There are earplugs for people who need to shut out ambient noise, or play soothing music or white noise, to lull themselves to sleep. The keyword here is earplugs, which block your ear holes while using ANC to keep annoying sounds at bay. What else could it be? Over-ear headphones? That would be hilarious.
Well… guess what?
As ridiculous as it sounds, there is actually a pair of over-ear headphones designed for sleep. Believe it! They’re called the Serenade, from a brand named Blisstil. And if you’re thinking, “Oh, then it must have super-thin earcups and a flexible headband,” ermm, no. It’s the opposite.
The Blisstil Serenade Over-ear ANC Sleep & Travel Headphones is also, somehow, a pillow. Not going to lie, it sounds silly at first. But the more you look at it and read about it, the more it kind of makes sense.
For starters, not everyone likes the idea of something poking into their soundholes while they sleep. So a gadget like the Serenade might be a good alternative. It cuts out sound, plays music to coax you to sleep, and then some.
The “craziest” feature of this device, IMO, has to be the pillow-soft side-sleeper ear pads, which let you sleep on your side without feeling like your head’s trapped between two speakers. So no, this isn’t just for vampire-style sleeping.
On top of that, this odd-looking contraption offers powerful active noise cancellation to block ambient noise and delivers music with claimed audiophile-grade sound. The closed-back design with triple-insulated earcups helps reduce passive noise and prevents sound leakage that could disturb your partner.
As for comfort, 92% of the device is made of soft, pillow-like foam wrapped in breathable OEKO-TEX 100-certified fabric, infused with cooling jade stone via CoolMax technology. The cover is removable, machine washable, and safe for sensitive skin, according to Blisstil.
Battery life clocks in at 20 hours on a single charge. Interestingly, Blisstil uses EV-inspired LFP batteries, which they say offer twice the charging cycles, thereby extending the battery lifespan from 5.5 to 11 years.
Unlike regular headphones, this sleep-and-travel behemoth has no traditional headband. Instead, it features a wraparound neckband that supports you whether you’re lying on your back, side, or sitting upright, say, on a plane or train. There’s even a removable neck cushion for a customized fit.
It connects wirelessly via Bluetooth 5.4, but there’s also an audio jack for wired use when needed. Other notable features include touch controls and a light sensor for auto pause.
The Blisstil Serenade Over-ear ANC Sleep & Travel Headphones are currently available only through Kickstarter. The campaign has already pulled in over half a million dollars from nearly 2,000 backers and is now in its final stretch. If you’re sold on the idea, you can still pledge for one at a special price of US$259 or more (usual price: US$399 and up).
Images: Blisstil.
