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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-22 · 6 min read · Independent comparison
• Mack's biggest strength: soft moldable silicone putty that molds to any ear shape, with an NRR of 22 decibels for genuine noise blocking and a watertight seal.
• Mack's biggest trade-off: it's a passive earplug — no music, no Bluetooth, nothing to charge, and the putty needs to be reshaped and replaced over time.
• Hulaed biggest strength: true wireless invisible earbuds built for side sleepers, with 6–8 hours of playtime, Bluetooth 5.3 and IPX6 waterproofing.
• Hulaed biggest trade-off: it's an audio device, not a hearing protector — its noise control is sound isolation, so it won't match the sealing power of a moldable putty.
• Pick Mack's if you mainly want to mute snoring, protect your ears while swimming, or sleep in silence.
• Pick Hulaed if you want to fall asleep to music, podcasts or white noise without earbuds pressing into your ear canal.
Mack's Pillow Soft Silicone is a moldable putty earplug, not a gadget. You warm a blob in your hands, shape it, and press it over the opening of your ear canal so it forms a custom seal. Because there's nothing rigid inside, it conforms to the unique contours of any ear — which is exactly why it works for people who find standard foam or flanged plugs uncomfortable. It carries a Noise Reduction Rating of 22 decibels, so it genuinely knocks down the volume of snoring, traffic, loud events and shared spaces.
Who should buy it? Anyone whose priority is blocking noise and protecting ears from water — especially side sleepers who can't tolerate hard plastic in their ear, and swimmers worried about outer-ear issues. Who should skip it? Anyone who wants to actually listen to something. There's no speaker, no battery and no app here. If your goal is falling asleep to an audiobook, this is the wrong category of product entirely. Also note it's a consumable: putty loses its tack and cleanliness over time, so you'll replace it periodically.
Hulaed Invisible Sleep Headphones: Who It's For
Hulaed Invisible Sleep Headphones are the opposite philosophy. These are true wireless earbuds designed to disappear into your ears — small enough to be discreet at work, and shaped so they don't dig into your head when you lie on your side. The key design detail is that you don't jam them into the ear canal. Instead they combine skin-soft silicone eartips and eartip caps to sit comfortably, so even after a full night of tossing and turning, the pressure on your ears stays low.
Feature-wise, they cover the bases a sleeper cares about. Bluetooth 5.3 gives a stable, low-delay connection to your phone, with 3D surround sound and a binaural chip for stereo audio. Battery life runs 6–8 hours of continuous use — roughly a night's sleep — and there's a dedicated sleep mode that disables the buttons so you don't accidentally trigger controls while drifting off. IPX6 waterproofing means sweat, rain and even swimming, surfing or snorkeling are within scope, and the set includes a built-in noise reduction microphone for clearer calls.
Who should buy it? Side sleepers and music lovers who want audio in bed without sore ears — people who fall asleep to white noise, podcasts or playlists, and who also want one pair for running or driving. Who should skip it? Anyone whose real problem is a snoring partner or a noisy street. Hulaed's noise control is sound isolation, not a protective seal, so it won't block outside noise the way a moldable putty does. And if you don't want to manage charging and pairing, a passive plug is simpler.
• Best for blocking snoring and loud noise → Mack's Pillow Soft Silicone. A 22-decibel NRR and an airtight, watertight seal are built for muffling the world.
• Best for listening to music or white noise in bed → Hulaed Invisible Sleep Headphones. Bluetooth 5.3 and 6–8 hours of playtime make it an audio device first.
• Best for side sleepers → Hulaed. Its whole design brief is comfort when you lie on your side, with no ear-canal insertion.
• Best for swimming, bathing and water protection → Mack's. The moldable putty seals water out and is safe for ear tubes and post-surgery use.
• Best for discreet use at work → Hulaed. The tiny, invisible design hides in your ears, and sleep mode locks the buttons.
• Best for people who can't stand things in the ear canal → Hulaed, since it deliberately avoids deep insertion. But if even that feels like too much, Mack's putty sits over the opening instead.
• Best for zero maintenance → Mack's. Nothing to charge, nothing to pair. Just reshape and go.
• Best for one pair doing double duty (sleep + workouts) → Hulaed, thanks to IPX6 waterproofing and wireless playback.
In my opinion, the honest answer is that these aren't really competitors — they're two tools for two different nights. If I had to buy one, I'd pick Hulaed Invisible Sleep Headphones, because most people searching for "sleep earbuds" want to fall asleep to sound, and Hulaed is purpose-built for exactly that with side-sleeper comfort, a sleep mode and all-night battery. I'd choose Mack's Pillow Soft Silicone instead the moment silence, water protection or ear safety is the priority — it's the better hearing protector by a wide margin, and it's the one I'd pack for swimming or a flight. Buy for the job, not the label.
FAQ
what are the best earbuds to sleep in
are there earbuds for sleeping
Yes. Hulaed makes sleep-specific earbuds with skin-soft silicone eartips, Bluetooth 5.3 and an invisible fit, designed so side sleeping doesn't press on your ears. Mack's takes a different route: its moldable silicone putty plugs seal the ear for quiet instead of playing sound.
how to put on silicone earbuds
With Mack's, you warm and shape the putty, then press it over the ear opening to form a custom seal — you don't push it into the canal. With Hulaed, you seat the silicone eartips and caps so the bud rests comfortably without deep insertion, then pair over Bluetooth 5.3.
do these help with snoring or a noisy room
For blocking a snoring partner or street noise, Mack's Pillow Soft Silicone is the stronger choice: it has a 22-decibel Noise Reduction Rating and forms an airtight seal. Hulaed relies on sound isolation and is better suited to masking noise with music or white noise than shutting it out.
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See also: Hulaed Invisible Sleep Headphones vs Felvixanor Black Silicone Sleep, Hulaed Invisible Sleep Headphones vs Sanpyl Sleep Earbuds, Amazon Renewed Razer Barracuda X vs Piegricdiat Invisible Sleep Headph