Item Package Dimensions L x W x H | 9.92 x 2.48 x 2.44 inches |
---|---|
Package Weight | 0.35 Kilograms |
Brand Name | MUSE |
Warranty Description | 1 Year Manufacturer Warranty |
Model Name | MS-01-GY-ML |
Color | Headband (Black) |
Material | Nylon, Rayon |
Suggested Users | Unisex-Adult |
Number of Items | 1 |
Manufacturer | Interaxon |
Part Number | MS-01-GY-ML |
Style | Headband |
Included Components | Muse S: The Brain Sensing Headband |
Size | Pack of 1 |
Standing screen display size | 2 Inches |
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MUSE S: The Brain Sensing Headband - Overnight Sleep Tracker & Meditation Headset Device - Multi Sensor Monitor with Responsive Sound Feedback Guidance from Brain Wave, Heart, Body & Breath Activity
Brand | MUSE |
Model Name | MS-01-GY-ML |
Style | Headband |
Color | Headband (Black) |
Screen Size | 2 Inches |
Special Feature | Time Display, Sleep Monitor, Heart Rate Monitor |
Shape | Rectangular |
Target Audience | Unisex Adult |
Age Range (Description) | Adult |
Compatible Devices | Apple iOS 11 and higher, Android 5 or higher, Huawei devices NOT supported |
About this item
- YOUR PERSONAL MEDITATION & SLEEP ASSISTANT: Improve your meditation practice and sleep hygiene with real-time feedback on your mind & body; Muse S monitors your Mind, Heart, Body & Breath just like Muse 2, and features Sleep Tracking & Journeys
- MINDFUL MORNINGS & RESTFUL NIGHTS: Start your day with unwavering focus and end it with blissful, restorative sleep; Extended 10-hour battery life allows you to go from daytime Meditation & Mindfulness to bedtime with Sleep Journeys & Overnight Tracking
- SLEEP JOURNEYS & SOUNDSCAPES: Turn off your busy mind and let the world melt away; Prepare for a restful sleep with the soothing voice guidance of a meditation teacher and responsive natural soundscapes to help you drift off
- SLEEP TRACKING: Find out how restful your sleep was with lab-grade insights from the comfort of home; Track your improvements and create habits for restorative sleep with Sleep Stage & Position Tracking, Sleep Efficiency Score and Deep Sleep Insights
- DIGITAL SLEEPING PILLS: Cue your busy mind it’s time for sleep with a responsive new kind of sleep experience that is designed to put you to sleep and help you fall back asleep if you’ve woken up during the night
- EASY TO USE: Adjust and fit your headband, then pair via the free Muse app, put on your favourite headphones (not included), choose your meditation, and close your eyes; Track your Meditation and Sleep progress with post-session reporting
- SOFT COMFORT-FIT HEADBAND: Made of a soft, breathable stretch fabric comfortable enough for use anytime, anywhere, but specially crafted with bedtime use in mind
- TRAVEL-FRIENDLY: Lightweight, compact for easy travel and portability; Folds up and packs away nicely in your purse, backpack, overnight bag or carry-on luggage so you can continue your meditation practice and minimize sleep disruptions while traveling
- COMPATIBLE WITH iOS & ANDROID: Download the free Muse app to explore a variety of meditation experiences and learn from your post-session reports (Compatible with Apple iOS and Android – Huawei devices are NOT supported)
- AVAILABLE EXPERIENCES: Mind, Heart, Body, Breath, and Sleep experiences included in Muse app with your Muse S purchase; Additional library of teacher-led guided meditations available with Premium Guided Meditation Subscription
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PRODUCT CERTIFICATION (1)
USDA Organic products are grown and processed according to the USDA Organic standards addressing soil and water quality, among other factors. Organic is protected by law, inspected by experts, traced from farm to store, and shaped by public input.
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From the manufacturer
Muse S | Muse 2 | Muse S Case | Muse 2 Case | Muse S + Premium Subscription Bundle | Muse 2 + Premium Subscription Bundle | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Customer Reviews |
3.6 out of 5 stars
789
|
3.9 out of 5 stars
1,802
|
4.5 out of 5 stars
98
|
4.6 out of 5 stars
287
|
3.2 out of 5 stars
7
|
— |
Mind Meditation | Hear a thunderstorm soften into a gentle rain when your mind is calm & focused (based on EEG) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
Heart Meditation | Feel your heartbeat sync to the sound of a soothing drum (based on PPG + Pulse Oximetry) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
Body Meditation | Become aware of your body posture with wind chimes that respond to subtle movement shifts (based on PPG + Gyroscope) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
Breath Meditation | Learn calming breathing techniques by matching your breath to ambient tones (based on PPG + Gyroscope) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
Sleep Journeys & Soundscapes | Experience soothing voice guidance with a meditation teacher or responsive natural soundscapes to help you drift off | ✓ | ||||
Digital Sleeping Pills | Cue your busy mind to sleep with immediate & intelligent sleep support | ✓ | ||||
Sleep Guidances | Be led by world-renowned meditation instructors on different sleep techniques and topics (EEG + PPG + Accelerometer) | ✓ | ||||
Sleep Tracking | Get overnight sleep tracking insights including sleep stages, deep sleep intensity points, sleep positions, sleep efficiency score, heart rate and stillness (EEG + PPG + Accelerometer) | ✓ | ||||
Guided Meditations | Explore a library of 500+ guided meditations and courses led by expert teachers | Explore a library of 500+ guided meditations and courses led by expert teachers | ||||
Official Headband Case | ✓ | ✓ |
Product Description
Muse S is a training tool using advanced EEG technology to help you refocus during the day and recover each night. The Muse: Meditation & Sleep app that works in tandem with the headband is available for free on the Apple Store and Google Play Store. Connect your charged Muse S headband to your app via Bluetooth, fit it comfortably and put on your favorite headphones. Select the Sleep or Meditation experience you wish to be immersed in. Start your session and once the sensor check is complete, you’ll hear the soothing sounds responding to the fluctuations of your mind & body. Close your eyes and breathe—learn how to tune in and relax your mind & body with the guiding soundscapes that cue you to find your focus during the day or lull you to sleep at night. Once complete, you’ll be able to review post-session reporting in the app. If worn overnight, you’ll be able to review sleep insights including a personalized sleep efficiency score, sleep staging, deep sleep insights and points, sleep positioning, heart rate and stillness. Set reminders and goals, level up with challenges, and measure your progress in the Muse app to stay on track with your sleep routine and meditation practice.
Product information
Technical Details
Additional Information
ASIN | B082SRCD8Y |
---|---|
Customer Reviews |
3.6 out of 5 stars |
Date First Available | January 5, 2020 |
Feedback
Product guides and documents
Videos
Videos for this product
5:41
Click to play video
Muse S: The Brain Sensing Headband - Signal Quality
Interaxon
Videos for this product
5:51
Click to play video
Stressed? Anxious? Check out the Muse S Headband
Luke Does Tech
Videos for this product
4:32
Click to play video
Muse: The Brain Sensing Headband - How it Works
Interaxon
Videos for this product
0:10
Click to play video
Muse S: The Brain Sensing Headband - Day to Night
Interaxon
Videos for this product
0:48
Click to play video
Muse S: The Brain Sensing Headband
Interaxon
Videos for this product
0:44
Click to play video
Muse S: The Brain Sensing Headband - Sleep Journeys
Interaxon
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Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers like the meditation capabilities of the wearable computer. They say it works well for meditation and the accompanying app is an innovative enhancement to any meditative practice. However, some customers have reported issues with the sturdiness of the product, mentioning that the sensors and internal wires are fragile. They also have issues with connectivity, and value. Customers also disagree on accuracy, comfort, and ease of use.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers like the meditation of the wearable computer. They say the meditations on the app are great, and it helps them focus their wandering mind. They also say it helps keep a more structured practice, and is good at teaching patience. Customers also mention that the meditation is effective in calming them down and sending them to sleepy-town. They find the app very useful to understand their sleeping patterns and intensity, and say that their mind was much calmer and thoughts quieter.
"...1. Breath meditation for 5 minutes. This calms your body down, putting you in a more relaxed state.2. Heart meditation for 10 minutes...." Read more
"...15 minutes each (which I had never been able to do on my own) I felt a huge calm. After a couple of days I didn't have any more cravings!..." Read more
"...For me, guided meditations work best, but I often find it challenging to sit still and focus without my mind wandering off on its own - this is..." Read more
"...incredibly accurate, surprisingly so and much more comfortable and effective than the Nuerofeedback experience I had and will change the way your..." Read more
Customers are mixed about the accuracy of the wearable computer. Some mention that the ability to measure your sleep is amazing, it uses brainwaves to track, and it's able to analyse your state of mind. However, others say that they won't get accurate sleep data, the hardware is not useful for sleep monitoring, and the feedback is often dead wrong.
"...It has tons of sensors to monitor brain activity, heart rate, breath rate, etc... and it's useful not only for falling asleep, but also for general..." Read more
"...After having that experience, I can report that this band is incredibly accurate, surprisingly so and much more comfortable and effective than the..." Read more
"...if it’s because of the crappy sensors, worn pads, it it’s just not accurate...." Read more
"...They might add in sleep tracking later. It uses brainwaves to track which is much more accurate than anything that doesn't...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the comfort of the wearable computer. Some mention it's incredibly comfortable, easy to fall asleep, and analyzes your state of mind and ability to relax. However, others say that the band is very tight and they can't loosen it to feel comfortable, sleeping with AirPods in was not comfortable, and the headband did not fit properly.
"...I'm also able to sleep comfortably while wearing it, which makes it the first sleep headband I've tried that's actually comfortable enough to use..." Read more
"...that this band is incredibly accurate, surprisingly so and much more comfortable and effective than the Nuerofeedback experience I had and will..." Read more
"...Pros:The headband is comfortable. I am sensitive to fabrics and things being on me but you can forget the headband is on once mediating...." Read more
"...first two weeks when it worked correctly, it was extremely frustrating to adjust the headband to get it to work...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the ease of use of the wearable computer. Some mention that it's easy to use, simple to navigate, and has a friendly interface. Others say that it is frustrating to use and poorly designed. Some customers also say that the app is annoying and feels like a hobbyist app.
"...which works great, but the UI is not very polished, so it feels like a hobbyist app, not in keeping with the premium feel of the Muse device...." Read more
"...The app has a friendly interface and offers different meditation options: mind, heart, body, breath, guided and timed...." Read more
"...Aside from the crappy hardware and software, the icing on the cake is they try to sucker you in on a free trial that renews at over $100...." Read more
"...The headband is really great, but the app is annoying, controlling, passive aggressive, and far too heavily oriented around performance scores...." Read more
Customers are disappointed in the quality of the product. They mention that the sensors and internal wires are fragile, and the headband deteriorates. The bands start showing signs of wear after 16 hours of use, and have had numerous crashes. The app is heavily reliant on the few seconds of calibration, and is essentially worthless.
"...There’s maybe a dozen to choose from and they only last for 10 - 20 minutes, which is not enough time for me to fall asleep...." Read more
"...First, the hardware is crap. After roughly 30 days the band started to show signs of wear. The coating on the band starts to rub off on your skin...." Read more
"hardware impressive, comfortableworks good for meditation..." Read more
"...annoying, controlling, passive aggressive, and far too heavily oriented around performance scores...." Read more
Customers have connectivity issues with the wearable computer. For example, they say it drops the connection frequently, the device pairing is very easy to fail, and the Bluetooth connection is unstable.
"...Another issue flaky Bluetooth. The connection breaks. I have other sleep trackers (Oura) and devices that do not exhibit this problem...." Read more
"...When I woke up, I checked the results and found that the sensors had lost connection at some point in the night...." Read more
"...something about the breathing practice made the headband intermittently stop detecting skin contact, which interrupted the meditation with device..." Read more
"...active sleeper, then this unit is not for you because it will disconnect quite frequently and you will not get accurate sleep data...." Read more
Customers are dissatisfied with the value of the wearable computer. They mention that it's an overpriced sleep aid, with nonexistent support. They also say that there's no affordable replacement band.
"...The cost may seem a bit high, but it is relative to the type of experience you want to have...." Read more
"...I bought this for sleep so it is not worth the price and the mindfulness tool is interesting to me but not worth the price without the SDK...." Read more
"...The free ones are very good though and it is definitely not a reason to pass up this device...." Read more
"...There's no affordable replacement band you can purchase on their site...." Read more
Reviews with images
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Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Here's the TLDR:
The Muse S is a fantastic device, beautifully designed, and the first sleep headband I've tried that's actually comfortable enough to wear to bed. It has tons of sensors to monitor brain activity, heart rate, breath rate, etc... and it's useful not only for falling asleep, but also for general meditation purposes, as it uses the same software and includes the same sensors as the Muse 2. Interaxon is a solid company that's been around for a while and considered the industry leader in this space, so it's unlikely you'll get stuck with a useless paperweight, as happens so often with products sold on Kickstarter. The downside is the Muse app, in its current form, isn't the greatest. In fact, it's pretty bad. It doesn't support any sleep tracking features, so it's really only useful for falling asleep, not monitoring your sleep. The included daytime meditations are a mixed bag. Some are decent, others not so much. For example, the breath meditation is great, except unlike most other breathing apps, that allow you to set your desired breath rate, this one forces you to breathe at a preset rate, which can be uncomfortable. The good news is, Muse has a new app in beta, that's supposed to be vastly improved and includes all the sleep tracking features, which is the main reason why people would buy this device in the first place.
Here's the full review:
First, the un-boxing was a really nice experience. It was like un-boxing an Apple product. The packaging was very premium quality and much smaller than I anticipated. The box was literally smaller than the box my Apple watch came in. You can tell they put a lot of effort into making a good first impression
The device itself looks and feels super-premium. The power source and CPU pod attach to the center of the headband using a strong magnet that snaps into place with a satisfying click. Likewise, the clasp that holds the band in place also uses a strong magnet, rather than a conventional plastic snap connector. It’s very stylish. You could wear this in public without attracting much attention. It might even make a good conversation starter! Most importantly, it’s super comfortable to wear. It feels like you’re wearing a normal headband I often forget I have it on, and have worn it all day without any problems, no headaches or anything. I'm also able to sleep comfortably while wearing it, which makes it the first sleep headband I've tried that's actually comfortable enough to use for its intended purpose.
I had never meditated before and didn’t buy the Muse for that purpose. I bought it for two reasons:
1. I have high blood pressure and there’s a lot of scientific evidence suggesting the technique used in the Muse breathing meditation can lower blood pressure significantly .I previously purchased and subsequently returned a $300 Resperate unit that’s FDA approved to lower blood pressure using a breathing meditation. While the Muse S is not FDA approved for anything, after using both devices, I can say the Muse S breathing meditation is pretty much the same thing as the Resperate’s, plus the Muse S does a lot more than just breathing meditations. Also, the Resperate uses a wired band with a pressure sensor to detect your breathing and wired ear buds; very inconvenient to use.
2. I often have trouble falling asleep and the Muse S is specifically designed as a sleep aid. I previously purchased and returned the $500 Dreem headband, which is a dedicated sleep aid and sleep tracker. Not only did the Dreem look completely ridiculous, but it was extremely uncomfortable to sleep with it on, which pretty much defeated the purpose of all its advanced sensors and technology.
So, the theoretical appeal of the Muse S for me, was that it replaced the functionality of two other devices, while offering much additional functionality and being more comfortable and stylish than either of those devices. Over the past several months, I've been following a daily meditation protocol, I implemented to attempt to lower my blood pressure:
1. Breath meditation for 5 minutes. This calms your body down, putting you in a more relaxed state.
2. Heart meditation for 10 minutes. This allows you to slow your heart rate. I’ve been able to get my heart rate down to less than 50 BPM without exercise.
3. Mind meditation for 10 minutes. This calms your brain activity.
Following this protocol every morning, I’ve been able to lower my blood pressure from 140/90 to 100/70. The effect is both cumulative and persistent thought the day and will actually last for several days without meditating. I’ve been taking blood pressure medication for many years and while it helped in the beginning, I’ve found that it’s become less effective as I’ve gotten older. I believe this meditation protocol has addressed the root cause of the issue, by reducing anxiety and stress.
The sleep features are where the Muse S has much room for improvement.
First, the Muse S has no built-in speakers. I knew this when I bought it, but still, it was a bit of a “duh” moment when I was getting ready for bed the first time and realized I’d have to either use my iPhone speaker or my Airpods, neither of which seemed ideal for sleeping. I opted for the Airpods and it was fine when I sleeping on my back, but it prevented me from being able to sleep on my side. I ended up purchasing a Dreampad sleep pillow, which delivers sound via bone induction rather than conventional speakers, so when your head is on the pillow, you’re immersed in the sound. The Dreampad has worked out great and could be used effectively with any audio source.
Another big problem is the Muse S currently does NOT support sleep tracking! How can a company release an EEG headband, with a 10-hour battery life, specifically advertised as a sleep device and not include sleep tracking? It seems like the device hardware was engineered specifically for sleep tracking, but the app doesn’t support it. I was so shocked by this that I went back and re-read the Muse website to make sure I wasn’t missing something. Sure enough, there’s no mention of sleep tracking on the website. I just assumed it would support it, since every similar device I’ve looked at and tried, supports sleep tracking. The good news is, Muse currently has a new app in beta, which includes all the sleep tracking features.
The “Sleep Journeys” are just meh. There’s maybe a dozen to choose from and they only last for 10 - 20 minutes, which is not enough time for me to fall asleep. Supposedly, they adapt to your brainwaves to play different sounds depending on your mental state, but I didn’t notice this happening. The big problem is, after the Sleep Journey ends, the device shuts off and that’s it! If you haven’t yet fallen asleep, you have to open the app and manually start another Sleep Journey. From such a hi-tech device, I’d expect that it would continue playing the Journey at least until it detects that you’ve fallen asleep.
The Soundscapes use a timer, so you can play them for up to four hours. This is better than a 20-minute Sleep Journey, but still seems arbitrary. What if you want the sound to play all night, to prevent you from waking up in the middle of the night? What if you want it to play until you fall asleep? What if you want it to play until it’s time to wake up, then use a smart alarm to wake you when you’re not in a REM state? The whole point of an EEG headband is to be able to detect what’s going on in your brain and adapt accordingly. In its present form, the sleep features are actually worse than those offered by numerous iOS apps.
It’s also disappointing that the standard Muse app doesn’t support viewing and streaming raw EEG data. For that, you have to buy the Muse Direct app, which presently doesn’t support the Muse S. I ended up buying the Mind Monitor third-party app, which works great, but the UI is not very polished, so it feels like a hobbyist app, not in keeping with the premium feel of the Muse device. For $350, I think Muse should make Muse Direct a free download and add support for the Muse S.
Despite all these criticisms, I'm giving the Muse S a 5-star review, because it has helped me lower my stress level and my blood pressure dramatically, which obviously, you can't put a price on. Moreover, once the new sleep tracking features become available, the Muse S should become one of the best sleep tracking devices on the market, which I view as an added bonus.
Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2020
Here's the TLDR:
The Muse S is a fantastic device, beautifully designed, and the first sleep headband I've tried that's actually comfortable enough to wear to bed. It has tons of sensors to monitor brain activity, heart rate, breath rate, etc... and it's useful not only for falling asleep, but also for general meditation purposes, as it uses the same software and includes the same sensors as the Muse 2. Interaxon is a solid company that's been around for a while and considered the industry leader in this space, so it's unlikely you'll get stuck with a useless paperweight, as happens so often with products sold on Kickstarter. The downside is the Muse app, in its current form, isn't the greatest. In fact, it's pretty bad. It doesn't support any sleep tracking features, so it's really only useful for falling asleep, not monitoring your sleep. The included daytime meditations are a mixed bag. Some are decent, others not so much. For example, the breath meditation is great, except unlike most other breathing apps, that allow you to set your desired breath rate, this one forces you to breathe at a preset rate, which can be uncomfortable. The good news is, Muse has a new app in beta, that's supposed to be vastly improved and includes all the sleep tracking features, which is the main reason why people would buy this device in the first place.
Here's the full review:
First, the un-boxing was a really nice experience. It was like un-boxing an Apple product. The packaging was very premium quality and much smaller than I anticipated. The box was literally smaller than the box my Apple watch came in. You can tell they put a lot of effort into making a good first impression
The device itself looks and feels super-premium. The power source and CPU pod attach to the center of the headband using a strong magnet that snaps into place with a satisfying click. Likewise, the clasp that holds the band in place also uses a strong magnet, rather than a conventional plastic snap connector. It’s very stylish. You could wear this in public without attracting much attention. It might even make a good conversation starter! Most importantly, it’s super comfortable to wear. It feels like you’re wearing a normal headband I often forget I have it on, and have worn it all day without any problems, no headaches or anything. I'm also able to sleep comfortably while wearing it, which makes it the first sleep headband I've tried that's actually comfortable enough to use for its intended purpose.
I had never meditated before and didn’t buy the Muse for that purpose. I bought it for two reasons:
1. I have high blood pressure and there’s a lot of scientific evidence suggesting the technique used in the Muse breathing meditation can lower blood pressure significantly .I previously purchased and subsequently returned a $300 Resperate unit that’s FDA approved to lower blood pressure using a breathing meditation. While the Muse S is not FDA approved for anything, after using both devices, I can say the Muse S breathing meditation is pretty much the same thing as the Resperate’s, plus the Muse S does a lot more than just breathing meditations. Also, the Resperate uses a wired band with a pressure sensor to detect your breathing and wired ear buds; very inconvenient to use.
2. I often have trouble falling asleep and the Muse S is specifically designed as a sleep aid. I previously purchased and returned the $500 Dreem headband, which is a dedicated sleep aid and sleep tracker. Not only did the Dreem look completely ridiculous, but it was extremely uncomfortable to sleep with it on, which pretty much defeated the purpose of all its advanced sensors and technology.
So, the theoretical appeal of the Muse S for me, was that it replaced the functionality of two other devices, while offering much additional functionality and being more comfortable and stylish than either of those devices. Over the past several months, I've been following a daily meditation protocol, I implemented to attempt to lower my blood pressure:
1. Breath meditation for 5 minutes. This calms your body down, putting you in a more relaxed state.
2. Heart meditation for 10 minutes. This allows you to slow your heart rate. I’ve been able to get my heart rate down to less than 50 BPM without exercise.
3. Mind meditation for 10 minutes. This calms your brain activity.
Following this protocol every morning, I’ve been able to lower my blood pressure from 140/90 to 100/70. The effect is both cumulative and persistent thought the day and will actually last for several days without meditating. I’ve been taking blood pressure medication for many years and while it helped in the beginning, I’ve found that it’s become less effective as I’ve gotten older. I believe this meditation protocol has addressed the root cause of the issue, by reducing anxiety and stress.
The sleep features are where the Muse S has much room for improvement.
First, the Muse S has no built-in speakers. I knew this when I bought it, but still, it was a bit of a “duh” moment when I was getting ready for bed the first time and realized I’d have to either use my iPhone speaker or my Airpods, neither of which seemed ideal for sleeping. I opted for the Airpods and it was fine when I sleeping on my back, but it prevented me from being able to sleep on my side. I ended up purchasing a Dreampad sleep pillow, which delivers sound via bone induction rather than conventional speakers, so when your head is on the pillow, you’re immersed in the sound. The Dreampad has worked out great and could be used effectively with any audio source.
Another big problem is the Muse S currently does NOT support sleep tracking! How can a company release an EEG headband, with a 10-hour battery life, specifically advertised as a sleep device and not include sleep tracking? It seems like the device hardware was engineered specifically for sleep tracking, but the app doesn’t support it. I was so shocked by this that I went back and re-read the Muse website to make sure I wasn’t missing something. Sure enough, there’s no mention of sleep tracking on the website. I just assumed it would support it, since every similar device I’ve looked at and tried, supports sleep tracking. The good news is, Muse currently has a new app in beta, which includes all the sleep tracking features.
The “Sleep Journeys” are just meh. There’s maybe a dozen to choose from and they only last for 10 - 20 minutes, which is not enough time for me to fall asleep. Supposedly, they adapt to your brainwaves to play different sounds depending on your mental state, but I didn’t notice this happening. The big problem is, after the Sleep Journey ends, the device shuts off and that’s it! If you haven’t yet fallen asleep, you have to open the app and manually start another Sleep Journey. From such a hi-tech device, I’d expect that it would continue playing the Journey at least until it detects that you’ve fallen asleep.
The Soundscapes use a timer, so you can play them for up to four hours. This is better than a 20-minute Sleep Journey, but still seems arbitrary. What if you want the sound to play all night, to prevent you from waking up in the middle of the night? What if you want it to play until you fall asleep? What if you want it to play until it’s time to wake up, then use a smart alarm to wake you when you’re not in a REM state? The whole point of an EEG headband is to be able to detect what’s going on in your brain and adapt accordingly. In its present form, the sleep features are actually worse than those offered by numerous iOS apps.
It’s also disappointing that the standard Muse app doesn’t support viewing and streaming raw EEG data. For that, you have to buy the Muse Direct app, which presently doesn’t support the Muse S. I ended up buying the Mind Monitor third-party app, which works great, but the UI is not very polished, so it feels like a hobbyist app, not in keeping with the premium feel of the Muse device. For $350, I think Muse should make Muse Direct a free download and add support for the Muse S.
Despite all these criticisms, I'm giving the Muse S a 5-star review, because it has helped me lower my stress level and my blood pressure dramatically, which obviously, you can't put a price on. Moreover, once the new sleep tracking features become available, the Muse S should become one of the best sleep tracking devices on the market, which I view as an added bonus.
First, the hardware is crap. After roughly 30 days the band started to show signs of wear. The coating on the band starts to rub off on your skin. Not sure if it’s going to cause irritation or cancer, but it will cause your device to stop reading some of the sensors. I wrote support but they were useless and refused to send out a replacement band. The extended warranty was also useless, they claimed it was still under warranty and wouldn’t cover what the manufacturer refused to cover.
Another issue flaky Bluetooth. The connection breaks. I have other sleep trackers (Oura) and devices that do not exhibit this problem.
Lastly, the data doesn’t add up. I’m not sure if it’s because of the crappy sensors, worn pads, it it’s just not accurate. Even during the first two weeks when it worked correctly, it was extremely frustrating to adjust the headband to get it to work. Getting frustrated before meditation or sleep really isn’t a great start.
Out of all my sleep trackers - Oura ring, withings sleep pad, garmin Fenix 6, zeo sleep machine, this is the worst. Zeo is the best, although it’s discontinued.
Aside from the crappy hardware and software, the icing on the cake is they try to sucker you in on a free trial that renews at over $100.
I really wanted to like this devise and was hoping it could replace my zeo sleep machine, but it’s junk made by a company with crappy support.
Hoping to save others money as this product truly is garbage and should he pulled.
Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2022
First, the hardware is crap. After roughly 30 days the band started to show signs of wear. The coating on the band starts to rub off on your skin. Not sure if it’s going to cause irritation or cancer, but it will cause your device to stop reading some of the sensors. I wrote support but they were useless and refused to send out a replacement band. The extended warranty was also useless, they claimed it was still under warranty and wouldn’t cover what the manufacturer refused to cover.
Another issue flaky Bluetooth. The connection breaks. I have other sleep trackers (Oura) and devices that do not exhibit this problem.
Lastly, the data doesn’t add up. I’m not sure if it’s because of the crappy sensors, worn pads, it it’s just not accurate. Even during the first two weeks when it worked correctly, it was extremely frustrating to adjust the headband to get it to work. Getting frustrated before meditation or sleep really isn’t a great start.
Out of all my sleep trackers - Oura ring, withings sleep pad, garmin Fenix 6, zeo sleep machine, this is the worst. Zeo is the best, although it’s discontinued.
Aside from the crappy hardware and software, the icing on the cake is they try to sucker you in on a free trial that renews at over $100.
I really wanted to like this devise and was hoping it could replace my zeo sleep machine, but it’s junk made by a company with crappy support.
Hoping to save others money as this product truly is garbage and should he pulled.
Catherine L.
Top reviews from other countries
Reviewed in Canada on February 14, 2021
La détection fonctionne bien mais il n’y a pas moment des erreurs, mais avec le support, les erreurs vont être corrigés par le research team.
L'analyse de la nuit est encore dans ses balbutiements donc c'est toujours en cours d'amélioration et j'espère que le produit arrivera à la même analyse de la nuit que Dreem.
Le support sur le front est super et le Muse S est léger.
J'adore le système de méditation avec les oiseaux qui permet de nous dire lorsque l'on arrive à calmer notre esprit.
Un super produit et si on a des soucis, il y a un support en face d'Amazon et de Muse.
Reviewed in France on February 2, 2021
La détection fonctionne bien mais il n’y a pas moment des erreurs, mais avec le support, les erreurs vont être corrigés par le research team.
L'analyse de la nuit est encore dans ses balbutiements donc c'est toujours en cours d'amélioration et j'espère que le produit arrivera à la même analyse de la nuit que Dreem.
Le support sur le front est super et le Muse S est léger.
J'adore le système de méditation avec les oiseaux qui permet de nous dire lorsque l'on arrive à calmer notre esprit.
Un super produit et si on a des soucis, il y a un support en face d'Amazon et de Muse.
Das Stirnband selbst empfinde ich als sehr weich und angenehm zu tragen.
Es wirkt auch sehr hochwertig verarbeitet und technisch ausgereift, so daß ich es _wesentlich_ lieber verwende als den HeartMath Inner Balance Bluetooth Sensor, den ich vor einiger Zeit kaufte und dann nie benutzte (falls jemand damit liebäugeln sollte).
Vor dem Anlegen reibe ich mit einem feuchten Handtuchzipfel kurz über die Haut der Kontaktbereiche auf der Stirn und hinter den Ohren, und die Aufzeichnung durch die Sensoren hat bislang immer tadellos geklappt.
Ich kann insgesamt nur eine teilweise Bewertung abgeben, weil ich bislang nur die Gedankenmeditation verwendet habe, bei der man sich auf die Atmung konzentriert und die ich eben gerne üben möchte, alles andere ist zumindest derzeit nicht für mich von Interesse.
Es gäbe auch geführte Meditationen (meines Wissens bislang nur auf Englisch), die ich persönlich nicht verwende, weil ich unabhängig von äußeren Stimmen sein möchte, und außerdem sog. Herzmeditation (bezogen auf den Herzschlag), Atemmeditation und Körpermeditation sowie einen einfachen Timer, für den man das Stirnband nicht benötigt.
Außerdem kann man auch aus verschiedenen Geräuschkulissen wie Regenwald, Wüste, Lagerfeuer oder Meditationsmusik wählen.
Bei der von mir verwendeten Gedankenmeditation (und sicher auch bei den anderen Formen) gibt es ein paar einführende Sitzungen mit Anleitungen, die man, wenn gewünscht, auch später wieder verwenden kann. Die Anleitungen sind mit einer wirklich sehr angenehmen Stimme eingesprochen, die keinen Widerstand erzeugt. Ich selber meditiere aber nun ohne Anleitung nur mit Soundkulisse.
Super finde ich dabei, daß man die Lautstärken der verschiedeen Klangkomponenten (das Feedback, d.h. das lauter oder leiser werdende Wetter, die Belohnungs-Vögel und ein allgemeines Hintergrundgeräusch) separat in der Lautstärke einstellen kann von lautlos bis laut. Man könnte also auch komplett ohne Ton meditieren.
Das Vogelgezwitscher finde ich zwar süß, aber es lenkt mich doch ab, sei es, daß ich mich über einen Vogel freue, sei es, daß ich mich frage, wann denn nun wohl endlich mal wieder einer kommt. Deshalb habe ich die Lautstärke für die Vögel auf Null gestellt, und sofort war der %-Wert für "ruhig" besser. Man bekommt hinterher trotzdem angezeigt, wieviele Vögel da waren. Das Feedback (bei mir: Regen) empfinde ich hingegen als hilfreich.
In der App wird dann grafisch dargestellt, an welchen Tagen man meditiert hat und wie viel Zeit prozentual man dabei innerlich "ruhig" war. Die Meditation kann automatisch in die Minuten der Achtsamkeit von Apple Health übertragen werden.
Ich wollte schon früher einmal mit Meditation anfangen, aber habe damals es nicht geschafft, dranzubleiben. Dabei hilft das Muse Band mir persönlich nun sehr, weil eben zeitlich dokumentiert wird, wie lange ich pro Tag meditiere und wie mein Ruhezustand war, wodurch nicht alles so beliebig ist.
Früher dachte ich dann immer "ach später", "klappt sowieso nicht" etc. pp., jetzt weiß ich, daß ich abends zu müde sein werde, also morgens etwas früher aufstehen muß, um meine Meditation zu schaffen. Nach der ersten Tasse Tee setze ich dann das Stirnband auf, was der Meditation, so unvollkommen sie auch sein mag, einen gewissen Anstrich von Wichtigkeit und Würde verleiht (ja, isso!), der es mir erleichtert, das auch durchzuziehen. Auch fühle ich micht nicht so alleine gelassen bei meinem Vorhaben, weil ich am Anfang die nette Stimme höre, die mir sagt, daß jetzt das Stirnband kalibriert wird, und weil die Regenwaldgeräusche da sind, die ich verwende.
Ich vermute, daß das Band später an Bedeutung verliert, wenn sich eine gewisse Meditationsroutine etabliert hat und das Meditieren auch zu einem inneren Bedürfnis geworden ist, aber momentan hilft es mir sehr, am Ball zu bleiben.
Ich vermute außerdem, daß das Band eher für Entspannungsmeditationen geeignet ist, die mit Ruhe einhergehen. Bei so etwas wie Metta Meditation (Liebende Güte), bei der man z.B. einübt, gegenüber mißliebigen Personen gute Gefühle zu haben, kommt es sicherlich auch zu Anspannungen, die dann ja eigentlich unerfreulicherweise niedrigere Ruhewerte ergeben und Vögel fernhalten müßten, aber das habe ich noch nicht ausprobiert. Oder man nimmt dafür den Timer ohne Stirnbandmessung.
Anm. für Donald Duck-Leser: Vielleicht kann man aber auch den Fortschritt beim Gleichmut gegenüber Nachbar Zorngiebel an der Zunahme der prozentualen Ruhe ablesen :-)