PR System 1 Auto vs ResMed S9 Noise

[mark-n-miro]

Hi I am new here!

I am having a really hard time trying to make a decision. I have a PR System One Autoset which is the old version V1.2 it is OK but kind of noisy. I recently got the newest machine from ResMed the S9 Autoset. Now the ResMed S9 is very quite I must say, but I have now been told that the newest version of the PR System One Autoset is even quieter. I have even found on Youtube a video and as well a review here http://respironicssleeptherapysystems.r ... ction.aspx that says in conjunction with Bose that Repironics has now beat Resmed and the newest version of the PR System One 2.XX is even quieter than the S9. Plus Respironics has with the new PR System One added back lighting, more languages, better humidity control, mask fit, etc..... they have basically redone the System One to match what the new ResMed S9 does.

I have searched and searched and done research on all of this and am now so confused I can barely stand it. All I want is the quietest machine possible. So I would like to throw this out there for peoples opinions. Would it be worth investing in a new PR System One Auto the revised version or is it really not that much quieter, or am I just splitting hairs here?

Thanks in advance for your help and input.
Mark

[JDS74]

I have the more recent PR System One BiPap Auto and it is virtually silent.
That said, I did look at the referenced studies and the difference in sound level is very small. Most people will not be able to tell the difference between them.

[apneawho]

I have never experienced PR. I have S9 and love it. My husband was pleasantly surprised how quiet it is. I just hear the positive air flow with my own breathing when things are very very quiet.

[mark-n-miro]

So I guess that I am splitting hairs. I have talked with both Respironics and ResMed trying to figure this out. Respironics swears the new PR Stystem One Autoset is now quiter than the ResMed S9 Autoset due to the new motor and baffling built into the system.

[Janknitz]

Any difference between them has to be a matterof a very few decibels--either one will be as quiet as you can get.

Most of the noise from CPAP therapy comes from the MASK and HOSE, not the machine. ResMed claims to do a better job at controlling this "conducted noise", but I've seen ResMed S9 owners complain about it as much as PR S1 owners, so I don't think the machine makes much difference about that.

A couple of things about this conducted noise:
1. Make sure the hose is not resting on the pillow or mattress as they will conduct sound too.
2. Use a hose wrap and mask liner to reduce the sound.
3. Make sure that the exhalation vent is not obstructed in any way. Since I route the hose overhead, sometimes the hose itself is the obstruction that causes the increased noise.
4. Mask the noise with white noise--a fan, a sound machine, an MP3 player.
5. Earplugs don't usually help because the sound is conducted by the bones in your head and earplugs cut off the ambient sounds in the room, making the conducted noise LOUDER.

[purple]

I have never used the S9, For the last week I have been using the PR System One Auto, and it is very quiet. I have more noise from the air blowing through the hose than from the machine.

Maybe you can go to a DME, go into a quiet room, and let them play both of them for you.

[archangle]

That video does not mean what many people think it does. It does NOT compare how much noise the machines make. It discusses "dynamic noise," i.e. how much the noise varies.

"Static" noise is how noisy the machine is at any instant in time. "Dynamic" noise measures the difference between the highest and lowest static noise levels over a time period. Dynamic noise is sometimes more annoying than static noise, but not always. For instance, a fan running all the time is less annoying than one that turns on and off all the time.

However, even if the dynamic noise level is low, a constant noise can still be annoying. The video suggests that the difference in noise level between inhale and exhale is what's important.

This is not necessarily true. For instance, a loud handheld hair dryer sitting on the counter blowing all the time would have a low dynamic noise level, but a high static noise level. The sound of someone breathing normally will have a high dynamic noise level, but a low static noise level.

If one CPAP machine has a static noise level that goes from barely audible to inaudible, it will have a high dynamic noise level. If another CPAP machine makes a loud air rushing sound, but the level doesn't vary, that will be a low dynamic noise level.

There is also another way in which this dynamic dB rating is confusing. dB is a logarithmic scale. This means that a 3 dB difference is double the sound pressure. If you have two hair dryers and turn one of them on and off, there will be a 3 dB dynamic noise level. If you have two barely audible electric fans and turn one of them on and off, that will also be a 3 dB dynamic noise level.

As a silly example, the dynamic noise level of a person breathing normally is higher than the dynamic noise level of any of the CPAP machines in that video. Normal calm breathing is about 10 dB.

Yes, dynamic noise level is important, but static noise level is also important.

Is the PRS1 that quiet vs. the S9? I don't know, but I do know that "dynamic" noise level is not necessarily the "correct" way to measure it.

I have a PRS1 Auto machine made in June 2011. If I sleep in a quiet room with the machine on the headboard next to my head, the noise is enough that it might disturb my sleep. I normally sleep in another room where the machine is a little farther away, and I usually have fans running, so it doesn't normally bother me.

[RandyJ]

I have had a PR System One DS150 and now a Resmed S9 Autoset. Neither machine put out discernable noise sufficient to disturb most humans. Perhaps a human with dog-like hearing could differentiate between the machines or talk about dB level, but not me.

[apneawho]

I have had a PR System One DS150 and now a Resmed S9 Autoset. Neither machine put out discernable noise sufficient to disturb most humans. Perhaps a human with dog-like hearing could differentiate between the machines or talk about dB level, but not me.

Or maybe a non-human ET?

[mark-n-miro]

That video does not mean what many people think it does. It does NOT compare how much noise the machines make. It discusses "dynamic noise," i.e. how much the noise varies.

"Static" noise is how noisy the machine is at any instant in time. "Dynamic" noise measures the difference between the highest and lowest static noise levels over a time period. Dynamic noise is sometimes more annoying than static noise, but not always. For instance, a fan running all the time is less annoying than one that turns on and off all the time.

However, even if the dynamic noise level is low, a constant noise can still be annoying. The video suggests that the difference in noise level between inhale and exhale is what's important.

This is not necessarily true. For instance, a loud handheld hair dryer sitting on the counter blowing all the time would have a low dynamic noise level, but a high static noise level. The sound of someone breathing normally will have a high dynamic noise level, but a low static noise level.

If one CPAP machine has a static noise level that goes from barely audible to inaudible, it will have a high dynamic noise level. If another CPAP machine makes a loud air rushing sound, but the level doesn't vary, that will be a low dynamic noise level.

There is also another way in which this dynamic dB rating is confusing. dB is a logarithmic scale. This means that a 3 dB difference is double the sound pressure. If you have two hair dryers and turn one of them on and off, there will be a 3 dB dynamic noise level. If you have two barely audible electric fans and turn one of them on and off, that will also be a 3 dB dynamic noise level.

As a silly example, the dynamic noise level of a person breathing normally is higher than the dynamic noise level of any of the CPAP machines in that video. Normal calm breathing is about 10 dB.

Yes, dynamic noise level is important, but static noise level is also important.

Is the PRS1 that quiet vs. the S9? I don't know, but I do know that "dynamic" noise level is not necessarily the "correct" way to measure it.

I have a PRS1 Auto machine made in June 2011. If I sleep in a quiet room with the machine on the headboard next to my head, the noise is enough that it might disturb my sleep. I normally sleep in another room where the machine is a little farther away, and I usually have fans running, so it doesn't normally bother me.

So to me it sounds like I am splitting hairs. I also read the study and in most instances the difference in the dB rating was around 1.2-1.4 or less. I was just curious as to what people who have the machines thing themselves.

[mark-n-miro]

I have had a PR System One DS150 and now a Resmed S9 Autoset. Neither machine put out discernable noise sufficient to disturb most humans. Perhaps a human with dog-like hearing could differentiate between the machines or talk about dB level, but not me.

Perhaps this my problem. I am a physician, and I sleep very light, as my partner in crime would say "Geez Mark you could hear a mouse pass gas 50 miles away". Perhaps I am just being to over sensitive.

[Goofproof]

As a physician, you should be able to afford both. Wasting your time worrying over which one is quieter is useless, as people hear and worry about sounds differently, and also the odd's of two machines making the same sounds are unlikely due to being built from different parts. Also the sounds you get when new may change down the road.

The secret is to if needed mask the sound, I run a A/C all night, even winter as I like it cool, I also run nature sounds (mp3) thru my dvd player, storm . sounds are our friend. and rain. Jim

[mark-n-miro]

As a physician, you should be able to afford both. Wasting your time worrying over which one is quieter is useless, as people hear and worry about sounds differently, and also the odd's of two machines making the same sounds are unlikely due to being built from different parts. Also the sounds you get when new may change down the road.

The secret is to if needed mask the sound, I run a A/C all night, even winter as I like it cool, I also run nature sounds (mp3) thru my dvd player, storm . sounds are our friend. and rain. Jim

That is a good one as a physician I should be able to afford both. Yes I am a physician, and everyone thinks we are all filthy rich, some are some not depends upon which area you are in. Pediatricians for example earn about $80,000 a year when they are maxed out. I myself travel, to help out in under developed areas, my pay is per month is around (after taxes) $1000 granted food and lodging are free, however, I do not think that puts me in the top 100 best earning jobs. I have always been a doc who wanted to help, not make a crap load of money. Now my friend who is a Cardiac Surgeon pulls 2.5 Million a year, he can afford two machines (but he doesn't have OSA).

[apneawho]

I have always been a doc who wanted to help, not make a crap load of money.

Thank you for being a compassionate doc. We need more like you in the world.

[archangle]

From the complaints on this board, I get the feeling that PRS1 machines get more noise complaints. Those with PRS1 sound problems seem to be complaining louder. There may be some bias due to factors such as more people owning PRS1.

Even if the S9 is better, I don't think it's a big enough difference to be the deciding factor unless you feel the machines are otherwise equal.