Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I actually bought this machine primarily for use as a daytime sound-masking device. The low-frequency thumps from a nearby basketball court were driving me crazy when my kitchen window was open, so I put this device on my windowsill, selected the Ocean sound at a fairly low volume in adaptive mode, and much to my surprise, it's worked. I can't hear the basketball sounds any more, and the sound of the ocean waves, while not 100% realistic, is definitely more tolerable than the basketball court noises. The machine's Adaptive Sound Technology hears outside noises and gently raises the volume to mask these sounds. This not only keeps the unwanted noises at bay, but it also allows you to keep the selected sound sample at a reasonably low level. There is also a 'Richness' button, which adds complexity to the sounds. So for the ocean noise, it adds an occasional seagull; for the train, a whistle, etc. I also tried this out as a sleeping-device, using its White Noise setting. While it was somewhat effective in helping me sleep and stay asleep, I still think that for sleeping white noise, the good ol' analog Marpac still can't be beat. Though it does work nicely in conjunction with the Marpac. The digital sounds are sampled in 18 bit rather than the traditional 16 bit rate of CDs. I can tell the difference. The sounds are richer and more textured. Overall, this is a great machine and way above the sound quality and capabilities of its digital competitors. My complaints are minor, and hopefully some of these issues will be addressed in a future version: 1. Volume Control: I would prefer a dial control rather than a push-button. I like to be able to change the volume in different settings, but since it's a push button, it's hard to tell at what level the volume is currently set. And what also makes it even more tricky is that in Adaptive mode, turning the volume down actually turns the volume down initially, because the machine interprets a button press as an unwanted sound. 2. Microphone Control: The microphone is built-in. This makes the device easy to use, but it would be nice to be able to use an external microphone in order to have more control of the source of the undesirable noise. For example, when the Ecotones is in my kitchen it not only adjusts its volume for the basketball court noise, but it also raises its volume for normal household kitchen noises that I'd rather not mask, such as a telephone ringing, or a conversation. 3. More Bass: The sound quality is pretty good--the best I've heard from any digital machine, but I think it would make a better sleeping machine if it could hit the lower frequencies. As other reviewers have pointed out, the "City" setting is pretty funny. I did try it out, and it does not sound like a realistic urban setting--no car alarms, firetrucks, or iron grates being pulled open at 5:00 a.m. It sounds more like the Long Island Expressway than the Lower East Side.