The follow on video should be "How can I REDUCE noise from my travel CPAP?" As others have already pointed out, measuring the sound of the machine isn't helpful as the noise at the mask is both louder and more annoying. I have the 'quietest' machine here, the resmed Mini and it is HORRIBLE! Whenever we travel my wife complains as it bothers HER so much (the noise at the mask, the cpap itself is under the bed, tucked away in it's travel case so that noise is effectively nothing) However, I've done three things that greatly help 1) I have a plug adapter (3rd party) that lets me use standard hoses (ResMed is predatory in requiring their proprietary connectors) 2) This allows me to add a 3rd party muffler and 3) I can use the standard resmed tube, not the noisy travel tube. Using these three together significantly reduces the noise. To be clear it is STILL louder than my Resmed 10 home unit (my wife still isn't happy) but at least it's tolerable. I'm looking forward to others tricks and what they do.
Scott, I HEAR what you’re saying LITERALLY. Some background: I’m a nightly cpap user of 16 years , Resmed AirSense 11, F20 full face mask, CPAP 10 cmH20. I’m also a Registered Respiratory Therapist of 35 years, still employed in a large facility working nights . I spend a lot of time setting patients up on CPAPs , their home units as well as those from the hospital. So you could say that I have experience on both sides of the mask. I purchased a Mini to use on an upcoming long flight to Asia . The first (and last ) time that I tried to sleep using it , I was horrified at the noise . I’m not sure if the unit is loud or not because I couldn’t hear it over the incredibly noisy sounds during inspiration and expiration. The din of Darth Vader filled the whole room. It was so distracting , I could not sleep. No more counting sheep , just count your breaths , in and out and IN and OUT…all night long. It’s around 7, 000 in case you’re wondering, I found out the hard way . I thought there might be an easy solution….well definitely HOPED SO , since the unit can’t be returned. I don’t use the humidifier with my AirSense 11 and wouldn’t need the HME set up with the Mini. It seemed as though most of the noise was coming through the port on the mask (near the elbow) that allows flow to pass in and out of the humidification system. I bought one of the adapters that allow using any circuit and therefore any mask with the mini. I was CERTAIN this would solve the problem (my F20 when used with my home cpap , doesn’t make a PEEP…that’s an inside respiratory/dad joke , sorry ). But yeah it’s truly quiet ….but not when I tried it with the AirMini . It was every bit as loud . This renders the device unusable for me . That’s over 1000$ wasted . A thousand dollars could have bought a whole bunch of authentic sushi…😠
I have a ResMed Air Mini. The machine itself is very quiet, as you find in your test here. However, most of the noise comes from the connection between the mask and the tubing. That connection is where you put the humidity disc if you're using one. That disc takes the moisure out of your exhalation and uses it to humidify the air the machine pushes through your nostrils. That connection is VERY NOISY. Plus, this noise source is very close to your face, and your ears, so you hear it more than you'd hear noise coming from the machine, which is on your nightstand a few feet away from your ears. By putting the decibal meter next to the machine, it won't pick up the noise generated at the connection between the mask and the tubing. What would be a fairer comparison would be to put the decibal meter next to your ear when testing each of the machines. That way, the meter will pick up the noise your ears actually here, not just the noise being generated by the machine itself. Thank you for the video and for reading my comment.
Exactly what I don't like about noise videos. Generally the noise at mask is what i hear plus one can pur the machine itself under the bed or otherwise isolate the machine
I agree completely with this comment, I purchased an Air Mini but had to return it because I found the noise from breathing to be too much for me to sleep, I am still looking for a travel CPAP machine
I just got the Airmini and I'm astounded how quiet it is. I used to travel with my Airsense 11, but this is TINY in comparison. If you wish to quiet the sound even more, put the unit inside a carrying case or luggage with an opening enough so it takes in air. Then it's as quiet as a home unit, especially compared to having it on a hard surface like this video test where sound reflects easily. It seriously is much quieter in person than I expected. I love this thing. My first trip with it is in a couple weeks. No more bulky Airsense 11 for me! Thanks for the video
Yes the AirMini machine itself is quiet. The F20 mask with it though is another story…that’s where the noise comes from. Two words: Darth. Vader. It’s annoying that no reviewers measure or talk about noise at mask level rather than machine level.
You're measuring in the wrong place. I have a Z2. The noise doesn't emanate from the machine itself, rather, the whine of the motor propagates up the hose and out of the exhaust holes. I can't use my Respironics mask that has exhaust holes in the swivel that sits on the top of my head and tubes that go down the sides of my face, since the sound is closer to my ears. Masks that have exhaust holes under my nose seem to work best. The Qtube muffler helps a bit, but adding a humidifier cartridge seems to help the most.
Very good review, thanks! I've heard the transcend was quieter than the air mini, so it's nice to see it put to test. Would love to hear more about the moisture exchangers since they can't include a humidifier. That's my biggest problem when trying to decide which model to get.
I've always found my Z1 to be quite reasonable on the noise, especially with all the warnings I'd heard before buying it. I use a Resmed Swift FX with it but recently brought along the P30i I use at home. I couldn't keep it on for 5 minutes. Fortunately, I'd brought the Swift FX along as well. Those airtubes that come down in front of my ears are nice and quiet with my home unit, but were intolerable on the travel CPAP. So the mask used makes a huge difference.
Tried the Resmed Airmini and Transcend micro. Both too loud for me. Couldn't hear the machines over my Breath.Airmini was quieter on exhale but inhale was loud, real Darth Vadder. Transcend was more consistently loud but inhales were still louder. Transcend size was fantastic, but I'll lug around my airsense 10
Hi. I purchased the Z-2 from my Doctor. I had problem with my sinuses running due lack of moisture even when using the moisture catching connector after using the Z-2. . The representative told me to do varieous things; however, i couldn’t use the machine as my sinuses were so tender the next day that I couldn’t leave the house without a handkerchief due sinus drainage. When I found out why my Representative quit responding to my emails ( she no longer worked with the company) I contacted the company. They said the unit was out of the warranty period. So now I have a $750.00 USD paper weight. I need a travel CPAP that adds moisture. The moisture disc Z-2 uses doesn’t work. Watched video 8-18-2023 10:30 CST.
I have the air mini which provides 2 different moisture catching disk types. Blue and grey. The grey felt to me pretty swampy when I was in colorado during winter which is very dry. I am not sure how the mechanism compares to the Z2 recapture, but if it is different, the Air mini might be a better option for you.
Decibel meters are very sensitive to both distance and placement in relation to the sound source. For example, placing it on a different side of the machine could yield a different result, especially at such a close range. Perhaps a better test would be to measure from a few feet away, simulating the actual distance from a person's head during sleep. That would account for any anomalies created by how the machine was oriented, or from use of the muffler.
Volume at the mask is what is important. The HumidX filter adds so much noise to the ResMed AirMini. It is unbearably noisy, it drowns out the noise of the 7 year old room air filter.
Really wish you would have compared the portables to the ResMed AirSense 11. And as many others mentioned measure the sound from the connection mask or face. It’s been months now, it appears you have the equipment to redo your tests, is this something you plan on doing soon?
Curious as to why you not include / show how large each machine and the respective cables & power supply unit & mask are packed into a case - using the resmed dream machine full zise as the base line. It appears some of the smaller machines requires a 1 ft noise reduction hose, which will take away the portability of these machines.
While researching the transcend micro, I learned it came with a pouch. It seems that the pouch is not big enough for all components. Therefore, they make a soft shell case however, the size of that case isn’t much smaller than the resmed air sense 11 case, which nullifies the whole reason to go to one of these smaller portable travel units since you are really not saving that much space.
What about fan / tube noise? I find the full size dreamstation to be quite loud without the humidifier so I fear these may be even worse. What are your thoughts on this?
May the Qlite accessory or the one similar for the Z2 be used with the Air Mini? This is assuming that it is used a connector in the Air Mini to be able to use a standard tube. If that way could those accessories can be used, will be effective to lower the Air Mini sound? Just wondering.
It would connect if you had the generic adapter for the AirMini, but I am not sure that the AirMIni would work correctly. cpapmyway.com/store/universal-tube-adapter
In my experience, the Qlite muffler by itself helped a little, but not much. Best reduction in noise (not great, but much better) came from a muffler AND V-com, but I'm not sure if I can add an HME to that setup or if I'll have to live without humidity in exchange for the noise reduction.
UPDATE: this is the setup that FINALLY worked for me: AirMini ==> ZephAir Adapter ==>Q-lite muffler ==> SECOND Q-lite muffler ==> Regular Size Tubing (from my AirSense 10) ==> F20 elbow/mask with HumidX cartridge (it's different from the regular cartridges and goes inside the mask). Use a travel hose lift AND put the machine on the floor as far away from the bed as the hose will allow. I turned EPR off and increased the ramp time to the max (45 minutes).
I was under the impression that he narrated over the original video during editing. Based on his reply I seems that was not the case, which would skew the results.
AirMini - Don't buy it. NO RETURNS. The machine itself is very quiet but the air noise from the vent on your mask makes it unusable to sleep with. Bought one for my wife at the same time now we are stuck with two $1000 paper weights. Worked with the vendor to try to fix it, different hoses, mufflers, Masks, settings... nothing. Last warning don't buy it.
Thanks for the input. I will put a caveat here that we have piles of customers that love the AirMini. The noise level is certainly more than home CPAPs.
Agreed. My wife bought one in preparation for an overseas holiday and after 1 test we both agreed that we will not be able to sleep with it. She will need to bring her regular CPAP with us and not sure what we will do with the Airmini other than try to sell it off to another unsuspecting customer. Maybe someone with hearing issues will be able to use it....
@@ignite48 I was just referring to Resmed's official comparability requirements and what works out of the box. Now there is a Third Party Connector Adapter not approved by Resmed that allows the use any standard CPAP mask. These used to be the only masks that worked: AirFit N30 for AirMini AirFit P10 for AirMini AirFit F30 AirFit F20 AirTouch F20 AirFit N20 AirTouch N20
I strongly reccommend avoiding the Z1 or the Z2. The Breas company has the worst customer service in history. Absolutely bottom of the pit. Stay away if you don’t want to be ripped off.
@@CPAPmyway Sorry about the negative vibes, but in my whole life, and living in many countries around the world, I have never met a more arrogant and hostile customer ‘support’ than Breas.
The follow on video should be "How can I REDUCE noise from my travel CPAP?" As others have already pointed out, measuring the sound of the machine isn't helpful as the noise at the mask is both louder and more annoying. I have the 'quietest' machine here, the resmed Mini and it is HORRIBLE! Whenever we travel my wife complains as it bothers HER so much (the noise at the mask, the cpap itself is under the bed, tucked away in it's travel case so that noise is effectively nothing) However, I've done three things that greatly help 1) I have a plug adapter (3rd party) that lets me use standard hoses (ResMed is predatory in requiring their proprietary connectors) 2) This allows me to add a 3rd party muffler and 3) I can use the standard resmed tube, not the noisy travel tube. Using these three together significantly reduces the noise. To be clear it is STILL louder than my Resmed 10 home unit (my wife still isn't happy) but at least it's tolerable. I'm looking forward to others tricks and what they do.
Thanks for the input.
Good to know,TY
Scott... can you share more detail on the items you purchased to make it a little quieter?
Scott, I HEAR what you’re saying LITERALLY. Some background: I’m a nightly cpap user of 16 years , Resmed AirSense 11, F20 full face mask, CPAP 10 cmH20. I’m also a Registered Respiratory Therapist of 35 years, still employed in a large facility working nights . I spend a lot of time setting patients up on CPAPs , their home units as well as those from the hospital. So you could say that I have experience on both sides of the mask. I purchased a Mini to use on an upcoming long flight to Asia . The first (and last ) time that I tried to sleep using it , I was horrified at the noise . I’m not sure if the unit is loud or not because I couldn’t hear it over the incredibly noisy sounds during inspiration and expiration. The din of Darth Vader filled the whole room. It was so distracting , I could not sleep. No more counting sheep , just count your breaths , in and out and IN and OUT…all night long. It’s around 7, 000 in case you’re wondering, I found out the hard way . I thought there might be an easy solution….well definitely HOPED SO , since the unit can’t be returned. I don’t use the humidifier with my AirSense 11 and wouldn’t need the HME set up with the Mini. It seemed as though most of the noise was coming through the port on the mask (near the elbow) that allows flow to pass in and out of the humidification system. I bought one of the adapters that allow using any circuit and therefore any mask with the mini. I was CERTAIN this would solve the problem (my F20 when used with my home cpap , doesn’t make a PEEP…that’s an inside respiratory/dad joke , sorry ). But yeah it’s truly quiet ….but not when I tried it with the AirMini . It was every bit as loud . This renders the device unusable for me . That’s over 1000$ wasted . A thousand dollars could have bought a whole bunch of authentic sushi…😠
@@vonzerpaMay I ask you what machine you use for travel, what you recommend? Thanks for your help
I have a ResMed Air Mini. The machine itself is very quiet, as you find in your test here.
However, most of the noise comes from the connection between the mask and the tubing. That connection is where you put the humidity disc if you're using one. That disc takes the moisure out of your exhalation and uses it to humidify the air the machine pushes through your nostrils.
That connection is VERY NOISY. Plus, this noise source is very close to your face, and your ears, so you hear it more than you'd hear noise coming from the machine, which is on your nightstand a few feet away from your ears. By putting the decibal meter next to the machine, it won't pick up the noise generated at the connection between the mask and the tubing.
What would be a fairer comparison would be to put the decibal meter next to your ear when testing each of the machines. That way, the meter will pick up the noise your ears actually here, not just the noise being generated by the machine itself.
Thank you for the video and for reading my comment.
Great input and advice. I will keep that in mind on future noise videos. Thanks for watching!
@@CPAPmyway Thanks for your reply! Keep up the great work with your channel!
@@rc2257 You are welcome and thank you for the kind feedback.
Exactly what I don't like about noise videos. Generally the noise at mask is what i hear plus one can pur the machine itself under the bed or otherwise isolate the machine
I agree completely with this comment, I purchased an Air Mini but had to return it because I found the noise from breathing to be too much for me to sleep, I am still looking for a travel CPAP machine
I just got the Airmini and I'm astounded how quiet it is. I used to travel with my Airsense 11, but this is TINY in comparison. If you wish to quiet the sound even more, put the unit inside a carrying case or luggage with an opening enough so it takes in air. Then it's as quiet as a home unit, especially compared to having it on a hard surface like this video test where sound reflects easily. It seriously is much quieter in person than I expected. I love this thing. My first trip with it is in a couple weeks. No more bulky Airsense 11 for me! Thanks for the video
Yes the AirMini machine itself is quiet. The F20 mask with it though is another story…that’s where the noise comes from.
Two words: Darth. Vader.
It’s annoying that no reviewers measure or talk about noise at mask level rather than machine level.
Will keep that in mind for a future video. Hard to think of it all in advance, but the feedback helps for future reviews.
You're measuring in the wrong place. I have a Z2. The noise doesn't emanate from the machine itself, rather, the whine of the motor propagates up the hose and out of the exhaust holes. I can't use my Respironics mask that has exhaust holes in the swivel that sits on the top of my head and tubes that go down the sides of my face, since the sound is closer to my ears. Masks that have exhaust holes under my nose seem to work best. The Qtube muffler helps a bit, but adding a humidifier cartridge seems to help the most.
Thanks for the input.
Very good review, thanks! I've heard the transcend was quieter than the air mini, so it's nice to see it put to test. Would love to hear more about the moisture exchangers since they can't include a humidifier. That's my biggest problem when trying to decide which model to get.
Thanks for watching and happy it helped. Below is a video on HMEs to help.
ua-cam.com/video/MqNy53V3iO8/v-deo.html
I've always found my Z1 to be quite reasonable on the noise, especially with all the warnings I'd heard before buying it. I use a Resmed Swift FX with it but recently brought along the P30i I use at home. I couldn't keep it on for 5 minutes. Fortunately, I'd brought the Swift FX along as well. Those airtubes that come down in front of my ears are nice and quiet with my home unit, but were intolerable on the travel CPAP. So the mask used makes a huge difference.
Great input. Thank you.
Tried the Resmed Airmini and Transcend micro. Both too loud for me. Couldn't hear the machines over my Breath.Airmini was quieter on exhale but inhale was loud, real Darth Vadder. Transcend was more consistently loud but inhales were still louder. Transcend size was fantastic, but I'll lug around my airsense 10
Great feedback thank you!
Hi. I purchased the Z-2 from my Doctor. I had problem with my sinuses running due lack of moisture even when using the moisture catching connector after using the Z-2. . The representative told me to do varieous things; however, i couldn’t use the machine as my sinuses were so tender the next day that I couldn’t leave the house without a handkerchief due sinus drainage. When I found out why my Representative quit responding to my emails ( she no longer worked with the company) I contacted the company. They said the unit was out of the warranty period. So now I have a $750.00 USD paper weight. I need a travel CPAP that adds moisture. The moisture disc Z-2 uses doesn’t work. Watched video 8-18-2023 10:30 CST.
Thanks for the input. Sorry to hear that the lack of humidity was an issue. Travel CPAPs do not offer much in the way of humidity options.
I have the air mini which provides 2 different moisture catching disk types. Blue and grey. The grey felt to me pretty swampy when I was in colorado during winter which is very dry. I am not sure how the mechanism compares to the Z2 recapture, but if it is different, the Air mini might be a better option for you.
Good information as I have just bought the air mini believing it to be the quieter travel cpap on the market. So thank you for confirming that.
Glad it was helpful!
Decibel meters are very sensitive to both distance and placement in relation to the sound source. For example, placing it on a different side of the machine could yield a different result, especially at such a close range. Perhaps a better test would be to measure from a few feet away, simulating the actual distance from a person's head during sleep. That would account for any anomalies created by how the machine was oriented, or from use of the muffler.
Thanks for the input.
Volume at the mask is what is important. The HumidX filter adds so much noise to the ResMed AirMini. It is unbearably noisy, it drowns out the noise of the 7 year old room air filter.
Will keep that in mind.
Really wish you would have compared the portables to the ResMed AirSense 11. And as many others mentioned measure the sound from the connection mask or face. It’s been months now, it appears you have the equipment to redo your tests, is this something you plan on doing soon?
I am doing it soon. Overdue on a new Travel CPAP comparison video.
@@CPAPmyway will wait for your test result before purchasing the airmini
Curious as to why you not include / show how large each machine and the respective cables & power supply unit & mask are packed into a case - using the resmed dream machine full zise as the base line. It appears some of the smaller machines requires a 1 ft noise reduction hose, which will take away the portability of these machines.
We have detailed videos on each of these models on our channel.
I had the same thought when he pulled out the muffler- another bulky piece to pack and carry.
While researching the transcend micro, I learned it came with a pouch. It seems that the pouch is not big enough for all components. Therefore, they make a soft shell case however, the size of that case isn’t much smaller than the resmed air sense 11 case, which nullifies the whole reason to go to one of these smaller portable travel units since you are really not saving that much space.
Very useful information. Resmed it is. Thank you.
Glad it was helpful!
What about fan / tube noise? I find the full size dreamstation to be quite loud without the humidifier so I fear these may be even worse. What are your thoughts on this?
All of the travel CPAPs are going to make a bit more noise than the home versions. Usually not bad, but sometimes noticeable.
Thanks !
No problem!
May the Qlite accessory or the one similar for the Z2 be used with the Air Mini? This is assuming that it is used a connector in the Air Mini to be able to use a standard tube. If that way could those accessories can be used, will be effective to lower the Air Mini sound? Just wondering.
It would connect if you had the generic adapter for the AirMini, but I am not sure that the AirMIni would work correctly.
cpapmyway.com/store/universal-tube-adapter
In my experience, the Qlite muffler by itself helped a little, but not much. Best reduction in noise (not great, but much better) came from a muffler AND V-com, but I'm not sure if I can add an HME to that setup or if I'll have to live without humidity in exchange for the noise reduction.
UPDATE: this is the setup that FINALLY worked for me: AirMini ==> ZephAir Adapter ==>Q-lite muffler ==> SECOND Q-lite muffler ==> Regular Size Tubing (from my AirSense 10) ==> F20 elbow/mask with HumidX cartridge (it's different from the regular cartridges and goes inside the mask). Use a travel hose lift AND put the machine on the floor as far away from the bed as the hose will allow. I turned EPR off and increased the ramp time to the max (45 minutes).
What is power consumption of Air Mini? How much Watts and what voltage . Thanks.
I will have to look into that for you.
incredible ~sleep well, 🔥
Thank you for watching.
👍
Thank you!
Why were you talking during the tests?
Not sure.
I was under the impression that he narrated over the original video during editing. Based on his reply I seems that was not the case, which would skew the results.
I need a bipap
We carry them, but not in travel versions.
Micro
Thanks for the input.
AirMini - Don't buy it. NO RETURNS. The machine itself is very quiet but the air noise from the vent on your mask makes it unusable to sleep with. Bought one for my wife at the same time now we are stuck with two $1000 paper weights. Worked with the vendor to try to fix it, different hoses, mufflers, Masks, settings... nothing. Last warning don't buy it.
Thanks for the input. I will put a caveat here that we have piles of customers that love the AirMini. The noise level is certainly more than home CPAPs.
Agreed. My wife bought one in preparation for an overseas holiday and after 1 test we both agreed that we will not be able to sleep with it. She will need to bring her regular CPAP with us and not sure what we will do with the Airmini other than try to sell it off to another unsuspecting customer. Maybe someone with hearing issues will be able to use it....
Caution: The Resmed AirMini only works with a very limited selection of masks - which almost certainly won't be your mask. Not good.
Check out this adapter.
cpapmyway.com/store/universal-tube-adapter
This is not true. There is many adaptors
@@ignite48 I was just referring to Resmed's official comparability requirements and what works out of the box. Now there is a Third Party Connector Adapter not approved by Resmed that allows the use any standard CPAP mask. These used to be the only masks that worked:
AirFit N30 for AirMini
AirFit P10 for AirMini
AirFit F30
AirFit F20
AirTouch F20
AirFit N20
AirTouch N20
@@ignite48but if the adaptor is used the humidifier aspect doesn’t work. This machine is too loud anyways
@@LisaNix2 unfortunately it is very loud. I very much dislike it too.
I strongly reccommend avoiding the Z1 or the Z2. The Breas company has the worst customer service in history. Absolutely bottom of the pit. Stay away if you don’t want to be ripped off.
Thanks for the input.
@@CPAPmyway Sorry about the negative vibes, but in my whole life, and living in many countries around the world, I have never met a more arrogant and hostile customer ‘support’ than Breas.
stop saying Super when did that all start SUPER annoying
Thanks for the input.
N20 is noisy mask
Thanks for the input. The meter was kept pretty far away from the mask.
Thank you for the demonstration
You are welcome