Buying advice

This product review covers a very wide range of products, so do read it well and decide what options might suit you best. Consider when and where you might use these products and what variety of noises you might need.

For occasional use and an all in one package noise generators are a good choice. However, for more frequent use you might find CDs or computer software more suitable long term options.

The  "Our verdict" page gives you our findings on the sound generators tested, but look below for more information on relaxation CDs and computer software programs.

Relaxation CDs

Pop a relaxation CD into your hi-fi or personal stereo and you make your own sound generator. It's an option worth considering, especially as most stereo systems have treble and bass controls allowing greater control over the sound you hear. Even if you have a relatively cheap stereo system, it should still sound better than most desktop sound generators.

Pure Calm CD (£10.99)

Stuart Jones's gentle keyboard melodies on this CD will encourage even the most stressed listener to relax and drift calmly beyond everyday distractions.

Buy the Pure Calm CD 

Sounds of the Earth: Waterfall (£9.99)

Various artists help to create a relaxing, gentle ambience of gushing and flowing water.

Relax with Nature Volume 1 (£10.99)

We chose the Mountains Streams CD from this boxed set, with its gentle, trickling water. Other CDs in the set include Rainforest and Dolphins/Whales.

Software

If you use a computer regularly, you could play relaxing sounds through it. We searched on the Internet and found at least four software programs you can download from the internet. These offer a good range of nature sounds that can be mixed together in different combinations. With some software packages you can even create your own personal relaxation CDs.

Tinnitus Helper Version 1.40 (£12.64)

This German website offers a software package with 19 sounds. They include some interesting ones we've not come across before, such as "asiatic harp", "little bells" and "spheric music".

There are plenty of familiar sounds too including fountain, sea, forest and stream. They play in stereo so you can have a different sound playing in each speaker by using two pull-down menus. The sound quality is good and the "virtual" volume controls for left and right speakers allow you to blend the sounds to suit your taste.

Go to Tinnitus Helper website (external link, opens new browser window) for more information

Tinnitus Masker Pro Version 4.1 (from £15.60, or download a free trial version)

This has 14 different sounds organised into three categories. The "sound colour" category has blue, brown, pink, purple and white noise, each of which produce different "hissing" sounds. Environmental sounds include rain, wind, ocean, downpour and cicada . The third category includes aircraft cabin, air conditioning, fan noise and radio static. You can adjust the volume, balance and frequency of each sound and by blending the sounds together you can create unique and calming sound effects. If you have a CD rewriter, you can then record them onto CD.

Visit Vectormedia Software (external link, opens new browser window) website for further details.

Atmosphere Deluxe

Listen and blend together an extensive range of different sounds on your computer, and create your own relaxation CDs.

You can download a 21 day free trial of Atmosphere Deluxe (external link, opens new browser window) from the Vectormedia Software website.

Natura Sound Therapy V2.0

Allows you to listen and blend different sounds together on your computer. There is also a version for Pocket PCs.

Download the trial version of Natura Sound Therapy (external link, opens new browser window).