Muse 2 Review: The Easiest EEG Headband to Use

The number of people practicing meditation has tripled since 2012 and for a good reason. Research shows regular meditation boosts memory, improves mental clarity, reduces stress, increases focus, and lessens anxiety.

Now the latest technology provides valuable data insights about your meditation by tracking brain activity. Electroencephalogram (EEG) headbands measure brain waves during meditation so you can improve your technique, reach a higher state of consciousness and focus on your thoughts and feelings.

The Muse 2 headband goes one step further by not only tracking brain activity but monitoring heart rate, posture, breathing, and muscle tension. It currently has an average Amazon score of 4.2/5, based on 1,186 global ratings, with customers hailing the product for its ease of use.

Available for around $250, the Muse headband isn’t the cheapest meditation accessory on the market, but does it live up to the hype? In this Muse 2 review, learn the product’s features, pros, and cons and what users think.

Table of Contents

• What Is the Muse Headband?
• Muse 2 Features
• Muse 2 Pros
• Muse 2 Cons
• What Users Think
• Muse Headband: Final Verdict

What Is the Muse Headband?

Muse 2 is the second generation of Muse headband. It comes with new sensors, a soft-touch finish, and a lighter and more contemporary design than its predecessor.

Here’s how it works:

Muse 2 is undoubtedly one of the easiest EEG headbands to use. The product uses Bluetooth-enabled sensors that generate real-time feedback for better meditation via the Muse app. Just place the device across the middle of your forehead, making sure all of its sensors touch your skin. Then load up the Muse app, put on your headphones and let the sensors track your mind and body.

Muse 2 also uses advanced signal processing to evaluate your mental activity and guide you through meditation. You’ll hear peaceful weather soundscapes through your headphones when your mind is calm and stormy weather when your mind starts to wander. Using these sensory cues and the data on the Muse app, you can improve meditation techniques, control your breathing and remove any distractions that prevent you from reaching an alternative state of consciousness.

Finally, you can track meditation milestones and other achievements via the Muse app, allowing you to improve your techniques over time.

The Muse 2 headband provides around five hours of continuous use from a single charge. While other EEG headbands have a longer-lasting battery, the Muse 2 provides enough juice for 2-3 weeks of short morning meditation practice. You can also use third-party apps with the device for deeper data insights about your brain activity.

Muse 2 Features

Here are some of the features available on the Muse 2 meditation headband.

New Sensors

Muse 2 offers more skin sensors than the first generation of Muse headbands, providing more accurate data readings via the app. The device has seven EEG brain sensors: Two on the forehead, two near the ears, and three reference sensors.

More Soundscapes

Muse 2 has an incredible range of weather soundscapes that respond to your heart rate, breathing, and body movement patterns.

Sleep Guidance

Muse 2 has different meditation exercises that promote better sleep. World-famous meditation instructors help calm your mind and body with several sleep techniques. However, these guided sessions cost extra, and you will need to take out a subscription.

Sleep Tracking

Wear Muse 2 during sleep to track sleep patterns, positions, and disturbances. The app logs this information and tracks your progress for better sleeping habits.

Muse 2 Pros

• Track data through the Muse app after each meditation session. View progress reports, real-time analytics, rewards for successful meditation practices, and more.
• Available on Android and iOS devices.
• Light, comfortable and contemporary design.
• More sensors than the Muse 1.
• Easy to use and requires no complicated setup process.

Muse 2 Cons

• Muse 2 doesn’t come with headphones.
• Muse 2 doesn’t have a headband case, making it difficult to transport the device to different locations. (You can purchase a headband case separately.)
• Muse 2 retails for around $250, making it one of the most expensive meditation accessories on the market.
• You have to pay extra for guided meditation sessions.
• There is no app for Huawei smartphones.

What Users Think

The Muse 2 headband is one of the top-rated wearable technologies on Amazon, with an average user score of 4.2/5. Here’s what some users think:

• “I find the breathing feedback extremely relaxing, and the soundscape with guided feedback is extremely helpful. The heart experience is also something I’d never experienced before. It’s almost like feeling your heartbeat and breathing as an instrument/drum. Muse then teaches you how to understand the relationship between breath rate and heart rate and how to slow down.” (Andrew)
• “I’ve been a long-time Muse user, and it is truly a life-changing product. The valuable feedback it provides for meditation is extremely helpful, and it helps motivate me to meditate more.” ()
• “The fact that it tracks what’s going on and provides me with feedback that I can then respond and adjust to lets me hone in on exactly what works and how to gear my mind down to a calmer and focused place. The app makes the product easy to use and has helped me build a daily meditation habit.” (Tiffany W.)

Muse Headband: Final Verdict

Muse 2 is lighter and comes with more soundscapes, sensors, and features for sleep than its predecessor. However, you will need to weigh up these features with the product’s price (and the additional cost of guided sessions) and determine its value. Muse 2 isn’t the only EEG headband for meditation. Still, it’s one of the most popular, with users praising the product for its connectivity, design, range of data insights, and, ultimately, ease of use.

Read more wearable technology reviews on intech.media.