Brown noise has had a moment. Scroll through TikTok or Reddit's r/tinnitus and you'll find people swearing it changed their lives-or dismissing it as overhyped. White noise machines have been around for decades. Pink noise keeps showing up in sleep studies. So which one actually helps with tinnitus?
The frustrating answer: it depends. But understanding why these sounds differ can help you stop guessing and start finding what works for your ears.
The basics: what makes noise "coloured"
The naming comes from a loose analogy to light. White light contains all visible wavelengths; white noise contains all audible frequencies at equal intensity. From there, the colours describe how the energy is distributed across the frequency spectrum.
White noise is flat-equal power everywhere. Pink noise rolls off the highs, losing about 3 decibels per octave as you go up. Brown noise (named after Brownian motion, not the colour) rolls off even more steeply, around 6 decibels per octave.
In practical terms: white sounds bright and hissy, pink sounds balanced and natural, brown sounds deep and rumbly.
White noise: the classic
You know this one. Static between radio stations. The hiss of an old TV. Air conditioning. It's been the default "masking sound" for decades because it covers every frequency equally-wherever your tinnitus sits, white noise is there to compete with it.
The problem is that equal energy across frequencies doesn't mean equal perceived loudness. Our ears are more sensitive to higher frequencies, so white noise can sound harsh and fatiguing, especially if you're trying to sleep or listen for hours while working.
For buzzing tinnitus or when you need quick relief and aren't sure what else to try, white noise is a solid starting point. But if you find yourself turning it up to uncomfortable levels or feeling worn out after extended listening, that's a sign to try something else.
Pink noise: the balanced option
Pink noise is what white noise would sound like if our ears were perfectly calibrated. By reducing the higher frequencies, it creates something that sounds more even and natural-closer to steady rainfall or a distant waterfall.
This makes it easier to listen to for longer periods. If you have ringing tinnitus (the most common type), pink noise tends to blend well without adding that harsh, hissy quality that can make white noise irritating.
There's also decent research behind it. Sleep studies have found pink noise can enhance deep sleep and memory consolidation. Whether that's directly relevant to tinnitus relief is unclear, but if you're using sound therapy overnight, it's a nice bonus.
Brown noise: the deep dive
Brown noise is where things get interesting. The steep roll-off means almost no high-frequency content-just a deep, enveloping rumble like distant thunder or strong wind. It's become something of a phenomenon, with people describing it as feeling "safe" or "cocooned."
For high-pitched tinnitus, brown noise can be particularly effective. Instead of adding more treble to compete with your tinnitus, it provides a low-frequency foundation that creates contrast. Your brain has something else to focus on without the sound therapy itself becoming another source of high-pitched noise.
It's also become the go-to for sleep. The womb-like quality seems to trigger something primal for a lot of people. If your tinnitus is worst when you're trying to fall asleep-when everything else goes quiet and there's nothing left to distract you-brown noise is worth a serious try.
Quick comparison
| Noise | Character | Works well for |
|---|---|---|
| White | Bright, hissy, full-spectrum | Buzzing tinnitus, quick masking, concentration |
| Pink | Warm, balanced, natural | Ringing tinnitus, extended listening, sleep |
| Brown | Deep, rumbly, enveloping | High-pitched tinnitus, sleep, anxiety relief |
Other colours worth knowing
Blue and violet noise go the opposite direction-more energy in the highs. These haven't been studied as much, but some people with low-pitched tinnitus find the high-frequency emphasis provides better contrast.
Grey noise is psychoacoustically calibrated to sound flat to human ears (as opposed to being mathematically flat like white noise). Some people find it more comfortable.
Velvet noise is a smoother variant that works well for sleep if you find other noises too harsh.
Finding your match
Here's the approach that actually works: experiment systematically.
Don't try brown noise for five minutes, decide it's not working, and move on. Give each type a few days in different contexts. You might discover that pink noise helps you focus during the day but brown noise is better for sleep. Or that white noise works when your tinnitus is loud but becomes irritating on quieter days.
Pay attention to volume too. The goal isn't to drown out your tinnitus completely-that can actually make things worse by training your brain to need louder and louder sounds. Keep the volume at or just below your tinnitus level. You want the sounds to blend together, not to mask one with the other.
And if none of the basic noise colours click for you, that's normal. Nature sounds, binaural beats, notched audio, and other approaches work better for some people. The point isn't to find the "right" answer-it's to find your answer.
Worth trying
We built StillWell because finding the right sound shouldn't require downloading ten different apps and guessing. The app includes all the noise colours mentioned here, plus nature sounds, therapeutic audio, and sounds specifically designed for tinnitus relief.
More importantly, it helps you build consistent practice-which research suggests matters more than which specific sound you choose. But that's a topic for another article.