About to give up on the AirMini (noise) - any last tips?

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Shnoozer
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About to give up on the AirMini (noise) - any last tips?

Post by Shnoozer » Fri Nov 15, 2024 4:19 pm

I got the AirMini and love how small it is!

And i'ts pretty quiet. I was amazed that the machine doesn't make much more noise than my Airsense 11.

But, no matter what I try - the MASK is somehow loud enough to be annoying to me and more so, my wife. The Darth Vader effect is coming directly from the mask, seemingly from the exhaust of the mask. There is also a whooshing sound that seems to ramp up just as my inhalation is ending, so the sounds it makes is very strange.

I have tried:
  • Q-Lite CPAP Muffler
  • V-Com
  • Different masks (full face, pillows, cushions)
  • different hose
The quietest situation seems to be the adapter for the ordinary slimline hose + P10 mask. But it's just not quite quiet enough :(
I am super disappointed because I do a lot of travel and this was very promising.

Does anyone have ANY ideas? I am not the pickiest of sleepers, and can deal with some noise, but these mask sounds are higher pitch then with my ordinary machine and they are just too much. I'll try anything at this point :)

thank you!

pisco21
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Re: About to give up on the AirMini (noise) - any last tips?

Post by pisco21 » Sat Nov 16, 2024 8:04 am

Schnoozer, not sure if this is happening with you, but this happens to me with my AirMini. The hose is so light that if there's any slack in it, it will lay and drape across your face, and may end near your ear. I have found that by moving the hose away from me the mask noise decreases as it seems to be more the hose than mask. I use a Command Strip hook and stick it to the wall to hold my hose up. So, it acts like a hose holder, and keeps the noise away from me.

You might try that. Good luck!

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ChicagoGranny
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Re: About to give up on the AirMini (noise) - any last tips?

Post by ChicagoGranny » Sat Nov 16, 2024 11:59 am

Shnoozer wrote:
Fri Nov 15, 2024 4:19 pm
Does anyone have ANY ideas?
There is an old cell phone on my nightstand. I downloaded a free white noise app. At a low volume, it covers all the noise from mask, hose and machine. The app has a selection of noises. The brown noise works best for me.
"It's not the number of breaths we take, it's the number of moments that take our breath away."

Cuando cuentes cuentos, cuenta cuántas cuentos cuentas.

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ChicagoGranny
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Re: About to give up on the AirMini (noise) - any last tips?

Post by ChicagoGranny » Sat Nov 16, 2024 12:03 pm

BTW, if you don't have an old cell phone, I've been told that you can find them dirt-cheap on FB Marketplace. They just need to connect to your wi-fi one time to download the app.
"It's not the number of breaths we take, it's the number of moments that take our breath away."

Cuando cuentes cuentos, cuenta cuántas cuentos cuentas.

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Shnoozer
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Re: About to give up on the AirMini (noise) - any last tips?

Post by Shnoozer » Sat Nov 16, 2024 12:05 pm

pisco21 wrote:
Sat Nov 16, 2024 8:04 am
Schnoozer, not sure if this is happening with you, but this happens to me with my AirMini. The hose is so light that if there's any slack in it, it will lay and drape across your face, and may end near your ear. I have found that by moving the hose away from me the mask noise decreases as it seems to be more the hose than mask. I use a Command Strip hook and stick it to the wall to hold my hose up. So, it acts like a hose holder, and keeps the noise away from me.

You might try that. Good luck!
Thanks for this suggestion! I'm actually using the slimline hose with an adapter, which was quietest according to my sound meter. The majority of the noise is from the last vent, unfortunately so moving the hose hasn't made much difference.

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Shnoozer
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Re: About to give up on the AirMini (noise) - any last tips?

Post by Shnoozer » Sat Nov 16, 2024 12:07 pm

ChicagoGranny wrote:
Sat Nov 16, 2024 11:59 am
Shnoozer wrote:
Fri Nov 15, 2024 4:19 pm
Does anyone have ANY ideas?
There is an old cell phone on my nightstand. I downloaded a free white noise app. At a low volume, it covers all the noise from mask, hose and machine. The app has a selection of noises. The brown noise works best for me.
This could work, but adding more noise to cover up the mask noise isn't on the table - this is a decison for 2 people so it's not all up to me :) Also the white noise would have to be pretty loud because, at least for me, the origin of the noise is just a couple on inches from my ears.

Jdougc74
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Re: About to give up on the AirMini (noise) - any last tips?

Post by Jdougc74 » Sat Nov 16, 2024 12:09 pm

Shnoozer,
Consider a 19mm CPAP Hose, I found it a bit quieter than a slim line hose. I am getting a hose cover today and that may help suppress the air noise. My DME didn't carry the bigger hose but I got it on Amazon about 2 weeks ago. Good luck.

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Shnoozer
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Re: About to give up on the AirMini (noise) - any last tips?

Post by Shnoozer » Sat Nov 16, 2024 12:19 pm

Jdougc74 wrote:
Sat Nov 16, 2024 12:09 pm
Shnoozer,
Consider a 19mm CPAP Hose, I found it a bit quieter than a slim line hose. I am getting a hose cover today and that may help suppress the air noise. My DME didn't carry the bigger hose but I got it on Amazon about 2 weeks ago. Good luck.
I have tried the climate line and slimline hoses, and I think the inner diameter of the climatelime hose is 19mm - is that what you mean? I dont understand where the hose diameter would make a difference in noise coming from the mask, but then again I still don't quite understand why the mini causes more noise at the mask than my regular machine!

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ChicagoGranny
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Re: About to give up on the AirMini (noise) - any last tips?

Post by ChicagoGranny » Sat Nov 16, 2024 12:33 pm

Shnoozer wrote:
Sat Nov 16, 2024 12:07 pm
the origin of the noise is just a couple on inches from my ears.
It couldn't be any closer to the ears than mine. The tube carrying the pressure comes over the head down past each ear. https://www.cpapstorelosangeles.com/pro ... -headgear/
"It's not the number of breaths we take, it's the number of moments that take our breath away."

Cuando cuentes cuentos, cuenta cuántas cuentos cuentas.

Jdougc74
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Re: About to give up on the AirMini (noise) - any last tips?

Post by Jdougc74 » Sat Nov 16, 2024 12:58 pm

Shnoozer,
Yes that is what I mean, as the air would travel faster in the slimmer hose, but since you already tried that, never mind.
Also I select full face mask even though I have a pillow mask, the P10. I watched YouTube videos where they say that air comes in with greater force in the pillow mask selection. Good luck

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXW6uA9ZJcw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpQC7TgCoe8

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Shnoozer
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Re: About to give up on the AirMini (noise) - any last tips?

Post by Shnoozer » Wed Nov 20, 2024 12:57 pm

I've been having a slightly confusing conversation with Lofta regarding the AirMini noise, and there is just one thing left possibly try. But I'm not so sure about it.

The concept is simply that the vents on the mask are the main source of increased noise when using the AirMini (which certainly seems to be the case), and the P10 for AirMini doesn't vent from the mask, it vents from the humidifier housing a few inches down the hose. Well, I guess that's different - but I'm a little skeptical that it would be any quieter there than on the mask. That said, looking at the images it does look lke the vents around the humidifier do go all the way around, so maybe they are bigger and less noisy.

Then again, i've read from some users that the ordinary p10 is quieter for them, and from other users that it's the reverse :) These things are pretty subjective, but man the breathing sounds with the AirMni are just too much so I'm getting desparate.

Anyone have any specific knowledge of the AirMini P10 and how it works? It's $160 so I am apprehensive to buy it just to try it out.

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ChicagoGranny
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Re: About to give up on the AirMini (noise) - any last tips?

Post by ChicagoGranny » Wed Nov 20, 2024 1:05 pm

Are y'all aware of the adapter that allows the use of any mask with the AirMini? https://www.cpap.com/products/zephair-a ... sk-adapter
"It's not the number of breaths we take, it's the number of moments that take our breath away."

Cuando cuentes cuentos, cuenta cuántas cuentos cuentas.

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Shnoozer
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Re: About to give up on the AirMini (noise) - any last tips?

Post by Shnoozer » Wed Nov 20, 2024 1:08 pm

ChicagoGranny wrote:
Wed Nov 20, 2024 1:05 pm
Are y'all aware of the adapter that allows the use of any mask with the AirMini? https://www.cpap.com/products/zephair-a ... sk-adapter
Yea, that's what Im currently trying out. The regular p10 with slimline hose is quietest, but wow still SO much louder than when connected to my A11.

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Shnoozer
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Re: About to give up on the AirMini (noise) - any last tips?

Post by Shnoozer » Tue Nov 26, 2024 1:09 pm

Got the p10 adapter for the AirMini. It certainly doesn't seem any quieter. But, I'm gonna try to sleep with it tonight and we'll just have to see. Last attempt to use this thing before it goes back!