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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-28 · 6 min read · Independent comparison
• Mack's biggest strength: a 33 dB noise reduction rating (NRR) from low-pressure Comfy Cush foam — serious, measurable noise blocking for sleep, snoring partners, travel, concerts, shooting and power tools.
• Mack's biggest trade-off: it blocks sound completely, so you can't listen to anything, and foam plugs are consumable — you'll work through the 30-pair pack over time.
• MAXROCK's biggest strength: soft silicone in-ear buds with a 5 mm driver and an in-line mic, so you can drift off to music, podcasts or calls without hard plastic digging into your ear.
• MAXROCK's biggest trade-off: it's a wired 3.5 mm headphone, not a hearing protector — its "sound isolation" comes from the silicone seal, not from a rated NRR, and the cable is a factor at night.
• Choose Mack's if your goal is silence and you don't need audio.
• Choose MAXROCK if your goal is audio in bed and you want the softest possible in-ear fit.
Mack's Ultra Soft Foam Earplugs are a hearing-protection product first. The headline figure is a 33 dB noise reduction rating, and the foam is described as super low-pressure and slow-release, which matters for comfort — the plug expands gently to fill the ear canal instead of pushing back hard. That combination is exactly why foam plugs dominate the sleep and snoring category: they don't try to be clever, they just get quiet.
The 30-pair pack (60 individual plugs) tells you what kind of product this is. It's a supply, not a gadget. You keep the included keychain travel case, you keep a pair by the bed, a pair in a bag, a pair at a workbench. They're listed as reusable, but foam is realistically a replace-as-needed item, so a multi-pair pack suits anyone who uses them regularly rather than occasionally.
MAXROCK Sleep Earphones Soft: Who It's For
MAXROCK Sleep Earphones Soft takes the opposite approach. These are wired in-ear headphones built around a soft silicone housing — the "soft" in the name is the whole point. The rounded-tip design and soft silicone enclosure are meant to sit inside the ear without the pressure points that make normal earbuds uncomfortable after twenty minutes on a pillow. If you've ever woken up because a hard plastic bud was pressing into your ear, this is the category of product designed to fix that.
The audio side is modest and clearly stated: a 5 mm dynamic driver, 16 ohm impedance, 103 dB sensitivity, and a 20 Hz–20 kHz frequency range. Low impedance and high sensitivity mean they're easy to drive — a phone or a basic MP3 player will get plenty of volume out of them. The 5 mm driver is small, which is the trade-off you accept for a bud that disappears into your ear. The manufacturer describes the sound as crystal with deep bass; I'd treat that as marketing language and expect a compact, listenable sound rather than audiophile depth.
Features that matter in practice: a universal built-in microphone and volume controller for most smartphones, with talk/play/pause and skip functions that work on iPhone and iPod series, a 3.5 mm plug, and an included durable carrying case. Note the plug — this is a wired headphone, so it suits older phones, tablets, MP3 players and anything with a headphone jack, and it needs an adapter on phones that dropped the 3.5 mm port.
Who should buy it: people who need audio to fall asleep — sleep stories, lo-fi, rain sounds, podcasts — and anyone who wants a soft silicone fit for long listening sessions or light movement, since the mini in-ear design is described as staying put while you walk or exercise. Who should skip it: anyone whose priority is blocking a snoring partner or loud neighbours. That's not what these are. The silicone seal reduces some outside noise, but it's sound isolation, not a rated hearing protector.
• Best for blocking snoring and loud noise → Mack's Soft Foam Earplugs. A 33 dB NRR is the entire reason to buy them.
• Best for falling asleep to audio → MAXROCK Sleep Earphones Soft. Foam plugs can't play music; these can.
• Best for side sleepers who hate hard plastic → MAXROCK. The soft silicone housing and rounded tips are built for pillow contact.
• Best for concerts, motorcycling, shooting and power tools → Mack's. This is rated hearing protection, not a listening device.
• Best for travel and commuting with calls → MAXROCK. In-line mic, volume control and a compact carrying case.
• Best for a set-and-forget bedside supply → Mack's. 30 pairs, reusable, with a keychain travel case.
• Best for fitting an older phone, tablet or MP3 player → MAXROCK. Standard 3.5 mm wired connection, no pairing, no charging.
• Best for people who can't stand anything in their ear for long → neither, honestly. Foam expands; silicone seals. If in-ear fit is the problem, no plug solves it.
In my opinion, the right pick comes down to one question: do you want silence, or do you want sound? If you're lying awake next to a snorer, or you need real protection from genuinely loud environments, I'd buy Mack's Soft Foam Earplugs — a 33 dB NRR and low-pressure foam is the more capable tool for that job, and 30 pairs means you're covered for a long time. If your problem is that you can't switch your brain off without audio, I'd buy MAXROCK Sleep Earphones Soft, because no earplug can play a podcast. Buy the one that matches your actual problem, not the one that sounds more versatile.
how to put on silicone earbuds
Seat the soft silicone tip in your ear canal and gently rotate it until it feels sealed but not pushed in hard. The rounded tip on these MAXROCK buds is designed to sit comfortably without the housing pressing against your ear, and the silicone itself is what creates the sound isolation.
what are the best earbuds to sleep in
There's no single answer, because it depends on whether you want silence or audio. For pure noise blocking, foam plugs like Mack's (33 dB NRR, low-pressure foam) are the sleep-focused option. For listening in bed, soft silicone in-ear buds like the MAXROCK Sleep Earphones are built for that use, with a rounded tip and a housing meant to stay comfortable against a pillow.
are there earbuds for sleeping
Yes — they fall into two groups. Hearing-protection plugs such as Mack's Soft Foam Earplugs, which block noise, and sleep headphones such as the MAXROCK Sleep Earphones Soft, which play audio through a soft silicone in-ear design with an in-line mic and volume control. Which one you want depends on whether you're trying to remove sound or add it.
do foam earplugs block more noise than sleep earbuds
By the numbers, yes. Mack's lists a 33 dB noise reduction rating, which is a measured hearing-protection figure. The MAXROCK buds rely on sound isolation from the silicone seal and don't carry a rated NRR, so they reduce noise but aren't designed as hearing protectors. For a snoring partner or loud machinery, the foam plugs are the stronger choice.
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