the mill foamies for the first 23 years or so of my life before going with an extra firm Ralph Lauren king sized foam pillow. This did me well for 5 years but after the third year, the foam had significantly lost its firmness and the results were kinks in my neck, poor sleep all around and well...certainly no headphone listening with a foam pillow! Not on my side anyway.
I read about memory foam pillows from the best companies, but again, I would need to buy IEM's to sleep on my side. My search was primarily for a solid, firm, amazing pillow, music was secondary. I finally came upon the buckwheat filled phenomenon.
Quote:
| Buckwheat hulls are a byproduct of buckwheat milling. Flattened hulls are used as a high-quality mulch that is much sought-after by rosarians. In Japan, they are a traditional filling for pillows. For a number of years, orthopedic buckwheat hull pillows have been available in the US. A few years ago, a series of infomercials on television for "Sobakawa" pillows have increased awareness of buckwheat hull pillows, and demand for the hulls is great. A serious shortage of buckwheat hulls resulted. In the fall of 1997, several suppliers began marketing large quantities of hulls, both imported and domestically grown. By fall, 1998, industry sources said that the boom was fading some. (1) |
I was interested in this mainly because of the fill, and the fact that it would seemingly be akin to beanbags but with better support AND the ability to nudge a nice pocket for whatever phones I wanted to wear!
I read for 6 months before finally deciding to go with Many Moons. They are a Canadian based company (yeh for cheap shipping and no import taxes/duties/charges!) and they, from repeated conversations, seemed to know what they were talking about, at least more so than the other companies I spoke with. There are a few companies located right in my own city, but their products were quite subpar compared to the Many Moons offerings.
Why buckwheat?
Well as I said, besides the fact that I could theoretically nudge a pocket for the cup of any phone while have my neck and head supported by nice soft but firm support, I was chomping to have a test run. However, sleep is the key here are the major advantages of buckwheat pillows (particularly from Many Moons):
Quote:
| Provide extreme comfort; Conform to your anatomy; Provide support to head, neck and spine; Help keep the head cool as air passes through the hulls - a cool head temperature helps some people sleep well; Provide soft, yet firm support. They are comfortable for sleeping on your back or on your side; The zippered pillow cover allows for easy addition or removal of hulls and is made from 100% organic Texas grown cotton. The filling is made from 100% organically grown buckwheat hullss Other advantages of the buckwheat hull filling are the "cool in the summer, warm in the winter" insulating properties. Pillow may be chilled in the freezer to offer an even greater cooling effect - great for hot summer nights! The filling also lasts for many years, making the pillow the best value specialty pillow on the market. Long after other pillows have collapsed and worn out, a buckwheat hull pillow will still be fully functional. Buckwheat hull pillows are also environmentally friendly - for each pillow put to use, it will save the manufacturing of the synthetic filling for ten or more ordinary pillows. (2) |
So I whipped out my cc, bought two (one for me, one for my wife) and received the pillows two days later. One first notes how HEAVY 7 lbs of fill is (I bought two of these). The heavy cotton casing and covering were really nice and exuded quality but the real test was how well I could sleep with one of these!
The first night I tried with all 7 lbs. I was warned against this. Most folks need 3 lbs or less and keep the other fill for rolling in later after the husks start to compress in a 5-6 years. I went all out and found that well...7 lbs was too much. The pillow was far too firm and there was no way I could make a pocket for any headphones. There was simply no room! So I took out 2 lbs the next night and finally ended up with a pillow with 3.5-4 lbs of fill the final and all subsequent nights.
I have never slept so well in my life! Oh the support! I just need to reposition a tiny bit of fill around my head to make the perfect pocket for myself. My wife who is horribly restless and moves a lot in her sleep, doesn't find that she needs to adjust ever, she has 3 lbs in there and her head is always supported. Therefore, it is not as if one needs to keep repositioning the fill for a quality "fit." The best part was when I tried some Grados! I was able to lay on my side without a problem and could enjoy the sound had it not been for the fact that well...Grados are open for a reason! Closing off the chamber is simply a no no (at least for me) and so I tried with the big R10's! (Yes call me nuts). Well...not a problem at all! I could lay on my side, listen as I fell asleep and never have to worry!
Mind you, I didn't actually fall asleep, I just tested it out. R10's are just too fragile for me to give it a night's worth of testing. However, it leaves me to believe that a nice cheap but closed headphone could really do the trick! Maybe the likes of an Ultrazone?
Of course, I was mainly after a very good pillow, and I found one. The fact that its design also facilitates full-sized headphone listening is a purk I was very pleased to enjoy. I may still go after some 2x-s' in the future but for now, I can easily lay on my side with Ety's and not have to worry I am going to pierce my brain in the middle of the night.
(1) http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/hort/f...Buckhulls.html
(2) http://catalog.com/organic/buckwheat/buckben.html
