Summary
The Sangean PS-300 is a small speaker designed to be placed under your pillow, so you can listen to music, radio shows, podcasts, or television quietly when you are in bed. It’s a great choice for people who want to hear sound without wearing headphones, especially if you like to sleep on your side. Headphones can sometimes feel uncomfortable or even fall off when you move around during sleep, but this pillow speaker sits flat and doesn’t bother you.
The sound is loud enough for you to enjoy privately, but it won’t be too loud to wake up or annoy anyone else nearby. You can easily change the volume with a small control on the cable, even if you are still half asleep. This makes it very easy to use without needing to get up or find your device.
Pros
You can put the speaker in different places: under the pillow or on top of it, depending on what feels best for you.
The volume control is right on the wire, so you can change the sound easily without touching your phone or radio.
The cable is long—about 120 centimeters—so it can reach from your pillow to a nightstand or table without pulling.
The speaker comes with a small amplifier that runs on one AAA battery. This amplifier can make the sound louder if you want, but you can also use the speaker without it.
The speaker is very flat, so you almost don’t feel it inside the pillow, making it comfortable to lie on.
It costs a reasonable amount (around $30), which is cheaper than many other speakers or headphones.
Cons
If your pillow is very thick or packed tightly, the sound might be too soft, and you may have trouble hearing it well.
When you turn the volume up, especially for music with heavy bass (deep sounds), the speaker can make the sound a little unclear or distorted.
This pillow speaker does not block outside noises from the house, so if it’s noisy around you, you might still hear those sounds.
Introduction
Hello, I’m Ethan from No Sleepless Nights. Today, I’m going to tell you all about the Sangean pillow speaker, the PS-300 model. Sangean makes a few different pillow speakers, but I like this one the most because it is very flat, thin, and small. These qualities make it easy to slide under your pillow without making the pillow feel lumpy or uncomfortable.
With this speaker, you can listen to your favorite music, radio programs, podcasts, or even television quietly while you are in bed. It’s perfect if your partner doesn’t want to hear your sounds. Maybe they need complete silence to sleep, or maybe they just don’t like what you’re listening to. This speaker helps solve that problem by letting you listen privately.
Volume control, amplifier, headphone jack and cable
The speaker comes with an easy-to-use volume control built into the cable. This means you don’t have to keep reaching for your phone or radio to make it louder or softer. You can simply slide a small button up or down on the cable, which is very handy, especially when you’re already in bed and don’t want to move much.
It also has a little amplifier inside the volume control. This amplifier can boost the sound, making it louder. However, to use this amplifier, you need one AAA battery. If you don’t want to use the amplifier, you can leave it off, and the speaker will still work fine, just not quite as loud.
The speaker connects to your device using a 3.5-millimeter headphone jack. This is the standard size for many headphones and speakers, so it will work with most radios, TVs, smartphones, and tablets that have this jack. Just a heads up: some of the newest Apple devices don’t have this jack anymore, so you might need a small adapter to use it.
The cable is 120 centimeters long, which is about 4 feet. This length is good because it allows the speaker to stay under your pillow while the device it’s connected to can sit safely on your nightstand or table without pulling or stretching the cable.
Power output
It’s important to understand what to expect from a pillow speaker like this. The Sangean PS-300 costs around $30, which is much less than the price of big, high-quality speakers or headphones. So, it’s not going to be super loud or produce the deepest, clearest sound possible.
The speaker itself is quite small—about 57 millimeters across—and its power output is 50 microwatts. This means it can only produce a quiet, gentle sound, which is actually what you want from a pillow speaker. The idea is not to fill the whole room with sound but to keep it quiet and private for you.
Because it’s simple and small, it doesn’t cost a lot, and it does the job of letting you hear sounds quietly in bed.
A close-up look at the controls, and listening to music and podcasts
As I said before, the speaker is small and very flat, so it doesn’t feel uncomfortable in your pillow. The volume control on the cable is easy to reach and use. It also includes the amplifier that needs one AAA battery if you want more sound power.
Let me explain how the sound is when you listen to different things:
When I played a BBC podcast with someone talking clearly, the voice came through nicely. It was easy to understand the speech. But when I turned the amplifier on, the bass (the low sounds) got a little distorted. This means it sounded a bit fuzzy or unclear.
When I played classical music, like a Mozart piece, the sound was quite nice. You can even turn off the amplifier and turn the volume up a little, and it sounds good. Classical music usually works well because it doesn’t have strong bass.
However, when I tried a song with strong bass (deep beats), it didn’t sound good through the speaker. If the amplifier was off, the sound was okay, but once I turned the amplifier on, the speaker couldn’t handle the bass, and the music sounded bad.
So, the pillow speaker is best for soft, quiet music or talking, not heavy, bass-filled songs. If you want to listen to bass-heavy music, keep the amplifier off or keep the volume very low to avoid distortion.
Setting the pillow speaker up in bed
Using the pillow speaker in bed is simple. First, plug the 3.5 mm jack into your device—like your phone, radio, or tablet—and place that device safely on your nightstand or table.
Then, slide the flat speaker under your pillow where you think your head will rest. Usually, this is close to the middle or side of your pillow, so the sound is near your ear.
The long cable can be tucked in different ways depending on your setup. If your nightstand is far from the bed, the cable length will easily reach it without pulling. If your nightstand is close, you can push the cable down the gap between your mattress and the nightstand to keep it neat.
You can either keep the volume control under the pillow with the speaker, so it’s easy to reach, or you can keep it on the nightstand if you prefer less cable under your pillow.
How your pillow and position in bed affect the sound
The kind of pillow you use and how you lie in bed can change how well you hear the pillow speaker.
If you sleep on your side, the sound usually comes through well, even if your pillow is thick. Your ear presses closer to the speaker, making it easier to hear.
If you sleep on your back, especially on a very thick or dense pillow, the sound can become too quiet or muffled because your ear isn’t close enough to the speaker.
One trick if your pillow is very large or thick is to put the speaker inside the pillowcase, but on top of the pillow instead of underneath. That way, it’s right next to your ear. This can make the sound clearer, but it might feel a little uncomfortable because you can feel the speaker pressing on your ear during the night.
If you find that uncomfortable, it might be a good idea to switch to a smaller, lighter, or thinner pillow. A pillow that’s not too thick or heavy helps the speaker work better and lets you hear sound more clearly whether you sleep on your side or back.
Verdict
Overall, I think the Sangean PS-300 pillow speaker is a helpful little device if you want to listen to sounds quietly in bed without waking or disturbing your partner. The volume is low enough that it’s very unlikely to bother anyone else in the room.
I’ve tested it many times with my partner, and even when I adjust the pillow speaker at night, she hasn’t woken up, which shows how quiet it really is when it’s under the pillow.
If you use it with a pillow that’s not too thick or dense, and your ear is near the speaker, you’ll hear the sound clearly and comfortably. This lets you relax, enjoy your favorite shows or music, and hopefully fall asleep easier.
Just remember to keep your expectations reasonable. This isn’t a high-end speaker for loud or deep bass music, but a simple tool to help you listen quietly and comfortably in bed.
Thanks for reading