The QuietOn Story: From QuietOn 1 to QuietOn 4

If you’ve searched for QuietOn recently, you might have landed on an old review, a spec sheet for a discontinued model, or a company name you don’t recognize. Fair enough. QuietOn has gone through five versions since 2015, and the company behind it has changed too.

So here’s the full story in one place: how QuietOn’s noise-cancelling earbuds for sleeping evolved from QuietOn 1 to QuietOn 4, what actually changed at each step, and why the earbuds sold today come from Soundless Ltd.

Where It Started: QuietOn 1 (QuietOn Original)

Two former Nokia engineers in Oulu, Finland kept running into the same problem: the noise-cancelling headphones on the market were too bulky to sleep in. So they built their own electronics by hand, refining the fit until something small enough to wear all night actually existed.

That became QuietOn 1, launched in 2015, also called the QuietOn Original. No Bluetooth. No audio. That wasn’t a missing feature. It was the whole idea.

QuietOn wasn’t trying to give people something to listen to. It was trying to give them quiet. And it turned out a small, comfortable earbud could genuinely cut down on disruptive noise like snoring, traffic, or a neighbor’s wall.

Want the origin story in full? Read about the moment that sparked the idea.

Built for Sleep: QuietOn 2 (QuietOn Sleep)

QuietOn 2 arrived in 2019, and this time sleep wasn’t just the use case. It was the design brief.

Also known as QuietOn Sleep, this model kept the same core approach: no Bluetooth, no audio, just noise reduction. But it pointed the whole product line toward a single goal, a full night’s rest rather than general everyday wear. That focus has stuck ever since.

Refining the Design: QuietOn 3 / 3.1

QuietOn 3 launched in May 2021. QuietOn 3.1 followed in November 2022 as a technology update. Neither reinvented the product. They tightened it, in three ways:

A smaller overall size, for more comfortable side sleeping
Improved foam tips, based directly on fit and comfort feedback
A refined activation delay for the ANC, so putting the earbuds in felt smoother

None of these are headline features on their own. Stacked together, though, they solved the real hard problem: getting people to comfortably wear the earbuds through an entire night, not just fall asleep in them.

The results showed up in outside testing. A T3 reviewer wore QuietOn 3 through a neighbor’s late-night party downstairs and reported the noise had all but disappeared.

TrustedReviews was more clinical about QuietOn 3.1, but reached a similar conclusion: for anyone kept awake by noise, it comes close to a total block.

The Current Model: QuietOn 4

QuietOn 4 is where all that refinement lands. Launched in 2025, it’s the smallest version yet, and it’s still built on the same idea that started with QuietOn 1: no Bluetooth, no apps, no added noise, just a calmer place to fall asleep. (See how QuietOn works.)

What actually changed:

Smaller, more ergonomic shape: built to sit comfortably for side sleepers
Upgraded Comply foam tips: for a more stable fit through the night
28-hour battery life: enough for a long trip without a charge
Moisture resistance and wax guards: solving the everyday wear issues earlier users flagged

Ready to see it for yourself? Shop QuietOn 4. Not sure which version you currently own? The product versions FAQ can help you identify it, or use the table below.

What’s Actually Different Across Models

Model	Year	Size	Foam Tips	Notable Addition
QuietOn 1 (Original)	2015	Original size	Standard	First working ANC sleep earbud
QuietOn 2 (Sleep)	2019	Refined	Improved	Sharper focus on sleep-specific comfort
QuietOn 3	May 2021	Smaller	Improved further	Refined ANC activation delay
QuietOn 3.1	Nov 2022	Same as 3	Improved further	Technology update to QuietOn 3
QuietOn 4	2025–current	Smallest yet	Upgraded Comply	28-hour battery, moisture resistance, wax guards

Deciding whether to upgrade from an older model, or buying your first pair of sleep earbuds? QuietOn 4 is the current version: still supported, still sold, still built on the same no-Bluetooth approach as the original.

A New Owner, the Same Mission: Soundless Ltd

Here’s the part that trips people up: QuietOn was originally built by QuietOn Ltd. In 2024, Soundless Ltd acquired QuietOn’s assets and took the product line forward.

The Soundless founding team believed in what QuietOn was doing and wanted to keep building it. It’s the same core team still doing that work today, just under a different company name.

So whether you own an earlier model or you’re considering QuietOn 4 right now, you’re dealing with the same people who hand-built the first prototype back in 2015. They’re just operating as Soundless Ltd these days.

What the Press Is Saying About QuietOn 4

Across five generations, the outside coverage tells a consistent story: steady, practical improvement rather than reinvention.

QuietOn 1 and 2 predate most mainstream tech press. Their early reputation came from word of mouth and the original Indiegogo backers. But starting with QuietOn 3, that reputation shows up consistently in third-party testing.

Tom’s Guide called out the tiny, comfortable fit across every sleep position, plus strong ANC performance and long battery life, as reasons QuietOn 4 earns its price tag. Gadgets & Wearables highlighted how securely the fit holds through the night, noting that side sleepers in particular would notice the difference.

You can browse the full set of independent reviews on our site.

Five Generations, One Goal

From a hand-built prototype in Oulu to a five-generation product line, QuietOn’s goal hasn’t moved: reduce disruptive noise for sleep, and keep getting better at it. QuietOn 4 is where that work stands today, carried forward by the same team, now as Soundless Ltd.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is QuietOn 1 still available?

QuietOn 1 (the QuietOn Original) is an earlier model and is no longer the current product. QuietOn 4 is the model currently sold and supported.

What’s the difference between QuietOn 2 and QuietOn 4?

QuietOn 2, also known as QuietOn Sleep, was the first model to focus specifically on sleep. QuietOn 4 builds on that with a smaller size, upgraded Comply foam tips, a 28-hour battery, and moisture resistance and wax guards.

Who makes QuietOn now, is it still the same team?

QuietOn is now made by Soundless Ltd, which acquired QuietOn’s assets in 2024. It’s the same founding team that started the company, continuing the same mission under new ownership.

Do QuietOn earbuds work for a snoring partner?

Yes. There’s a common misconception online that active noise cancellation is really a travel tool, and white noise is the better choice for a bedroom. But snoring is a low-frequency, continuous sound, and that’s exactly the kind of noise ANC handles best.

QuietOn’s active noise cancellation is tuned for that low-frequency range (see how QuietOn’s noise cancellation works, or this engineering explanation of ANC and low-frequency sound for the technical detail), which is why it’s a common choice for people sharing a bed with a snoring partner. QuietOn 4 carries that forward as the current model built for exactly this use case.

Is ANC or white noise better for sleeping next to a snoring partner?

They solve the problem differently. White noise masks sound with more sound. It works for some people, but it adds audio to the room rather than reducing it.

Active noise cancellation targets and reduces the noise itself, and it’s particularly effective against the low, steady rumble snoring produces. If what you actually want is quiet, not a substitute sound, ANC earbuds like QuietOn 4 are built for that specifically.

Are noise-cancelling earbuds comfortable enough to wear all night?

Depends on the design. Earbuds built for daily use, with Bluetooth and bigger batteries, tend to be too bulky for side sleeping. QuietOn 4 goes the other direction: smaller and flatter, built specifically for lying on your side, with soft foam tips instead of hard shells.

For more on fit, the comfort and fit FAQ and foam tip guidance walk through your options.