C Crane Company PS2 SoftSpeaker Pillow Speaker (Blue)

Update: amazon shows I've purchased this speaker SIX times. This is because it is easy to break the speaker if you're not careful; namely, kinking the cord / pulling on it and therefore separating it from the speaker (just like old headphones I used with my walkman, lol). Even so, this continues to be my preferred pillow speaker and it works the best of any I've tried. I dislike having to charge a bluetooth speaker, and I don't need controls on the device itself; my phone is on the nightstand anyway. I use an apple adapter to plug this and the charging cord into the phone. I use it EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. Still happy with my (many) purchase(s).I have tried several different pillow speakers. I have a bad habit of needing to listen to TALKING as I go to sleep (music doesn't work for me) to keep my mind from wandering and anxiety from taking over. Unfortunately, my husband is not keen on talk radio or books on tape as background noise! Enter the pillow speaker.I have purchased two of these speakers; one to keep in my travel bag (so I never forget and am without it) and one to use nightly in bed. I plug it into my iPhone, set it to play for about an hour, and at some point, drift off peacefully.It might be a bit princess-and-the-pea of me, but I don't use the squishy cover that comes with it. I find that too lumpy under the pillow, causing pressure on my ear. The device inside is quite flat and functions perfectly without the extra "pillow." The sound quality is excellent and because I can put my ear directly over the speaker, it doesn't need to be loud enough for anyone else to hear.

My wife cannot sleep if there is any noise or light in the room, and I cannot sleep without the television turned on. I tried many brands of pillow speakers, and there is only one that really works well, the C. Crane - Pillow Speaker PS2. It comes with a soft cover on it, but it works best if you remove it from the cover as it makes the speaker much thinner instead of feeling like a lump under your pillow. The thicker the speaker, the more it hurts my ears to lay on it. It is still a lot of trouble to keep the cord straight, but it is the best solution I have found and all of them have the same problem with the wires. All of the other pillow speakers, and I've tried six of them, are much thicker causing my ears to hurt after a few hours of laying on them under my pillow. Some even have sharp edges, and the padding used to cover them only turns them into a bigger lump under the pillow instead of making them making them more comfortable. With this pillow speaker you can turn the volume up quite loud, and as long as it is under the pillow it is virtually inaudible to anyone not lying on the pillow. UPDATE: It is now 2 years since my original review and it still works great. I bought an extra one because I assumed the wires would break over time as I get tangled up in them some times when I roll over in my sleep, but the original one is still working as good as ever.

Product arrived as promised and seems well constructed. There is a noticeable volume drop compared to using headphones or using the iPhone speaker alone. I have to set the iPhone volume on high just to be able to hear it. The sound transmits ok through a foam pillow, but not so well with a feather pillow. Have been using it every night and am satisfied with the results. Glad I did not get the amplified version as I do not want to deal with constantly replacing batteries. Has a long cord, which is nice. I like not having to keep the iPhone on or by my pillow as I worry about the phone overheating. I would have given it 5 stars had there not been such a volume loss. I would probably buy again if I break or loose it.

Very comfortable

Update :(New unit (my third) purchased in 2017, makes it clear that this unit's design has changed over the years, and it is not the same as the one with which I was so enamored, below.The quality is still good, but not as good. For a given audio signal level, this one produces less sound. It is also less "full-bodied" as before. Your device may or may not be able to drive it with sufficient signal. On the Kindle 2 with text-to-speech, I *always* used to set the volume to two "clicks" below max, and the level was perfect through the pillow. With the new one, even on max, I'm not sure it's enough even right next to my ear.My second unit did not last as long as the first. The strain relief became detached from the body and the cord failed a few weeks later. Unit 2 was the one with the volume control, and it also was weak in its output like this one... but I though maybe if I ordered the original, it would be like the one that was such a loyal companion for so long. It isn't. I am disappointed.-- previous review --The sound quality of this speaker is simply amazing. The highs and the lows have impressed me from day one. I'd say I wasn't surprised, because I expected no less from C. Crane... but then again, I genuinely was pleasantly surprised by just how full and clear the sound it, for both music and speech. As a former broadcaster, I thoroughly commend the quality.Alas, the cord did finally wear out, right where it goes into the speaker, after five years of flawless service. Contrary to what some have written, you *can* take it apart... very, very carefully, and re-thread the cord and resolder it... at least, in theory, if you're handy with that sort of thing. I say that, because I've got mine apart, and from all accounts it's still in one piece... but now I can't find my soldering iron. :/ Maybe I'll finish repairing it, but maybe I'll order the newer model with the in-line volume control. That seems like a handy feature. The only real question is how I'll sleep without it until I repair or replace it. (Update -- I fixed it! The wires in the cord are extremely fine, so it wasn't an easy prospect, but I managed to strip and resolder it and superglue the halves of the case back together... and, yes, it's working again. I slept so much better last night, with my Kindle DX text-to-speech lulling me to sleep from under my pillow. Alas, I still think the in-line volume control would be cool to have, so I might "need" to get a new one, at some point, to have that feature.)I think five years under my pillow is a reasonable life expectancy, particularly in light of the fact that I'm (allegedly) a pretty restless sleeper.If you have a really thick pillow, particularly memory foam, you won't get enough sound with the speaker under the pillow. I like thin pillows, so I don't have this problem. When I'm just relaxing on the bed, not sleeping. the speaker goes on top of the pillow, next to my ear. Otherwise, it's under the pillow every night, usually connected to the Kindle DX, sometimes the cell phone or Kindle Fire.The cord is a very generous length, I'd guess about 6 feet, so you don't *need* any kind of headphone extension cord, but I've typically used one anyway, to allow me to droop the cord behind the head of the bed with plenty of slack to route it around to the night stand to avoid the possibility of any strain being placed on it. I'd recommend that with this, or any other similar product.

My partner likes to sleep in dead silence and I have to have the radio or something on to fall asleep. This was perfect for me, since I don't like to wear earbuds to bed. The speaker is soft and comfortable to lay on directly, and the audio is clear

First, to those of you who think this speaker is too quiet, you need to know that this particular pillow-speaker design comes with a cushy pillowy cover for a reason: it is supposed to sit UNDER YOUR EAR while you sleep, not under your pillow.The other plastic pillow speakers on the market without a soft cover are supposed to be used inside or under a pillow. The cons to those, however, is that they are often not loud enough to be heard without turning the volume up so high that your sleeping partner can hear the sound, defeating the purpose of a pillow speaker.This style is by far the best if you are sleeping next to another person and do not want to disturb them.I have been using this exact same speaker since I got married twenty years ago. I had to switch to this when we moved in together because my life-long habit of falling asleep to the radio was not compatible with my husband's sleeping habits. It was a god-send. I even bought an extra one to keep in my toiletry kit to use while on the road for business. I would have given them an Amazon rating of 10 stars, if it had been possible. But at that time, I was ordering them directly through the company. (I live outside the US now, so I have to order them via Amazon.)Second, for as long as I have been a customer, the C. Crane company has always had the best customer service of almost any company I have ever worked with. They are lovely to speak with, and go above and beyond the call of duty to help you.You will have to replace this speaker every couple of years because the electronic bits eventually fail. Sometimes it's the connection between the cord and the speaker and sometimes, it just fails, and no sound comes out. But it will last reliably for two years if you treat it gently and don't yank the cord too much. If you add up how much you spend on ear buds over a two year period, this speaker is a bargain.Another advantage is the long and flexible cord. I can plug it into my phone and flip the speaker as I change sides while sleeping, without worrying about yanking the phone and causing it to fall on the floor.

I liked the sound and softness of the cover but the piece is actually too thick and is not the most comfortable

This is the second pillow speaker I bought since mom vacuumed up the cord on the first one I got her. She uses it every night with her little radio and couldn't be without it so I was also happy about the super-fast shipping! It's very cushy and she says it sounds great.

Purchased for my 89 year old mother who wants to listen to the hockey game when in bed at night. The speaker works with an ear pressed up against it but that does not accommodate her best position in bed. I also hoped it would broadcast a bit better into the room but that doesn't happen. Further, once the speaker jack is plugged in she does not hear the radio alarm in the morning. Overall, it does not meet her hearing needs though the speaker and radio do what they are intended to do.