I am planning to buy a Dreamfoam mattress. I am torn between the Ultimate Dreams 10" Gel Mattress (sold on Amazon, not the Dreamfoam website) and the 12" Aria (sold on both Amazon and the Dreamfoam website). I chatted with Chuck at Dreamfoam who said the Aria is a Medium Firm while the 10" Gel is Firm mattress. Of course, such labels are somewhat subjective. The Aria has 4 inches of 4 lb. memory foam over an 8 inch base; Base on both is 1.5 lb, I believe. the 10" mattress has 3 inches of 4 lb. memory foam over a 7 inch base. I do not know if the ratio of memory foam to base is significant. I like the Tempurpedic Rhapsody Breeze and the Tempurpedic Contour Elite in terms of firmness. Any suggestions? Sleep occurs on back, side, and stomach. Thanks.
Hi Sleepy and Searching,
Just for reference … all the Dreamfoam mattresses can be purchased through the Dreamfoam site (even if they aren’t listed) so you can take advantage of their 10% discount and their 45 day comfort guarantee.
There is more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here that can help you make more meaningful comparisons between mattresses but you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and individual preferences and sensitivities involved to be able to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict how a specific mattress will feel to you or to make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components would be the best “match” for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) based on specs (either yours or a mattress) or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more accurate than your own careful testing or personal sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).
They both use 4 lb memory foam over a 1.5 lb base layer so they would be closely comparable in terms of durability so the best way to choose between them would be based on your conversation with Dreamfoam and which of the two firmness levels you think you would prefer.
Phoenix
Hi Phoenix,
I was just looking at the dreamfoam aria. Would you suggest that for higher bmi’s?
Thanks!
Hi Ari,
The first suggestion I would make would be to talk with Dreamfoam on the phone about the Aria. They will know more than anyone about which of their options will most likely be the best “match” for different BMIs and sleeping styles based on “averages” and the more information you can provide them the better you will help them to help you make the best possible choice.
The Dreamfoam Aria uses a 6" 1.8 lb polyfoam core, above which is 1" of 4 lb memory foam, above which is 3" of 4 lb gel memory foam. Dreamfoam makes mattresses that use high quality materials for their budget range and have great value, but I would also be aware with a higher BMI that it may also be worth considering higher density materials unless budget is the most important criteria because this would also increase the cost of a mattress. There are some good foam density guidelines in post #4 here where I expound a bit upon this. Post #3 here also has more information and suggestions about heavier weights.
Phoenix
Thanks Phoenix 
I have read the guidelines.
I cannot find a memory foam bed that meets the requirements and relieves pressure points. I just cannot sleep on a slab.
Big box stores use low quality materials but it seems most bed in a box make beds lower in quality also . For those of us with a higher bmi that is.
I cannot believe there is no bed for me. I am not the size of a house this is ridiculous 
HI Ari,
I’m not sure what you mean by “sleeping on a slab”. Higher density does not equate to “harder” foam in polyfoam.
Every brand has their target demographic - some choose to make good quality products in a budget range, others premium, some less durable. While it is true that most of the larger brands tend to use lower quality materials, not all do, and there certainly are companies producing higher-quality memory foam mattresses. Post #12 here has some of the better online memory foam options of which I am aware.
Realize that a 1.8 lb poly foam core of a higher ILD can still be a quite durable material.
Phoenix
No no that wasn’t what I meant by slab :). I meant that so far I have seen or slept on too many weak links or beds so hard they hurt
What would the ild be for a higher quality base foam of 1.8? Some of these sales people don’t even know what an ild is
Thanks Phoenix!
Hi Ari,
Thank you for the clarification. I understand.
A mid-30s or up ILD is a common firm rating for a polyfoam core.
Phoenix
[quote=“Phoenix” post=71278]Hi Ari,
Thank you for the clarification. I understand.
A mid-30s or up ILD is a common firm rating for a polyfoam core.
Phoenix[/quote]
Thanks Phoenix! I have not seen anything like that but I will keep looking, if you spot something please point it out!
Hi Ari,
There are plenty of polyfoam core products using firm cores like this. Not all manufacturers disclose ILDs and consider that proprietary information, and to most people looking for a mattress it only adds to the confusion and is not a specification of quality but more of a comfort spec.
I’m sorry, but I can’t work as a personal mattress concierge and report back to individuals about particular specifications as I come across them. I only have the time to comment upon queries presented here in the forum.
Phoenix
[quote=“Phoenix” post=71294]Hi Ari,
I’m sorry, but I can’t work as a personal mattress concierge and report back to individuals about particular specifications as I come across them. I only have the time to comment upon queries presented here in the forum.
Phoenix[/quote]
Didn’t mean to imply that, sorry
HI Ari,
No problem. It would be wonderful if it could be possible to have a huge clearinghouse of information on mattress specifications, but with the thousands upon thousands of mattresses available and the constantly changing configurations, it unfortunately would be a task impossible to accomplish.
Phoenix
[quote=“Ari” post=71266]Thanks Phoenix
I have read the guidelines.
I cannot find a memory foam bed that meets the requirements and relieves pressure points. I just cannot sleep on a slab.
Big box stores use low quality materials but it seems most bed in a box make beds lower in quality also . For those of us with a higher bmi that is.
I cannot believe there is no bed for me. I am not the size of a house this is ridiculous :([/quote]
This entire post is so spot-on! It’s frustrating and since I am in the lower-200’s, I am starting to let go of the idea of the need for higher foam density. I was recently 210 pounds anyway, but moving across the country and skipping workouts for six months caused a ten pound increase. If I’m back down to 200-210 pounds, I’m not sure if it would be worth the higher density foam to deal with the potential long-term discomfort if the HD foam doesn’t break down. I do want 5-lb foam as a support comfort layer, ut am starting to get over the 6-lb+ top layer. It simply no longer exists at a company with a decent return policy or sleep trial.
Ari, did you by any chance ever try out any of the Ultimate Dreams mattresses? It looks like the one comparable to the Cloud Supreme has all 4-lb foam and the 13" has 4-lb and 5-lb foam. I sure wish the 12" had 5-lb foam in the support layer like the 13" because I would be all over that. I’m naturally worried about the 3" of 4-lb foam in the 13" mattress. The 1.5" of 4-lb seems acceptable, especially if the 2.5" below it was 5-lb foam. Maybe I shouldn’t worry about it at all. Who knows, haha!
The price point and 120-day trial of the Dreamfoam mattresses are outstanding. I may be giving one of these a try regardless of my weight, as I am in the low-200’s and would be able to return within 120 days. If the Rhapsody Luxe or Cloud Supreme are no longer floor models, I’ll just have to deal with it. I’m having a hard time seeing the value in spending $1400 to $2000 for floor models without a sleep trial. My best bet would be to buy a new Tempur-Pedic and figure out how the mattresses work long-term, via the 90-day sleep trial. Since I’m not willing to plunk down $3000 to $4000 for a new Cloud Supreme or Rhapsody Luxe, the sleep trial is not gonna happen. These Dreamfoam beds are around $540 shipped with a 120-day trial. Incredibly difficult to pass up on.
Nope nope never tried a ultimate dreams.
I know the prices are nuts but I tried soooooo many bed in a box that just didn’t work for me.
I completely feel you. Called Dreamfoam today and found out they lowered their density from 4-lb and 5-lb to 3.5-lb in all models. It’s officially a wrap. I’m done with mattress shopping for a while, haha! We realized we love the soft comfort of the Cloud Supreme but don’t trust the durability enough to buy it without a 90-day trial. Taking a liking to the soft material and realizing that soft is better for side sleepers, we’e decided to stick with our current innerspring plush mattress (old Seria iSeries Applause), snag some proper pillows, and stick to sleeping on our sides. When it wears out, we’ll approach this issue again.
For now, we’re gonna spend the money on a bedroom set and price up our new digs. We recently moved across state and are sort of starting over, so the bedroom set and sectional will be much more worthy upgrades at the present time. To be completely honest, I’d say the new Luxe Adapt Firm might be my favorite of all mattresses I tried in the past few weeks. I’m naturally skeptical of the specs since T-P has been skimping and hiding them in recent years, but when the time comes to upgrade, we’ll likely consider it.
Hey 560andrising,
Thanks again for the update about Dreamfoam, at least they were straight up with their changes, these reductions in quality and density for many businesses are driven by industry-wide price increases on poly foam, and in this ultra-competitive market they are afraid to increase their retail prices. Good luck when you are back in the mattress market.
Regards,
Sensei
Hey Sensei! I think you are spot on. Cost of materials is likely driving this. Consumers are always price conscious, especially in the internet age. Price hikes run people off and the vast majority won’t know or care about specifics such as density, ILD, and so forth. Thank you for the well-wishing! I’m sure we’ll get it all figured out at the appropriate time!