Thanks to advances in battery life, form factor, and sound quality, Bluetooth earphones for sleeping have finally become usable on a nightly basis. And while audio headbands for sleeping are an option, most people find them uncomfortable and hot. Whether you are listening a soothing audio book, or falling to sleep with your favorite music or podcast, wireless earbuds are now a feasible solution.
That said, the wireless earbuds market has become cluttered with cheap Apple knockoffs and scammy internet sellers. Even well recognized brands are rushing to put out subpar product that just isn’t worth your hard earned dollars. That’s where we come in…
Our team has tested and vetted the absolute best in wireless earbuds for sleeping. Then, we seek out the best price and fastest delivery times in Canada.
Mifo O5 Plus Gen 2: Editor’s pick for best Bluetooth earbuds for sleeping – $119.99 at Mifoaudio.ca
Where to buy the Mifo O5 Plus Gen 2 earbuds in Canada
The best wireless earphones for sleeping (yes, even if you are a side sleeper like me) come from a brand that is fairly new to the US. But don’t let that scare you off, as these super low profile earbuds are easily some of the best we have ever tested. Canadians should review the limited flag edition as Mifo have noted they will only produce 1,000 individually numbered units.
BEST VALUE
- $119.99 at Mifoaudio.ca – 2-day delivery
- OF NOTE: New O7 Edition $199.99 at Mifoaudio.ca – 2-day delivery
OTHER OPTIONS
- $129.99 at Amazon.ca – 2-4 day delivery
- $129.99 at Bestbuy.ca – 2-4 day delivery
- Editor’s Note: The Gen 2 is not available on Amazon or other channels at the time of publishing. The original O5 Plus is available for similar pricing plus tax on Amazon.ca here, but does not include USB-C connection, power bank, and upgraded sound quality.
So what makes the Mifo O5 Plus Gen 2 the best bedtime earbuds?
The slimmest profile earbuds, period. The Mifo O5 Plus includes a bevy of cutting edge features that blow away higher priced brands, beginning with their form factor. Weighing in at just a few grams each, the O5 Plus earbuds feel supremely comfortable, and include 7 silicon ear tip shapes and sizes for that perfect fit. Further, once in it’s nearly impossible to get them to fall out. Readers may remember propensity to fall out was a major problem that prevented us from recommending the Apple AirPods Pro in our last wireless review.
Absurd battery life with power bank feature. The O5 Plus Gen 2 earbuds themselves will play continuously for 7+ hours, a feat we tested over several days. Not only that, but the included USB-C charging case offers an additional 100 hours of play time. No, that is not a typo. We were able to use the earbuds without charging the case for an entire week before it gave out. Not only that, but the case allows you to plug a smartphone in to charge your devices on the go. In our test, we were able to charge an iPhone 11 Pro Max from 0 to 100%. That’s stunning, and makes us wonder why earbuds from other brands costing 3-4 times more have just a third of the battery life.
Excellent sound with passive noise (snore) canceling and transparency mode you have to hear to believe. The Mifo O5 Plus Gen 2 packs some of the best noise canceling sound quality in any true wireless earbuds we have tested. That’s particularly helpful to reproduce smooth, consistent sound that won’t interrupt your sleep cycle.
You won’t be able to hear any outside noise including snoring, unless you activate transparency mode. Once activated with a tap, you are able to hear ambient noise around you perfectly. So if you worry about hearing a fire or carbon monoxide alarm while sleeping, these are the earbuds for you. We’ve never seen a premium feature like this is sub-$150 earbuds before, and it is truly impressive.
Canada-based customer support. We have been continuously disappointed with true wireless earbuds in the past, even from tech giants like Samsung. Part of that disappointment comes with poor or absent customer service, particularly with regard to bargain and knockoff sellers who do not offer any domestic presence or support. We tested Mifo on several occasions with questions and every time received proper replies within an hour. That demonstrates commitment to the Canadian market and contributes greatly to our award of Editor’s Pick.
Jabra Elite Active 65t: Solid but pricey earbuds for sleeping – $159.99 at Amazon.ca
Where to buy the Jabra Elite 65t earbuds in Canada
If you aren’t price sensitive, Jabra may be the brand for you. These true wireless earbuds come with fewer accessories than the Mifo O5 Plus, but offer a more generalist approach to the format and a real world battery life of about 5 hours of continuous play.
BEST VALUE
OTHER OPTIONS
Why Jabra makes the list of best earbuds for bass
Good overall quality for true wireless earbuds. Since true wireless earbuds were invented, we have lamented at poor signal quality, dropped calls, and pairing fiascos. Jabra has included top quality chipsets and firmware, and we were pleased with the overall experience. While the battery isn’t the longest lasting we have tried, given the balance of other features 5 hours is acceptable. The included charging case extends that play time by about 10 hours.
Excellent marks for sound quality. While bass isn’t as rich as the Mifo O5, the overall high and low tones of the Elite 65t are quite good. Bass is well balanced, but not as deep or rich without turning volume to maximum, which causes distortion at other frequencies. That said, we’ll leave it to you to determine if they sound $160 good.
Limited sleep-specific features. While Jabra does an excellent job with daily life, there are a few problems when you wear them while sleeping. Though they are small, they stick out far enough to be a bit of an annoyance if you sleep on your side. They also snag once in a while, which may cause need for readjustment, or waking up with one earbud missing.
Bose Soundsport Free: Sports earphones that live up to the Bose name – $199.99 at Amazon.ca
Where to buy the Bose Soundsport Free earbuds in Canada
Bose has delved into the true wireless category by focusing on sports and mobility. And while the Soundsport Free is an excellent first product, it suffers from an aging Bluetooth chipset and mediocre battery life, costing Bose a higher position in our list.
BEST VALUE
OTHER OPTIONS
Why Bose gets our approval for bassheads
Great sound that comes at a cost. While Bose has engineered a product that is indeed worthy of the name, it does come at a cost. Reduced battery life and Bluetooth 4.1 instead of 5.0 hurt the product and age it to the first generation of true wireless product. Bass is well represented here due to the large size of the earbuds. This is a major drawback of the Soundsport, as the large size can be awkward and lead to drops. To make matters worse, they aren’t the most stylish earbuds in the world, and wearing them on the street made us a little self conscious.
Fun, fitness-oriented colours. Of note are the options to pick from a bright, bold, and just plain fun colour scheme. While not strictly to do with features, the Soundsport makes going to the gym just a bit more interesting.
Built for sports, but may not work for sleeping. While the Soundsport is made for active movement, the form factor leaves room for improvement while sleeping. If you have smaller ears, you may experience some discomfort or a feeling that the earbuds may fall out. That’s not particularly comfortable when you are trying to focus on getting a good night’s rest.
Runners-up: Best Wireless Earbuds for Sleeping
There are many, many wireless earbuds that you can sleep with in the market. And while we attempt to test as many as possible for our readers, some units simply don’t make the cut. Here’s a quick peek at earbuds for sleeping that didn’t make the list.
Apple Powerbeats Pro – $289.99 at Amazon.ca
Yes, it’s the marriage of Beats and Apple. Yes, it’s meant to be used when working out, and it works equally well for sleep. But for the money, you can do better. The Powerbeats Pro are sleeker with better battery life than their predecessor Powerbeats model. But our biggest complaint about the Pro comes from their bulky profile. The ear hooks tend to get in the way. And while that means these earbuds work very well for back sleepers, if you toss and turn in the night you won’t appreciate the product.
Apple AirPods Pro – $299.99 at Amazon.ca
We couldn’t do a roundup without Apple’s latest contribution to the true wireless format. The iconic AirPods now feature a revamped design, active noise canceling, and better integration with iOS. Which raises a major gripe we have with AirPods: The features are only 50% there when using Android. That combined with a stem design that easily catches and falls out while sleeping, and we can’t fully recommend the AirPods Pro for any but the most peaceful of sleepers.
Jaybird Vista – $239.99 at Amazon.ca
The Jaybird Vista are the next iteration of the dismal Jaybird Run XT earbuds, and are designed for runners, but work equally well for sleepers. It’s a shame that these purpose-built true wireless earbuds don’t live up to the moniker. Jaybird has the right idea, but falls short in sound quality and Bluetooth signal strength, making them competitive with other earbuds in the price category, but still too expensive to warrant top marks.
Samsung Galaxy Buds – $159.99 at Amazon.ca
The Galaxy smartphone is one of the most popular on the planet, and the pressure to create award-winning accessories is high. But from a sleeping perspectives, the Galaxy Buds don’t quite justify their price tag. Samsung tackled the challenge of an all around true wireless earbud, but failed to address truly breakthrough tech head on. We look forward to Samsung producing a future model that has more robust features.