Homedics SoundSpa SS-2000

Brand: HoMedics Deep Sleep II

The cheap workhorse of the category: six recorded sounds, white noise, thunder, ocean, rain, summer night and brook, an auto off timer with fifteen, thirty and sixty minute settings, and a body small enough to sit in a shirt pocket. It runs from the supplied adaptor or four AA batteries, which is unusual now that most rivals demand USB.

Good for a hospital stay, a guest room or anyone who wants to test whether a sound machine helps before spending real money, since it usually costs under twenty dollars. The speaker is honest about its size, thin and a bit tinny, the tracks are short and loop plainly, and the timer cannot be switched off for all night play on some units. Batteries are not included.