Features
The Select Comfort Sleep Number 9000 is not what most would consider a cheap bed, this top of the line model costs over $4600 as tested. For that price you get a king size mattress with dual air chambers, a single wireless remote that controls the firmness of both chambers, a foundation and legs for the foundation. Shipping and set up is included with the price of the bed currently.

Setup
When the truck rolled up to deliver the bed I expected the two set up guys to bring in a mattress like I am used too. What they brought in was three boxes that held the mattress and bed frame. The air bladders look like pool toys when they are opened. The mattress itself comes folded up and hollow. Once the air bladders are partially filled they are placed inside the mattress itself and two layers of foam are placed on top. The two foam layers include an Intralux foam measuring 2-inches thick and a viscoelastic memory foam that is also 2-inches thick. Either layer can be the surface layer directly below the pillow top portion of the mattress you actually lay on. These two layers can be independently changed on each side to the preference of the person sleeping there.

The mattress also uses something called Outlast material that has small odorless beads that absorb excess body heat when you get too warm and radiate heat back to the sleeper when it is cooler. Anyone who has slept on a pure memory foam mattress understands how hot the material can be so Outlast is a nice feature.

The most unique aspect of the Select Comfort Sleep Number 9000 bed is definitely the sleep number firmness control system. This system consists of the dual air chambers I mentioned before, an air pump and a wireless remote control. To change the firmness of the air chambers, which are controlled independently, all you do if press the correct button for your side of the bed on the remote.

In Use
Changing to a higher sleep number kicks the air pump on and inflates the air chamber more. Going to a lower sleep number opens a valve and lets air out of the chamber making a softer sleeping surface. One thing of note is that the filling and air removal process is not a silent event. The air compressor is loud and seems more so when you decide to adjust the mattress in the middle of the night. If your significant other is a light sleeper, the air pump could wake them up.

Releasing air from the chambers is not silent either. There is a popping sound as the valve is open then a rush of air as the air chamber deflates. We aren’t talking sound levels like the air compressor in a workshop, more along the lines of the sound you get from a medicinal nebulizer compressor used by an asthmatic.

Once the bed is assembled it looks just like any other standard mattress you would buy. It is rather deep so you will want to be sure your sheets are the deep pocket type that normally go along with thick pillow top mattress (so says my wife, I am not a sheet expert). The bed is solid feeling with the optional foundation. There are no squeaks or creeks even when my kids jump on the bed, which they obviously shouldn’t do since the air bladders could be punctured.

I often wondered when I saw the commercials for the Sleep Number beds what the point was. In my mind you simply buy a bed that is comfortable to lie on at the store and you are golden right? Good theory, but in practice that is not the case. The problem is that you can’t spend a couple nights sleeping on most mattress and then return it for a softer or firmer one if you find the comfort level lacking.

There is also the problem like my wife and I have. I like a soft mattress and she likes a firm mattress. It’s hard to compromise on something like that because you end up with a mattress somewhere in the middle of the firm and soft feel each of us wants and it ends up that neither of us is happy with the bed. With the sleep number bed we can both get exactly what we want in firmness.

I also always figured with the Sleep Number beds you would set it once and then never touch the Sleep Number settings again. I was so wrong on that. I have changed the firmness on the bed more times than I can count, not because I can’t find a comfortable setting. All the changing is because different firmness settings feel more comfortable on different nights.

I mostly sleep with the bed on around 30, which is a soft setting. However, last weekend I spent a day putting a new floor down in our kitchen. All the stooping and bending was literally a pain in the back. That night the soft feel I normally prefer was just not comfortable at all. I cranked the setting on the bed up to 45, which made all the difference in the world. Rather than tossing and turning all night I slept like the proverbial baby.

Final Thoughts
After spending time with the Select Comfort Sleep Number 9000 bed I really like it. The only bad thing I can say about it is that it is very expensive. You can get significantly cheaper versions of the Sleep Number bed, but they won’t have all of the features the 9000 has that make it so comfortable. Personally I think the Select Comfort Sleep Number 9000 is money well spent. When it comes to cutting costs the place to save money is not on your mattress if you want a good night’s rest.