When it comes to sex toys, the use of vibration patterns (as opposed to steady and constant vibrations) is a divisive subject. While many users hate them, others love them and enjoy exploring all the different sensations they can offer.
However, most vibrators come with only a few built-in vibration patterns (typically anywhere from 3 to 20, depending on the brand and price point of the toy.) Some app-controlled toys, such as Lovense and WeVibe products and Lovehoney’s Desire range, offer a way around this by allowing users to design their own vibration patterns within their respective apps.
Lovehoney’s new Juno range approaches things a little differently: they’re designed to vibrate along with music.
Introduction to the Juno Range
While OhMiBod may have its butt plug and wearable sound-activated toys, the Juno range from Lovehoney consists of four toys: an egg vibrator, panty vibrator, vibrating cock ring, and a vibrating butt plug. Each of the Juno products retails for $69.99 in the US, and £49.99 in the UK. At the time of publishing, each is available at nearly half price.
Each of the four products is powered by the same removable bullet vibrator, housed within a silicone sleeve that defines the shape of the toy.
While I like the flexibility and ease of cleaning offered by the fact that the bullets are removable, I would have liked the option to buy just one set of hardware and then buy each of the sleeves separately. This would make the toys more cost-effective and also improve their sustainability credentials. For most people having four sets of the same hardware will be completely unnecessary.
As the bullets are made of hard ABS plastic and the sleeves are made of silicone, all the Lovehoney Juno toys are completely body-safe, non-porous, and easy to clean. Each toy comes in a slightly different color (purple, pink, turquoise, and blue respectively), helping you to avoid mixing up which remote goes with which toy.
Each Juno toy comes with a small remote that also houses a receiver for the music activation (more on that in the next section.) The toys are waterproof but the accompanying remotes are not. They also come with USB charging cables which can charge the toy and remote at the same time, and drawstring storage pouches.
A full charge takes 60 minutes and gives you around 40 minutes of use, which is a disappointing runtime for toys at this price point.
Lovehoney Juno Review: Music Activation
The unique selling point of the Juno range is that they allow you to sync the toy’s vibrations to music. This is easy to do: simply switch on the toy by holding down its button until you feel three short pulses, and switch on the corresponding remote by holding down its button until the blue light comes on. Then place the remote close to the source of the sound and enjoy the vibrations.
I tried my Juno toys with a variety of different music styles, from gentle instrumental music through to heavy metal. I expected they would not respond at all to softer and more gentle music, but this turned out not to be the case. In fact, they work with almost any music you can think of.
However, it’s definitely true that the Juno vibrators work best with heavier music, particularly anything with a thumping beat and strong bass line. I don’t really go out to nightclubs any more, but I’d be very intrigued to wear one of these toys at a gig or festival to see how they respond in an environment with constant loud music!
Regardless of the type of music, I found the Juno toys’ responses to be fairly inconsistent. If you want a reliable, consistent pattern of vibration, they are unlikely to be for you. The vibrations I got from the toys were erratic and unpredictable, even when the music I used was highly rhythmic and repetitive. This can be fun in and of itself, as not knowing quite what stimulation you’ll get from one second to the next can keep you on your toes. But it does mean that I am unlikely to reach orgasm with one of these toys.
You don’t strictly need to put the Juno remote right next to the source of the sound to get a response. However, I did find that the closer it was to the speaker, the more responsive and consistent the toy was.
It is perhaps more accurate to say that the Juno vibrators are sound-activated rather than strictly music activated. I found that if someone was talking near to the remote, the vibrations would activate. At one point, mine was even picking up the sounds of my neighbors doing DIY across the street!
While this can have its upsides (I can definitely see some kinky potential to a vibrator that is activated by speech or ambient noise, for example), it makes it difficult to get a completely clean music activated vibration pattern.
In the next sections, we will take a closer look at each of the toys in turn.
Lovehoney Juno Egg Vibrator Review
This toy’s name is a bit of a misnomer as it really isn’t egg shaped at all. It’s slightly curved, tablet shaped, and three inches long with a 3-inch stretchy loop tail which makes insertion and removal easy and comfortable.
It is designed to be worn inside the vagina, but I found it too narrow to offer the kind of “full” feeling I look for in an insertable toy. It is also too short to reach the G-spot on my body and, likely, many folks’ bodies. Obviously all bodies are different and your mileage may vary, as some people do prefer more slimline toys.
The main ‘purpose’ of egg style vibrators seems to be wearing them throughout the day and possibly out and about, slowly building arousal. The advantage of the Juno Egg Vibrator’s small size and relatively quiet vibrations is that it is discreet enough for this purpose. Since it is worn inside the body, it’s unlikely anyone will hear it and realize what it is unless you’re somewhere with almost no ambient background noise.
I liked the Juno Egg Vibrator more when I used it as an external clitoral vibrator instead. The loop handle is a real plus in this regard because it makes the toy comfortable to hold and manipulate and reduces the amount of vibrations that are transmitted to my hand during use. Since it is very small and exceptionally light, the Juno Egg Vibrator is a good option on days when my hands or arms are hurting.
Unfortunately, the bullet vibrator used in the Juno Egg Vibrator (and all the Juno toys) is far too weak and buzzy for me to get much out of it. It’s enjoyable for a minute or two but soon starts to cause that unpleasant tingly, itchy, semi-numb feeling that comes from overly buzzy vibrations.
- It’s easy to insert and remove
- It’s quiet and discreet
- It works well as a clitoral vibrator
- It’s too small to reach the G-spot
- The slimline shape will be less satisfying to some users
- It has weak, buzzy vibrations
Lovehoney Juno Panty Vibrator Review
Since I’m much more a fan of clitoral toys than insertable toys, I really love the idea of knicker vibrators at least in theory. Something that will tease and tantalize all day long? Yes please!
The Juno Knicker Vibrator is 3.5″ in length and shaped a bit like a mini saddle. It has a large raised area on the underside that is designed to rest against your clitoris when the toy is worn inside your underwear. This is a genuinely excellent design which helps to focus the vibrations in the right place.
The silicone is also ultra soft, smooth, and comfortable to wear, and the small size means that when the toy is not activated I can easily forget I’m wearing it.
Unfortunately, the Juno Knicker Vibrator suffers from the same issue that so many similar products do: it doesn’t really stay in place. Without a clip or another way to hold it in position, it inevitably slips as you move around. You can somewhat solve this by wearing very tight panties but even then, it’s not ideal. This obviously defeats the main point of the toy and I found the Juno Knicker Vibrator more frustrating than pleasurable as a result.
Again, I got the most out of it when I was able to physically hold it in place, but this ruins the “hands free” aspect that makes up part of the appeal of knicker vibrators.
I’m also not convinced how discreet the Juno Knicker Vibrator is. Though the vibrator is the same relatively quiet bullet as the one used in all these toys, it does not have the advantage of being worn inside the body to dampen the sound. In a place with a lot of background noise you’d probably get away with it, but I wouldn’t recommend trying it anywhere quieter.
- It has excellent design, with saddle shape and clitoral nub
- Made of soft and comfortable silicone
- Its small size makes it easy and comfortable to wear
- No way to hold it in place
- Not as discreet as it could be
- Would have liked the vibrations to be stronger
Lovehoney Juno Love Ring Review
I’ve never got along particularly well with vibrating cock rings. Ostensibly they are supposed to provide extra clitoral stimulation during penetrative sex (since clitoral stimulation is how the vast majority of cis women and other folks with vulvas reach orgasm). However, I’ve always found the stimulation they provide to be inconsistent and unreliable—enough to be annoying but not enough to get me off. Of course, cock rings can also be used by penis owners during solo masturbation.
The Juno Vibrating Love Ring looks small when you first take it out of the packaging, with the ring part measuring just 1.5″ across. However, it is very stretchy. This means it will fit the vast majority of penises comfortably. It also means it is easy and hassle-free to get on and off, especially if you use it with plenty of water-based lube. The silicone is soft and silky enough to allow for lengthy periods of comfortable wear.
Due to the placing of the bullet, lengthways at the top of the toy, the vibrations are transmitted all the way around the ring. This means that it also provides additional pleasure for the person wearing the ring as well as for their partner. However, by the time the vibrations have made their way from the bullet around the ring, they feel pretty buzzy and very weak. A stronger bullet would be needed to make this toy truly effective.
- It’s easy to take on and off
- It’s comfortable to wear
- It will fit a wide range of penises
- Unlikely to provide sustained clitoral stimulation during sex
- Vibrations around the ring feel weak and buzzy
Lovehoney Juno Butt Plug Review
The final toy in the Juno music-activated toys range is the Juno Butt Plug. Measuring just 4.5 inches in total length and 3.5 inches of insertable length, this is a slim plug measuring just 1.1-inches in diameter at the widest point.
The small size and tapered tip makes the Juno Butt Plug easy to insert. It is non-intimidating enough to be suitable even for complete beginners to anal play. The silicone is super soft and squishy and the shaft is slightly flexible, which means that this plug is comfortable even for all-day wear.
The only downside to the design is that the narrowest point of the neck is almost too flexible. This can make insertion challenging. While you should never force a butt plug in if your body isn’t ready for it, a little bit of gentle pressure is sometimes needed to help one slip inside. This is difficult when its neck is this bendy.
Unlike the other products in this range, I did not mind the weaker vibrations so much when it came to using the Juno Butt Plug. Perhaps this is because the tissue inside the anus is so sensitive, or perhaps it’s just a matter of personal preference. Either way, I actually enjoyed the Juno Butt Plug’s gentler vibrations.
I also found that once it was inserted, the sound of the vibrations is dampened enough to make the Juno Butt Plug suitable for discreet outdoor play if that’s your thing.
- Slimline, tapered design is beginner-friendly
- Comfortable to wear even for long periods
- Discreet enough for public play
- Overly flexible neck can make insertion challenging
- May not be large enough to satisfy folks who prefer bigger toys
Overall Experience
My main criticism of the Juno range of music-activated vibrators is that the vibrations simply aren’t powerful enough. They are only moderate in strength and far too buzzy to be satisfying. While there are no universal truths when it comes to sex, the vast majority of users seem to prefer stronger and rumblier vibrations. When a toy costs £50, a strong motor should be a minimum standard. Unfortunately, it is one that these toys fail to meet.
The short battery life is also a significant downside. One of the main appeals of these toys, for many people, will be to wear them out to an event such as a gig, nightclub, or festival. But if your toy’s battery dies 40 minutes into the night, it is not particularly suited to that purpose.
Though they are well designed in some regards and highly innovative in their use of music activation technology, it is unlikely any of these toys would ever make me orgasm. Overall, they are fun and have their merits but I have to declare them more gimmick than substance.
Lovehoney Juno Verdict: Which One is the Winner?
I don’t think anyone is more surprised than me by this: the Lovehoney Juno music-activated butt plug is my overall favorite of the four toys.
Each of the four products have their merits and drawbacks. The Egg Vibrator is possibly the most functional for discreet public play, while the Knicker Vibrator has a great shape but is let down by the positioning problems. The Love Ring is well-designed from a comfort and wearability perspective.
However, the Juno Butt Plug is the only one of the four toys that I would have really enjoyed using without the added novelty of the music-activated vibrations. Its squishy silicone and slightly flexible body make it a joy to use, and it is the only product in the Juno range that is not particularly let down by the weakness of the vibrations.
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