MUSE 2: The Brain Sensing Headband - EEG MUSE Headband Meditation Tracker and Monitor - Multi Sensor Biofeedback Devices for Home Use with Responsive Sound Feedback Guidance - Neurofeedback Devices

So glad I made the jump to get this, after years of reading reviews and wondering if it would be another gadget that I would push aside after a while. I have been meditating since 2016, rarely missing a day, using Headspace (and sometimes TRIPP on Oculus Quest). I have an extremely distracted mind and sometimes I’d go a full 15 minutes forgetting that I was meditating, instead obsessing over something that happened years ago, yesterday or anxiety over what is coming up next week. Muse 2 is a game-changer for me. I’ve not only learned mindful awareness through some of their courses, but I’ve also learned how to tune everything out and focus on my breath *without* the device, like in a doctor’s waiting room or visiting my family, lol. I’ve become more self-aware and present throughout the day, aware of the floor beneath my feet or the sound of the outdoors. Basically, my busy mind has calmed considerably. I’ve never, ever had an issue with signal drop, so I can’t speak to that. I wonder if the negative reviewers may be expecting too much? It doesn't instantly make you meditate better and take you straight to nirvana, it trains your mind to do better over time. I’m especially intrigued at how accurate it tunes in to my brain. You can choose from several different soundscapes, such as City Park, Ocean, Rainforest, Desert, Gentle Rain, and I think there are others. The sound of the birds differ just a bit depending on the soundscape. I like the Rainforest, and the moment my thoughts drift to how funny my 5-year-old niece is, or the research paper I have to turn in, or the noise my husband is making in the kitchen, I immediately hear the chatter in the Rainforest get louder. As I bring my breath and attention back to the task at hand, the chatter dies down and I can once again hear the birds. (City Park is pretty cool though, you hear people chattering non-distinctly until your mind calms them down to quiet. Great practice for those get-togethers from which you want to mentally escape!) There was an update made just a couple of weeks ago that was very interesting! Premium subscribers (and I paid less than $20 for a year) can now listen to other apps on the same device, at the same time you use the Muse app. I loaded up binaural beats on Pandora and to my surprise, the beats didn’t help one bit, in fact they distracted me greatly. My husband uses this feature to listen to Headscape along with his Muse meditation. One more thing: you can choose to meditate your mind, or breath, or heart rate or body. You can only do one at a time. I use the mind meditation in the morning to clear my mind for a good work-day, and the breath meditation in the evening. The breath meditation measures how you sync your breathing with the beats they give you and it’s very calming. For the courses they offer, Muse measures the mind, heart rate and body (body, meaning if you are fidgety or still). If I had to complain I would say these two things: (1) I wish you could choose two or more meditations on which you want to focus. For example, I have heart problems and when I do the heart meditation, I can see the sudden dips in my heart rate that I've told my doctor about. I can do that with the heart rate meditation, but if I could do the mind and heart together, it would be better. I can also measure three features with the courses, but sometimes I don't want to hear talking. (2) Yes, you calibrate the device each time you put it on your head to meditate but it's only about 6-10 seconds long. I would like to have a 30-second lead time to ground myself, set my intention and prepare for meditation (habit from Headspace).

I can't say enough about Muse 2...gave it a shot after initially dismissing as high-priced tech I didn't need. I'd dabbled with meditation over the years and thought I knew the routine. I'm really glad I did give Muse another look because it has been the catalyst over the last few months that allowed me to establish a meditation practice as an integral part of my daily life, and I can't overstate what that has meant to my overall well-being. It has been really rewarding after years of trying without much success to get traction with meditation casually using popular books or apps. I feel like this product can be a catalyst for anyone looking to get into meditation more seriously like I was. In overlooking the product initially, I underestimated how helpful Muse's real-time feedback would be for cultivating a serious meditation practice. It keeps me from wandering off into thought as often, and I've really felt the neurological benefits of staying rooted in that calm brainwave state for longer period of time. Because I've worked with Muse's feedback, I also get much more out of other meditation sessions because of the enhanced focus and skill I've gained via the headband. For me it has been as helpful as training wheels were when I was learning to ride a bike, which is not to say it's only a product for beginners/intermediates... I think anyone can deepen their practice using this feedback and data, or simply use it as a different and fun way to meditate among other methods. Beginners or expert meditators alike can conceivably meditate "smarter" and more enjoyably with Muse. More than just the main soundscape mode, the Muse app is wonderfully deep with interesting heart breath and lung exercises that work in a similar way as well as a great variety of guided subscription content from different instructors and experts you can add for a very reasonable price. Admittedly I have barely scratched the surface with the other modes because the basic main soundscape mode is so compelling to me, but I'm looking forward to exploring that more soon. All told at this point I now use my Muse headband for around 2-3 hours a day and can almost physically feel the heightened mental clarity sometimes. The only potential pitfall I'd mention is that the "gamefied" nature of the soundscape mode can start to undermine your zen mindset if you find yourself getting irritated occasionally when the chirping birds (that indicate calm brainwaves) aren't happening for you as readily during a particular session for whatever reason. That said, it's good practice to be able to recognize that feeling when it happens and learn to appreciate your effort whether the birds come or not. I'd also note that this is a risk only because Muse is surprisingly fun in addition to being so effective. Otherwise I wouldn't care about the birds! An added bonus for me is the availability of a third party app that provides additional data and graphs, and allows you to record your brainwaves to an excel sheet or other format for later review/graphing. That way, if you're a real data geek like me, you can monitor and record the brainwave data you generate during sessions with other meditation apps like Calm or Headspace. Lastly I'd just note that my experience with Muse's customer support has been really good. Responsive and helpful. These days the ability to get some help from actual humans who seem legitimately interested in sorting out your issue cannot be taken for granted. So if you're on the fence I'd encourage you to give Muse a shot and give it a few days to hook you. I'm really grateful I did because it changed my life immeasurably for the better and I feel like the best is yet to come.

First, I would like to say I have had no issues with the device. It connects and works exactly as advertised. My complaint is with the software that drives the device. There is no way to keep the Muse app from saving a session. When you are done with a session the app presents a screen with a save button. It will save the session regardless of whether you press that button. Any session ended is saved. There have been serveral times LIFE interrupted my session. The shortest is 13 seconds. Not a good mediation day. I did not hit the save button. It saved. I have several sessions now that corrupt my data when I examine it. If linked to the apple health app it corrupts that as well. All because of a lack of a delete function. The only way to delete a session is to cancel your subscription and have Muse delete all data. It will not do this as long as your subscription is active. I do NOT recommend a year subscription for this reason. This app has been out a long time. It's inability to allow the user any control over their data has been a problem plaguing this app. Muse has expressed no interest in introducing a delete feature for the software that runs this device. That makes this device a novelty instead of a realistic meditation device.

I really liked this headband.. when it worked. The bio-feedback experience was very useful, particularly for my poor focus. I also enjoyed the ease of operation, various background sounds offered. This definitely helped me improve the effectiveness of meditation. However, the reason for the poor rating are reliability issues. I never dropped it, or abused it in any way. In fact, I stored it in a case specifically designed for this headband to ensure it was safe from any accidents, Within 7 months, the headband stopped working. I believe this was caused by a broken wire, part of a thin internal ribbon cable that flexes when the ear pieces are adjusted while fitting it on. Moving the earpiece ends often will eventually break a wire. Warranty replacement was offered. Now, just out of warranty period, the second unit started acting up with intermittent Bluetooth connection issues. Fortunately I took out a 3 year extended warranty. But I won't be buying this model again, due to poor durability even under light use. I highly recommend purchasing an extended warranty if you decide to buy this model. Update 11/2023: My Bluetooth connection issue was resolved by the Muse team. The phone app was updated to be more compatible with other background running Bluetooth apps. So I up my rating to 4 stars. Regarding reliability, I try to keep the earpieces in the same setting without retracting them each time. This should prevent the internal ribbon cable breaking prematurely.

I've averaged about 12 minutes a session, across more than 350 sessions over the past year or so of ownership. I'm at Challenge Level 24 (completed all 23 Challenge Levels #supermuser). The Muse headband is an excellent tool for meditation. A few notes, addressing issues raised in the other reviews, for those who may be interested in purchasing it: First, the mechanics of device work fine. The headband Bluetooth connects to my Android phone app every time, almost immediately, and I have no problems getting the headband to read brain signals. I'm a middle aged man -- no tech guru by any stretch; I follow the instructions. I keep the headband pretty well charged. After a little (very little) practice to figure out what it wants, there are no issues. Second, the calibration phase is key. People who get "all birds" or "no birds" need to pay attention to what they're doing during the calibration. If you begin meditating while calibrating, the calibration is going to set too low and you will have a session filled with noise. The opposite is also true. If you're too active, then no matter what you do during the session it will read you as "calm" because -- compared to the calibration -- you're calm. It takes a little practice to get this right. There's lots of good information on the web about "how to cheat" with the Muse headband that provides tips for calibration. Third, I like the meditation component. Recently I've started using the body and breathing meditations before I going into the mind meditation. Very useful, and allows me to get in my meditation time without becoming bored during a long, single mindfulness meditation. Fourth, I once had a problem with the update times on the dashboard. Muse customer service was very supportive, and resolved the issue within a day.] Finally, as I've already noted a couple times, getting the most from this device requires some practice. You're not going to put it it on and immediately "start meditating." It's not magic.... All it does is provide you with feedback on your brain activity. That's it. Period. It's up to you to use that information to create calmness. How you do that will require some experimentation and practice. Lower your expectations. Don't pressure yourself. Have fun with it. Relax. With time this will work for you. The time spent practicing is time well spent, which is kind of the point.

I had extremely high hopes for this product. Overall i think it is a great idea but not executed well. I read alot of reviews before my purchase and was confident that even if people had some complaints i would find some use for this device. Unfortunately i have been stopped at every turn. The connectivity issues have been resolved. No issues with it connecting and staying connected to my Android device. I don't believe there is anything wrong with the hardware itself. Although i do wonder about its accuracy, that could just be a software issue. The software is terrible. The free muse meditation app is buggy and unreliable. In the 3 weeks since my purchase i have noticed that it occasionally wont show the graph/analytics after my session and sometimes won't even save a session at all. As many others have reported I can feel i am getting into a very calm state and the storm gets more and more intense. Then my mind is wandering all over the place and i hear birds. Also i find all the noise of the software to be extremely annoying and distracting. Every time i hear the storm get louder i wonder "what i am doing wrong?" and it disrupts my focus. Same happens when i hear the birds. I wonder "what did i do to get those?" and again my focus is disrupted. It is very difficult to ignore the sounds to focus. I might as well not even have them at all and i have even taken to removing my earbuds when i start meditation so that i can get the information without the feedback sounds. I know i could learn to deal with and even work with the issues with the sounds being distracting, but the inconsistency of the feedback i am receiving is just confusing. Not to mention the calibration at the beginning of each session. I am sure just about everyone who wants to purchase a meditation assistant type product wants to know, just as i do, how they are progressing in their meditation practice overall. The calibration at the beginning of each session makes that impossible. You just have no ability to track progression when the baseline is constantly changing. I understand the original reason that Muse thought it would be a good idea to have a calibration setting like that. You can't know what kind of baseline to start at because everyone is different and has a different level of stress and Monkey Mind. However, there has to be a better way. Perhaps if you have to make it standardized, go for a progressive ladder type system. Start out really easy and make the instructions say if you are regularly scoring 90% or higher calm move to the next tier and so on. It could even ask some questions at setup of your account and first time you use your device. Ask things like: "have you ever done meditation before?" "how frequently do you do it and what would you say your average level of focus is?" This could give the software at least a baseline to start from that may be higher than the lowest beginner setting. Even if that questionnaire puts the person at too high of a tier to start out, make the option to move back down if needed. Give them instruction based on the score of calm of each session to move up and down the latter to fit their rate of learning. This would also allow people to make the choice of if they want it set to easy or hard for their level of skill. Some days maybe it would be encouraging for someone who has had a frustrating day to just have an easy session. No pressure. They can still keep their average score but do it more relaxed, and maybe some people (like myself) would prefer to always keep it on hard so i push myself to get better and can actually see my progression day to day. It would essentially do the same thing the calibration does, but give the user a choice in the matter. Also the sounds... I understand there are several soundscapes to choose from. This is a great idea. But the birds... I am one of those people that does not find birds to be relaxing at all. I find them to be incredibly annoying and there is no option to change the sound. If i could instead change it to a soft native american flute melody or something I would find it much more relaxing, much less distracting and could even track my progress of how long i have held onto the calm by how far i have gotten in the song. Giving people more options to personalize their experience will make this software much more enjoyable and overall more effective to all users. Aside from the issues with the official muse software i have been unable (in the 3 weeks i have had this device) find any way to get raw data from the EEG without paying more for it. I spent nearly $300 on the device only to be told to spend more to be able to use it. Maybe its my own fault because i purchased the Muse 2 instead of the original but all the software i have found has either not been compatible with the Muse 2, currently unavailable, or costs either a fee to download or a yearly/monthly fee to use. I do not understand why Muse Direct is currently unavailable. I looked everywhere and could not find any reason for it to be withheld from muse users or held ransom for a fee. If i already gave the company nearly $300 for the device itself please give me the tools to use it. Otherwise it is a very expensive (and not very fashionable) useless piece of metal and plastic i put on my forehead. I would really like to see Muse release a software that is all encompassing of the features of the Muse 2 (Mind, Heart, Breath, Body) in a single session with neurofeedback that is accurate and reliable and gives a full real time raw data option. Also, would very much like to see something like Myndlift implemented that does not require a licensed health professional (and all the cost associated with that) that will help the public to train specific areas of their mind and/or help with disorders and depression. There is so much potential for the applications of this hardware that it feels like the whole experience has just fallen sorely short and is quite disappointing. I will be asking for a refund. Maybe someday in the future when the software gets updated or becomes free, i will try again. I will keep an eye on the development on the Muse forums to know when that time comes. I really wanted this to work and have no plans on giving up entirely. Just gonna wait for technology (software anyway) to catch up with my particular needs with the hardware.

I really like this product and the company....*BUT*...the hardware is not ready for prime time. Pros: gamified meditation. The app and experience made it easy for me to meditate daily, and I have been doing so consistently for a year and a half. I love tracking stats and seeing how I am improving. I used the trial version of the full app, and it was decent, but I really just enjoy the free options better. I don't know that the subscription is worth $100/year for the extras on the full version of the app. Cons: In the year and a half since I've bought it, I had the hardware replaced twice, and have now worn out the third headband. I use it daily, but at home (no salt/sun/sand exposure, etc.). The bands seem to last about 4-6 months before they stop working for me. Muse was great to work with while it was in warranty, but not that I'm out of warranty, they are understandably not doing to give me a free one. For men, paying $250 or so for something that might only last a year isn't worth it to keep going. I'll try a competitor this time and see how that experience goes.

I was soooo frustrated with this thing at first. How was I supposed to meditate when it kept distracting me?!?! Disconnected beep disconnected boop. But I’ve been using this off and on for a few years now and my ADHD and PTSD brain FINALLY realized something. It disconnects when I’VE disconnected, as in gone into a mind tunnel of, usually anger. And I have a theory. Now, I am No scientist and with PTSD and adhd, anyone could easily argue the confirmation bias ; “umm, so you’re saying, every time it disconnects you realize you were distracted? Ooohhhh Kay. No offense but, you’re ALWAYS distracted, though.” No! It’s different! I hate the disconnecting so much (and remember my part about too much anger. I HATE the anger ;) so I’ll do what I have to do that I avoid being annoyed. And that’s enough to keep me focused. And? I gotta say, no disconnecting. Again, I’m no scientist but I’m guessing the reading is looking for the vain brain waves and when they aren’t there, it thinks it’s disconnected. Or maybe it’s LITERALLY been telling me I’VE disconnected this whole time and was too dumb to get it. Any way. If you’re having trouble with the device staying connected, try setting if you notice that pattern for you. I’m in level 24 and I’m kind of a big deal, so you really should be impressed ;) Kk good luck and happy meditating!! Yes this band IS one hundred percent worth it and while who knows if it’s all accurate or partially inaccurate, it gets me meditating AND noticing when I’m angry AND getting me to stop. Ain’t that what you’re trying to purchase here? I’m super into data, but even I know I paid for the healthy brain not to sell my brain waves to NASA.