Yogasleep Dohm Classic

Brand: Yogasleep Dohm Classic

The oldest design in the category and still the simplest: inside the round housing sits a real fan, and the sound comes from air moving through slots, not from a recording. Two speeds, and the tone changes when the top cap is twisted, so the hiss can be shifted from soft rush to deeper hum. Nothing loops, because nothing is being played back. It runs on wall power only, weighs about a pound and a half, and there are no lights, screens or apps to argue with.

Good pick for anyone who hears the seam in digital tracks or wants a device with almost nothing to break. Less good if a timer, volume numbers, rain and ocean sounds or battery power matter, since the Dohm offers none of that. The motor makes a faint mechanical whir near the case, and after a few years of nightly duty some units start to rattle.