Kokoon Review: Premium Sleep Headphones & Earbuds Put to the Test
Getting a good night‘s sleep is essential for health and wellbeing, but it doesn‘t always come easily. Whether it‘s noisy environments, racing thoughts, or restlessness keeping you up, many people struggle to get the quality sleep they need. That‘s where Kokoon comes in.
Kokoon is an innovative sleep technology company on a mission to become your "ultimate sleep companion." Founded by mechanical engineers Tim Antos and Richard Hall in 2015, Kokoon has developed premium headphones, earbuds, and an app all designed to help you sleep better.
I tested out Kokoon‘s Relax Headphones and Nightbuds for several weeks to see if they live up to the hype. In this in-depth Kokoon review, I‘ll share my honest experience as well as key info about the products, company background, customer reviews, and more to help you decide if Kokoon is right for you.
About Kokoon Sleep
The story of Kokoon starts with its founders‘ personal struggles with sleep. As busy professionals and frequent travelers, Tim Antos and Richard Hall often found themselves wide awake in noisy hotel rooms, wondering why no one had invented comfortable headphones to sleep in.
Both mechanical engineers by trade, they started exploring how audio could be used to counter noise and soothe the mind for better sleep. After consulting with sleep clinics and doctors, they launched a Kickstarter campaign in 2015 with the goal of raising $100,000 to bring their vision to life.
The campaign took off, ultimately raising close to $2 million from over 8,000 backers. Kokoon used this funding to expand their team, refine the design of their sleep headphones, and bring the product to market.
Since then, Kokoon has launched a newer product, the Nightbuds, and continued enhancing their MyKokoon app with a growing library of audio content and sleep monitoring capabilities. The company has been featured in major media outlets like GQ, Vogue, The Wall Street Journal, and The Independent.
Kokoon Relax Headphones Review
Kokoon‘s flagship product is the Relax Headphones. These over-ear headphones are designed with comfort and sleep in mind. Unlike typical headphones, they have a flexible silicone headband and foam earcups that mold to your head and ears, allowing you to comfortably wear them in any sleep position.
The headphones use Kokoon‘s proprietary Flexmould™ technology, which combines cool gel cushioning and 3D venting for breathability. This keeps your ears from getting too hot during the night. The earcup fabric is also natural and washable for hygiene over time.
In terms of audio, the Relax Headphones connect via Bluetooth to the MyKokoon app, which contains a large library of sleep-inducing content like guided relaxations, soundscapes, and sleep stories. You can also opt to use them to stream your own music, audiobooks, or podcasts.
The noise-masking capabilities of the headphones are impressive. While not fully noise-cancelling, they do a great job of dampening external sounds and replacing them with soothing audio instead. The volume automatically fades once the built-in sensors detect you‘ve fallen asleep to protect your ears.
So how comfortable are they for sleeping? I was surprised by how quickly I adapted to wearing the headphones in bed. The Flexmould design really does mold nicely to the contours of your head without putting too much pressure on your ears.
I‘m a side sleeper and didn‘t have any major comfort issues, though I could feel the headband a bit when fully on my side. Kokoon says they designed the headphones to accommodate all sleep positions, but I think back sleepers will have the easiest time.
The audio quality and noise-masking worked well for me. I liked being able to get lost in the peaceful soundscapes instead of obsessing over sounds like my partner‘s snoring or the neighbor‘s dog barking. And the headphones stayed put decently throughout the night.
My main gripe is that the headphones still felt slightly bulky to me compared to wearing nothing. They weren‘t uncomfortable per se, but I was always subtly aware of them on my head. Charging them frequently is also a bit of a pain, though expected for wireless headphones.
The Kokoon Relax Headphones cost $349.99, which is definitely a premium price point. But if you struggle with sleep and are open to trying an audio-based solution, they may be worth the investment. The company offers a 30-day satisfaction guarantee and 1-year warranty for peace of mind.
Kokoon Nightbuds Review
If over-ear headphones aren‘t your thing, Kokoon also offers the Nightbuds. These wireless earbuds are designed as a sleeker, more minimalist alternative for sleeping and relaxing.
The Nightbuds have an ergonomic design meant to fit snugly in your ear without falling out or putting pressure on your ear canal. A soft, flexible cable connects the two earbuds and sits comfortably behind your neck. The earbuds come with multiple tip sizes so you can find the right fit.
Like the Relax Headphones, the Nightbuds pair with the MyKokoon app for access to sleep-enhancing audio. They have a built-in gyroscope to monitor your sleep patterns and will auto-pause your audio when they sense you‘ve fallen asleep.
Compared to the headphones, the Nightbuds are definitely more low-profile and easier to wear for longer stretches. Once I found the right eartip size, the seal and fit were very secure and surprisingly comfortable, even for side sleeping.
The audio quality of the Nightbuds is solid, delivering clear, balanced sound. The noise masking is a bit more subtle than the headphones since earbuds don‘t fully cover your ears, but it still made a noticeable difference in my ability to tune out distracting noises.
Battery life is rated at 10+ hours for the Nightbuds, which was plenty to get me through a full night. I liked that the carrying case doubles as a charger, allowing me to charge them during the day without hunting for a micro-USB cable like the headphones require.
The main thing I missed with the Nightbuds compared to the headphones was the physical buttons to control playback. The Nightbuds rely solely on in-app controls, which is a bit less convenient when you‘re trying to quickly adjust something in the dark.
Overall though, the Nightbuds are an impressive product that I could see myself using regularly. At $249.99, they are more affordable than the headphones while still delivering great audio quality and comfort for sleeping.
MyKokoon App Experience
The MyKokoon app serves as the hub for getting the most out of Kokoon‘s headphones and earbuds. Available for iOS and Android, the app contains a large library of audio content designed to help you sleep and relax.
The app experience starts with a simple onboarding process that asks about your sleep habits and struggles. It then recommends programs and soundscapes to try based on your goals, such as relieving stress or falling asleep faster.
I appreciated the variety of content available, from guided breathing exercises to nature sounds to story-like dreamscapes. The production quality of the audio was consistently high, with soothing voices and realistic sound effects that made it easy to unwind.
You can browse content based on categories like Focus, Relax, and Sleep. Each recording displays a helpful overview of what it entails, the narrator‘s voice, and a duration. You can queue up a series of tracks to play through the night and set a timer for when you want the audio to fade out.
The app keeps track of your listening habits and sleep patterns over time, showing trends in how quickly you fall asleep and how long you stay asleep. While not a replacement for more advanced sleep tracking, it‘s a nice way to see how different audio affects your sleep and notice patterns.
The main limitation of the MyKokoon app is that a lot of the content is only accessible with a paid subscription. While you get a small selection of free content with the headphones or earbuds, subscribing unlocks the full library. Subscriptions cost $9.99/month or $59.99/year, which adds to the already premium price of the hardware.
It‘s a shame that so much is put behind a paywall, but I can understand the economics of funding high-quality content creation. I do think Kokoon could be more transparent about the subscription model upfront on their website, as some customers complained they were surprised by the limitations of the free tier.
That said, I found the app content and experience to be a key selling point of Kokoon‘s products. It made it easy to experiment with different audio techniques for relaxation and sleep. I looked forward to exploring new soundscapes each night as part of a bedtime wind-down routine. And it was motivating to see my sleep scores improve over the weeks.
Kokoon Customer Experience
To get a sense of how other customers feel about Kokoon, I combed through dozens of reviews on Kokoon‘s website, Amazon, Reddit, and blogs. While experiences varied, a few themes stuck out to me.
Comfort seems to be one of the biggest strengths of Kokoon products based on reviews. Many people said the headphones and earbuds were surprisingly comfortable to wear for long periods, even while sleeping. Several reviewers said Kokoon allowed them to finally enjoy audio in bed without soreness or overheating.
Reactions to the audio quality and noise-masking effects were more mixed. Most reviewers were happy with the sound profile and noticed a reduction in sleep-disrupting noises. But a few felt the passive noise isolation wasn‘t as powerful as they hoped. Satisfaction seemed to vary based on people‘s expectations and environments.
Shipping and delivery was another area of mixed experiences. While Kokoon offers free worldwide shipping on orders over $300, estimated delivery times can be lengthy (5-10 business days in the US). Some customers reported the actual turnaround was much quicker, while others had frustrating delays, especially during peak pandemic disruptions.
Kokoon‘s customer support seems to be fairly responsive based on reviews. The company has a help center with FAQs, guides, and troubleshooting tips. They also offer 24/7 support through their website, with most queries responded to within 24 hours according to their team.
As for returns, Kokoon offers a 30-day satisfaction guarantee on all products. You can return your product for any reason within 30 days for a full refund, minus return shipping costs. The main requirement is that the product must be in "like-new, undamaged condition" with all original packaging.
Overall, the customer experience with Kokoon seems generally positive but with some caveats around shipping times and return requirements. It‘s encouraging that most people found the products comfortable and effective for their needs. Just be prepared for potential delays and keep your packaging pristine in case you do want to make a return.
Is Kokoon Worth It?
So where does all this leave us? Are Kokoon‘s premium headphones, earbuds, and app worth the splurge for better sleep?
Ultimately, I think it depends on your unique needs, preferences, and budget. If you regularly struggle to sleep due to noise, restlessness, or racing thoughts, Kokoon could be a worthwhile investment. The company has put a lot of research and engineering prowess into creating products that are exceptionally comfortable and optimized for sleep.
The audio content in the MyKokoon app is also a big value-add. Having such an extensive library of science-backed sleep audio at your fingertips can make it easier to experiment and find what works best for you. Just keep in mind that fully unlocking that content requires an ongoing subscription.
Kokoon‘s products are undoubtedly expensive compared to basic headphones or earbuds. You‘re paying a premium for the unique design, technology, and content. But for some people, that may be a worthy tradeoff for better, more consistent sleep.
If you‘re on the fence, I recommend reading through more customer reviews and weighing how much you‘re willing to invest in your sleep health. Kokoon‘s 30-day satisfaction guarantee does provide some reassurance that you can make a return if the products don‘t live up to your expectations.
One other factor to consider is how much you‘ll actually use the products. Some people may prefer the simplicity of earplugs or a basic white noise machine. But if you think you‘ll enjoy and utilize the app content, sleep tracking, and Bluetooth connectivity regularly, Kokoon starts to seem like a better value.
At the end of the day, only you can decide if Kokoon is worth it based on your situation. I personally found a lot to like about both the Relax Headphones and Nightbuds during my testing. The comfort and audio quality were top-notch, and I appreciated having so much sleep content available in the app.
While the price is definitely steep, I could see myself continuing to use Kokoon‘s products as an integral part of my nightly routine. If you have the budget and a serious desire to upgrade your sleep hygiene, I don‘t think you‘ll be disappointed by what Kokoon has to offer.
The company has proven that high-tech headphones and earbuds designed for sleep are no longer a pipe dream. Hopefully with more competition and innovation in this space, we‘ll continue to see even more options to help people get the quality rest they need to thrive.
