Buying a New Mattress - Any Recommendations?

Rickster71

Rickster71

Audioholic Spartan
Seems like the perfect question for an audio site.:D

I held off as long as possible, now we need a new mattress.
We were thinking about one of those Sleep Number air beds.
Does anyone have one, or have any info to offer.
Thanks!
 
adk highlander

adk highlander

Sith Lord
We went with the Tempur-Pedic and have never looked back. It did take about a week to get used to it and now I would never go back to a regular mattress. My wife gets up several times in the night and with these you really don't feel the other person move.

We did not get one of the "cloud" versions or pillow top type and went with the standard version.

I did not like the sleep number air beds. It was hard to explain but to me it felt like an air mattress and not of the same quality as the tempur-pedic. Get ready for some sticker shock though. Could have bought a nice pair of speakers for what that bed costs. We got a king. Oh and the mattress weight quite a bit so you may have to get a stronger frame to support it.
 
its phillip

its phillip

Audioholic Ninja
I would recommend you get one from somewhere that has a GREAT return/exchange policy. It might take some time to find out whether or not you really enjoy sleeping on whatever mattress you choose, and the cost of a decent mattress nowadays is no joke. Of course, you shouldn't cheap out on something you sleep on every night for the next 5-10 years either.

With that being said, I have a crappy ten year old Serta (or Sealy, I forget!) that's badly in need of replacement. I dunno when that'll happen though :D
 
BoredSysAdmin

BoredSysAdmin

Audioholic Slumlord
We bought a fancy one - about $1700 King size mattress from Macys and this is best purchase I ever made !!!
I think this is the one:
Sealy Posturepedic Meadow Club Plush Pillow Top
Me and missus both love it even I am a bit over 200 lbs and she's barely 120 lbs

Rule #1: DO NOT BUY FROM MATTRESS CHAINS !! THEY ARE ALL CROOKS !!
Just go to Macys when on sale
Macy's have the best return policy then most of chains or small stores

Rule #2: Price matching is 100% BS !! Every chain has unique names for same mattresses and their comparables databases are very limited.

Rule #3: Mattresses and speakers must be tested before purchase :D
(but later must be with your significant other)
 
darien87

darien87

Audioholic Spartan
We went with the Tempur-Pedic and have never looked back. It did take about a week to get used to it and now I would never go back to a regular mattress. My wife gets up several times in the night and with these you really don't feel the other person move.

We did not get one of the "cloud" versions or pillow top type and went with the standard version.
Those Tempur-Pedic definitely take some getting used to. We just tried out some beds a couple of months ago. I was looking for something that might help with my bad back. The bed we were sleeping on was probably 20 years old! I bought it from an old lady when I was in college and who knows how long she had it before me. :eek:

The Tempur-Pedic's are kinda hard to get out of once you lay down. It's like the thing sucks to your body. I felt like that kid in A Christmas Story after he falls in the snow. "I can't get up!!!!" Plus I didn't like that they get warm really quick and stay that way. I'm constantly moving around on my mattress to find a cool spot. There's a guy at my work that has one and loves it. But he went all out. I think he spent about $7,000 on his! Those things aren't cheap.

We ended up going with a Stearns and Foster. I don't remember the model but I mentioned to the sales lady that we both really liked the bed when we stayed at the Encore in Vegas a year ago, and she said, "Oh that's this bed right here." So we bought that one. Doesn't really seem to be helping my back but it is comfortable.

Beds are expensive though man. I went in there thinking that a good bed would cost about $1,000. We ended up spending about $3,000 on ours because they were doing interest free financing for 3 years.
 
STRONGBADF1

STRONGBADF1

Audioholic Spartan
Seems like the perfect question for an audio site.:D

I held off as long as possible, now we need a new mattress.
We were thinking about one of those Sleep Number air beds.
Does anyone have one, or have any info to offer.
Thanks!
I have friends that have a sleep number bed and love it. He's has pain in different places for different reasons and he likes to be able to adjust depending on how he feels. I didn't like the divided mattress. We went into a store laid down on a sensored mattress/pad and it was supposed to recommend the proper firmness...I don't like the $3000+ mattress we have. I should have bought the Tempur Pedic that I wanted for about $3800.

Oh well...live and learn.:)


Good luck!
 
sawzalot

sawzalot

Audioholic Samurai
Too Much Already Spent

I'm with you SB ^.
I have already invested about two thousand dollars into a new set and really felt like it was a bad purchase, I am never comfortable and wished we bought the Tempur Pedic as well. I had spent a few nights sleeping on a sleep number bed and both my Wife and I agreed that the bed was not so great either actually felt like an air mattress that was losing air as the night went on. i will look into the Tempur Pedic in the future.
 
Adam

Adam

Audioholic Jedi
The best sleeping investment that I made was a better pad - for my carpet. :D

I agree with the others - make sure that you can return it. Laying down on one in a store for a couple of minutes likely won't tell you how well you'll like it after sleeping (or trying to sleep) on it for several hours. Definitely go try out mattresses for yourselves, as everyone has different tastes.
 
Alex2507

Alex2507

Audioholic Slumlord
President's Day is when mattresses go on sale for some reason. Consumer reports suggested that you lay on each potential mattress for 10 minutes. I used my phone alarm to keep myself honest. I could have saved myself about 40 minutes by buying the most expensive thing they had in the store short of the Tempurpedic. Cheryl didn't like the Tempurpedic. :rolleyes:

The store I bought from had a 30 day no questions asked return policy.

Nope, I'm not going to mention Doug ... :p
 
Patrukas777

Patrukas777

Senior Audioholic
I have a Simmons Beautyrest and love it. I have a bad back as well, so picking the right mattress for me took some time.

One thing that I recommend is going to a mattress store and laying on the beds you're interested in for about 15 min a piece. It makes for a long day, but you'll know which ones work with your back and which ones don't. For bad backs I recommend more of a firmer type of bed. Stay away from the soft pillow top beds that most women like. Once the pillow top breaks in (and believe me it will), it will kill your back.

The thing I like about the Beautrest was the amount of coils. I think the one that I have has something like 1000 coils. The more coils allowed me to feel less movement from my GF, and I was more comfortable. It was as if it conformed MORE to my body then that of a mattress with a low coil amount.

Just make sure you lay on them for at least 15 minutes and your body will tell you which one it likes. I promise, I do NOT sell mattresses for a living.
 
Rickster71

Rickster71

Audioholic Spartan
THANKS to all for the responses! Keep em coming.

Sounds like I'm in for a rude awakening, after hearing those prices!:eek:
I just know the whole time I'm going to be thinking of the pre-pro or speakers I'd rather be spending the money on.

Adam's approach of sleeping on the floor is sounding better and better. :D
 
BoredSysAdmin

BoredSysAdmin

Audioholic Slumlord
THANKS to all for the responses! Keep em coming.

Sounds like I'm in for a rude awakening, after hearing those prices!:eek:
I just know the whole time I'm going to be thinking of the pre-pro or speakers I'd rather be spending the money on.

Adam's approach of sleeping on the floor is sounding better and better. :D
Yea, the number-dial and tempur-pedic prices are quite high, but if you shop for spring mattress with top of memory foam like mine (see above) - you could get one on "sale" for $1.5k or a bit less in king size. Even cheaper in queen size or smaller.

Like mentioned above - lie on each mattress for a bit (few mins at least), but try not to fall asleep :D

Remember - in the end of day - it's your body weight will decide the level of comfort you need. You need to find mattress which will be sufficient to keep correct horizontal posture

Going to the Mattresses - Slate Magazine
 
Rickster71

Rickster71

Audioholic Spartan
I have friends that have a sleep number bed and love it.
We were almost set on getting one of those. Then I heard a lot of complaints about air leaks and compressors going bad. The warranty isn't as great as it sounds. So now I'm back to square one.

I didn't like the divided mattress. ...
Wasn't that divider more your wife's idea? :D


I don't like the $3000+ mattress we have. I should have bought the Tempur Pedic that I wanted for about $3800.

Oh well...live and learn.:)
Good luck!
Ten years ago we spent $1700 and I thought that was crazy. Within two years it was sagging in the middle, and I had to flip it every 2 or 3 weeks. After seeing the new prices, I realize why I've put it off for so long.

It's a toss up between replacing the mattress or replacing our 18 yr old washer and dryer.
 
BMXTRIX

BMXTRIX

Audioholic Warlord
I currently often sleep on my 20 year old mattress in our guest room while my wife sleeps on the pillow top back killer in the bedroom. I've been stalling on the new mattress purchase myself, so I really like all the feedback coming in on this one. The sleep number doesn't sound like a winner. The tempurpedic doesn't either if it gets warm easily and conforms so much that I can't get free movement.

Really, a firm, high coil count, no pillow top solution sound best. The coils should keep sagging down, and we have a platform bed, so it should handle about any mattress we throw on it.
 
its phillip

its phillip

Audioholic Ninja
I am definitely not a fan of tempurpedic/memory foam. It gets way too hot for me. Maybe if you keep your house at 65 when you're sleeping it'd be okay, but I can't afford to do that :D I do like pillow tops though.
 
darien87

darien87

Audioholic Spartan
We were almost set on getting one of those. Then I heard a lot of complaints about air leaks and compressors going bad. The warranty isn't as great as it sounds. So now I'm back to square one.
The sales lady at Sleep Train, (where we bought our bed), said they used to sell Sleep Number beds but stopped because of all the warranty issues they were having.
 
M

MidnightSensi2

Audioholic Chief
Tempur-pedic. I've tried a bunch of them, my favorite is the second down from the top of the line - that's what my bed is. Actually my guest room has the more expensive one because I liked the one a level down haha. I have to say it made a dramatic improvement. I sleep better, back feels better, less muscle tension.

...
don't read below if easily offended

Someone mentioned 'testing' with their partner earlier. That is one thing that takes some getting used to. Having sex in the tempur-pedic's is a bit funky at first because you tend to sink. So if her weight is rested mostly on you, you'll sink more but her knees won't sink much.... If your on top, it's vice versa. Doggy-style and so forth is really good though, because the matress doesn't shake much so if she digs into the matress it basically presents an awesome support system.

Probably too much info, but, hey, it's life, we have sex in our beds as well as sleep hehe.

...

Oh, a few more notes:
- Be aware they are heavy. So, if your wife/sig. other makes the bed just make sure she is bending her knees. It's surprising how heavy they are.
- The motorized one is kinda stupid in my opinion. My friend got one and it basically makes using a bed skirt impossible, especially since his was the 'seperately' operated version. I guess if you watch TV in bed it might be nice, but, basically all sleep doctors agree that beds aren't for watching TV in (you should do it in another room). The solution to the bed skirt was to make a 'fake' one that went around the bed frame but wasn't actually attached to the bed, that way the motor system works. Otherwise the bed skirt will pull when lifting the bed/using the motor. And you can't really leave it without a bed skirt, because then all the motor and ugly framing is exposed.
 
Swerd

Swerd

Audioholic Warlord
We went with the Tempur-Pedic and have never looked back. It did take about a week to get used to it and now I would never go back to a regular mattress. My wife gets up several times in the night and with these you really don't feel the other person move.

We did not get one of the "cloud" versions or pillow top type and went with the standard version.

I did not like the sleep number air beds. It was hard to explain but to me it felt like an air mattress and not of the same quality as the tempur-pedic. Get ready for some sticker shock though. Could have bought a nice pair of speakers for what that bed costs. We got a king. Oh and the mattress weight quite a bit so you may have to get a stronger frame to support it.
I also replaced a 15-20 year old innerspring mattress this summer with a standard Tempur-Pedic. My experiences were very similar to adk highlander's. Got a queen size, and yes they are expensive. Since July, I have to say I'm glad I got it.

I was concerned about feeling hot on this bed, but it has not been a problem.

It did take us at least a week, maybe 2 weeks, before we broke ourselves into the new bed. Since then, back soreness in the morning has gone from our daily existence.

I also confirm MidnightSensi2's observations.
 
Rickster71

Rickster71

Audioholic Spartan
don't read below if easily offended

Someone mentioned 'testing' with their partner earlier. That is one thing that takes some getting used to. Having sex in the tempur-pedic's is a bit funky at first because you tend to sink.

Probably too much info, but, hey, it's life, we have sex in our beds as well as sleep hehe.

...
I'll have to relay that info to Alex, Adam, and Doug.

:D
 
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