Airmini noise question

[SleepyDwarf123]

My experience with the official AirMini P10 is a bit different in that I find it to be very noisy. What I have found works best (at least for me) is the adapter (I use Zephair, but many others are available), q-lite muffler, generic thin hose and a Brevida mask. I find this combination to be the “best” for me. I tried other masks with this setup and they were mostly all more quiet than the AirMini P10. I wish the AirMini version worked as I would appreciate the additional humidity and heat that the humidX offers, but I can live without it for a few days while on vacation. I can say that traveling with the AirMini is much better than dragging the extra bag with the AirSense on the plane. At least that’s my experience.

[NotADr]

Some folks have reported in other threads that there is slightly less noise when the machine is placed on a support below the level of the bed, in contrast to the usual arrangement where the machine is on top of a nightstand that is similar in height to the bed. I haven't noticed a huge difference, although some nights it does seem quieter.

[scorpius777]

My experience with the official AirMini P10 is a bit different in that I find it to be very noisy.  What I have found works best (at least for me) is the adapter (I use Zephair, but many others are available), q-lite muffler, generic thin hose and a Brevida mask.  I find this combination to be the “best” for me.  I tried other masks with this setup and they were mostly all more quiet than the AirMini P10.   I wish the AirMini version worked as I would appreciate the additional humidity and heat that the humidX offers, but I can live without it for a few days while on vacation.   I can say that traveling with the AirMini is much better than dragging the extra bag with the AirSense on the plane.    At least that’s my experience.

Could you verify where q-lite muffler is actually doing anything in terms of noise? or is it the Brevida mask that's mainly reducing the noise compared to airmini P10 mask?

So far, I have started with Airmini P10 mask at home to test it before travelling, it's terribly noisy and as others have mentioned, this noise comes from the breathing vents of the humidix connector. My pressure is not super high, it's 4 - 8. I don't care about humidity right now so bought a universal adapter to try the regular non-mini P10 mask and tubing expecting the noise to be reduced but as far as I can tell it actually got worse because now the inhale/exhale noise comes right from the non-mini P10 mask which is right on the face, and the machine itself also got noisier (due to thicker tubing of slim line vs the standard mini tubing?)

Not sure what the next step would be. I don't see the muffler helping because the sound is coming from the mask vents not as a result of any vibrations at the hose or machine. I can possibly try the Brevida mask but can you elaborate how that's helping? Are the vents less noisy due to design? Beyond that, the only other thing that might help would be to hack a way to keep the original mini tubing and mask but somehow through additional adapter and tubing push the humix vents closer to the machine and further away from ears which can possibly impact Co2 inhalation...

[SleepyDwarf123]

Could you verify where q-lite muffler is actually doing anything in terms of noise? or is it the Brevida mask that's mainly reducing the noise compared to airmini P10 mask?

So far, I have started with Airmini P10 mask at home to test it before travelling, it's terribly noisy and as others have mentioned, this noise comes from the breathing vents of the humidix connector. My pressure is not super high, it's 4 - 8. I don't care about humidity right now so bought a universal adapter to try the regular non-mini P10 mask and tubing expecting the noise to be reduced but as far as I can tell it actually got worse because now the inhale/exhale noise comes right from the non-mini P10 mask which is right on the face, and the machine itself also got noisier (due to thicker tubing of slim line vs the standard mini tubing?)

Not sure what the next step would be. I don't see the muffler helping because the sound is coming from the mask vents not as a result of any vibrations at the hose or machine. I can possibly try the Brevida mask but can you elaborate how that's helping? Are the vents less noisy due to design? Beyond that, the only other thing that might help would be to hack a way to keep the original mini tubing and mask but somehow through additional adapter and tubing push the humix vents closer to the machine and further away from ears which can possibly impact Co2 inhalation...

In my experience, I find that using the Q-lite muffler helps to reduce the sound.  It does not make it as quiet as using a traditional machine (Airsense 10/11, etc.), but, for me, it does make it quiet enough that I can sleep.  When I used the AirMini P10 mask (with HumidX, etc.) I was not able to sleep well due to the noise.  With the Q-Lite and Brevida, I was able to sleep fine.  I just used the AirMini(with Q-Lite/Brevida) for a weeklong vacation and found it to work well for me.  I will be using it soon for another vacation and am going to bring along the Bleep and see how that work.  In my testing, the Q-Lite has a small effect on the noise and it's just enough to make the whole setup workable.

As far as the Brevida contributing to the sound reduction - I am not sure.   I suggest that you consider purchasing the Q-Lite and trying it out.  Many vendors will allow returns if it does not work out for you. For my wife and I, it was nice to travel on planes without having to deal with another bag.

[Jimbeau]

I wish I had found this thread before posting a similar one this morning.
I just purchased a AirMini and currently dealing with everything that’s been mentioned here. What I’ve learned is that all masks are louder with the AirMini. Regardless if it’s the official AirMini mask or a traditional mask and hose connected with an aftermarket adapter.
My question is what’s causing this noise? It’s not the mask. I’ve tested multiple masks with my home machine and the AirMini. They are all louder with the AirMini. I’ve tried it with and without the humidity contraption. Makes no difference. I thought my AirMini might be pumping out too much air but it’s not. We tested it against a calibrated gauge. It’s spot on.
Someone speculated (on my other thread) that it might have something to do with the diameter of the restriction being smaller than normal, which requires a higher air flow to create the same pressure. Not a bad theory.
I’m doing alright with the special Mini P10 mask/hose kit but would love to find a way to reduce the noise even more.

[sfr79]

Jimbeau,

You’ll get no argument from me on the AirMini being louder than the Airsense units — it definitely is. I will say, having personally done A/B testing comparing the standard P10 mask + adapter vs the AirMini-specific version of the P10, the AirMini version of the mask is much quieter, and more importantly (to me), the tone and harshness of the inhale/exhale sounds with the AirMini mask is greatly reduced, which lets me sleep through the night with no problem.

As to why the machine is inherently louder, I think it’s the complete lack of sound dampening foam, and the smaller diameter motor requiring higher RPMs to move the same volume of air as the Airsense 10. It is worth noting that the AirMini motor is exactly the same as the one used in the Airsense 11, so the foam is probably doing the heavy lifting regarding the sound absorption (the Airsense 11 has a lot more foam than the 10, which might be required to bring the noise produced by the smaller, higher rpm motor down to levels ResMed deems appropriate for a home unit like the AS11.

[Jimbeau]

Mask setup: I can’t tell much difference in noise between the proprietary P10 AirMini kit or the ZephAir + slimline + standard P10. Like you, I’ve opted to stick with the proprietary P10 setup for now, mostly bc it’s compact and has the humidifier, and might be a smidgen less loud. 

Foam theory: There’s not doubt the little AirMini has less sound absorbing foam but I don’t think it’s the source of the noise. The AirMini machine itself isn’t loud. The noise is coming from airflow at the mask area. Seems to me that sound dampening a loud motor is unrelated to wind noise at the mask but I’m no physicist.

RPM theory: I watched the YouTube video of a AirMini motor being compared to that of the Airsense 11. They certainly appear to be exactly the same in every way, including size. I have no idea if the motor runs at a higher RPM. I don’t recall the video mentioning the RPM. If the motor/impeller is in fact the same but runs a higher RPM then that might account for the extra wind flow noise we’re hearing at the mask. 

I don’t have a Airsense 11 to compare to the AirMini. I have a Airsense 10. 

Based on everything I’m seeing my guess is the AirMini is pumping air at a faster rate to achieve a comparable pressure. No idea why this may be the requirement other than possibly having to overcome the smaller diameter outlet port or tubing.

[Jimbeau]

On a side note I scored a milestone with the AirMini last night. According to the app I registered one of the best night’s sleep I’ve have since I started using cpap machines 3 years ago.
8 hours and 11 minutes at .7 events per hour. Perfect mask seal. Zero interruptions. Zero mask removals. That’s pretty good sleep for me anyway!

[Sleepinator]

I don’t have a Airsense 11 to compare to the AirMini. I have a Airsense 10.

I have compared the AirMini directly with a ResMed S9 Autoset using the same mask (N20) and 22 mm hose, connected to a 3D-printed adapter on the AirMini. The S9 is dead silent, while the AirMini makes every inhalation sound like Darth Vader. The noise comes from the vent holes on the elbow joint on the N20 hose. The sound is equally loud with the native AirMini hose, HumidX adapter + N20 AirMini adapter hose, only now the sound comes from the HumidX adapter. The only conclusion is that the source of the noise is the AirMini. As is, I cannot use the AirMini, because the noise is way too annoying for me to be able to sleep. My next step would be to get hold of a QTube muffler. Hopefully, this can make the AirMini useful. If not, I might have wasted a lot of money on a device I cannot use.

[sfr79]

Sleepinator,

I went through the same thing you're dealing with regarding the Airmini, and I'm now using it with no problem.

Here are a few thoughts / takeaways I hope are helpful to you:

1. Using any standard mask (P10, n30i, 3B Siesta) along with a standard hose and adapter, was loud and grating to the point it was unusable. 

As a last-ditch before returning the Airmini I bought the official arimini version of the P10 mask along with an Airmini hose. It is much quieter, and the sound is a soft hollow noise, rather than sounding like a noise they'd play on loop at Guantanamo Bay.

2. I did not try a slimline hose with a standard mask and adapter, but the official Airmini hose is slimline, so it's possible that may help.

However, if you can use the P10 nasal pillow mask, the Airmini version is available at Supplier #26 in pieces for surprisingly cheap.

I would strongly recommend you give the official Airmini version hose + mask a try before you give up -- Im not sure why it's so much quieter but it's a huge difference.