noise from new S9 is this normal ?

[mlasham]

Hi
I;ve uploaded a short video to youtube to demonstrate the noise my S9 makes when I breath.
Could some kind person please check this and see if that is the normal noise , as I think it it loud.



http://youtu.be/YGaum_x89O0
Thanks

[Physician]

I've been using an S9 autoset since July 2010. It is completely silent. Is this noise from the S9 itself ? I had noise when nasal pillows were used since above 10 cm. H20 there can be turbulent air flow in the nostrils.

[mlasham]

Yes it is coming from the S9 and I am using nasal pillows

[Physician]

Yes it is coming from the S9 and I am using nasal pillows

Not normal. Is this noise present even if the hose is not attached ?

[mlasham]

Yes it is coming from the S9 and I am using nasal pillows

Not normal. Is this noise present even if the hose is not attached ?

No, only when I am breathing

[Pugsy]

It was hard for me to hear because the speakers on this computer suck but it sounded like mask exhale noise to me. The noise that we hear when we inhale and exhale. Some masks are noisier than others in regards to the exhale noise. Part of it may be what we term conductive noise also. Put your fingers in your ears and see if you still hear it. I can still hear it when I do the fingers in ears thing. Almost as loudly also which points to conductive noise. Some things you can do to "muffle" the sound a bit...place your machine on something that absorbs any machine sounds a bit...like a folded towel or something like a large mouse pad. Use a hose cozy. Rig some sort of hose management system to keep the hose off the bedding which will conduct noise. This helps with machine conducted noise.

For mask venting noise...some masks are noisier than others. My Swift FX was more quiet than the Swift LT but the Aloha is more quiet than the Swift FX. Also pressure needs will affect the venting and thus affect any possible exhale/inhale noise. For 3 years no matter which machine I have used (and there have been several) my only "noise" heard is mainly exhale noise from mask and the conductive noise. The machine itself...I really have to focus and strain to hear anything at the machine level.

[Suzjohnson]

My S9 makes kind of a sighing sound when I inhale and the barely there bird sound during exhale. The inhale sound is more audible and I consider it more like what you recorded. I don't find the sound bothersome at all, nor does my husband, in fact, because the sound is so regular, I use it to put myself to sleep. I use the exhale relief so wonder if that makes a difference?? Pugsy, I really don't believe it's coming from the mask as I can move the length of the hose away from the machine and no longer hear it.

Suz

[Lizistired]

I notice more noise from mine if it is auto mode with the EPR is on. I run mostly CPAP with EPR off so I have to open my mouth to tell if it is even on.

[Pugsy]

Pugsy, I really don't believe it's coming from the mask as I can move the length of the hose away from the machine and no longer hear it.

There probably is some machine noise..I know that I can barely, and I mean just barely hear my machine during exhale. Mostly what I hear is the normal inhale and exhale mask venting noise. If I plug my ears with my fingers I still hear that noise so I know those sounds are conducted sounds. Does the back pressure during exhale affect the machine motor? Beats me. I have zero knowledge about those things and other than a possible explanation it doesn't really matter much because it is what it is.

I also think (not that my thinking is worth much) that some people may be more sensitive or hear things differently than other people. What might bother me doesn't bother someone else and vice versa.
Different tones and pitches may sound differently and then we have to add on each individual's perception and when trying to explain the sounds. Is the cooing that someone else describes the same noise that I hear very faintly? It might be. To them it sounds like a bird call and to me just a tiny bit of motor hum. In the morning I don't even hear my own inhale/exhale...we all know that things don't change overnight and it is still there...but we have just become accustomed to it. Until the next night and we start all over again. In the mornings...I hear absolutely nothing..no faint machine noise and no inhale/exhale noise. It is like total silence.

The only real way to compare them would be line them up side by side and test each one under the same conditions and that is not a realistic idea to try. We live too far apart.

Bottom line..it is a machine and machines make noise and probably some more than others and masks have venting and again some masks make more noise than others AND then we add in each person's own individual perception of things and it is extremely difficult to come up with an answer that encompasses all the variables. If an individual has a problem with the noise (keeps them awake) then they need to do the best they can to limit the noise whatever the cause.

FWIW...I don't find the noises bothersome either and I use them to sort of meditate to. My husband reports that most of the time he has no idea the machine is even on and often has to put his hand over my face to feel the air movement. So he hears nothing..and certainly not the noise I hear in my head (fingers in ear test) with inhale and exhale. He used to poke me to wake me up and tell me to put the mask on...only to find out that I was wearing it...so he quickly learned to put his hand over my face to feel for the venting before waking up a little red head who doesn't like to be poked in the ribs in the wee hours of the morning.

Also...we did do a test for machine noise...machines only..no hose and no mask (so nothing to confuse the ears) with the PR S1 Bipap and the S9 VPAP.. side by side..at same testing time....same distance to our ears (I had hubby test with me). The machines both were almost silent with the S9 maybe being a teeny tiny bit more quiet. It took some straining at 3 feet away to hear either machine running.

[mlasham]

I am not sure about this now. My wife can very clearly hear the machine making this noise.
To test various things I disconnected the humidifier and held the main unit in my hand and with the hose and mask connected it still made the loud noise when I breathed.
Last nights sleep it would sometimes also make another noise, which sounded like a child crying very softly. For those who have children you might know the noise that you hear in your room when they are crying in theirs.

[RandyJ]

As others have said above it sounds like mask venting noise to me. You may hear a very faint cycle if you have EPR turned on, but I can't hear it on the recording.

[mlasham]

As others have said above it sounds like mask venting noise to me. You may hear a very faint cycle if you have EPR turned on, but I can't hear it on the recording.

My wife can put her ear near the machine and the noise is coming from the back near the filter. If you put your finger over the filter it changes the noise slightly.
Do you mean the noise from the mask is being transmitted down the hose into the machine?

[Suzjohnson]

Did you get your S9 through a local DME or on line? I believe if I were having your questions, I would take my machine to my DME and ask to compare it to another machine. My DME has an S9 set up all the time to work with clients for mask fitting so it wouldn't be an issue finding a machine to compare to. Just a thought...

Suz

[RandyJ]

My wife can put her ear near the machine and the noise is coming from the back near the filter. If you put your finger over the filter it changes the noise slightly.
Do you mean the noise from the mask is being transmitted down the hose into the machine?

No, what I meant was that I could hear the air venting from the vent holes in your mask. If you are hearing a noise from the filter, that is the air intake. I would verify that there is only 1 filter installed (to eliminate the possibility that 2 filters were stuck together and someone put them both in by mistake).

If EPR is turned on, try turning it off and see if you still hear the noise.

[mlasham]

My wife can put her ear near the machine and the noise is coming from the back near the filter. If you put your finger over the filter it changes the noise slightly.
Do you mean the noise from the mask is being transmitted down the hose into the machine?

No, what I meant was that I could hear the air venting from the vent holes in your mask. If you are hearing a noise from the filter, that is the air intake. I would verify that there is only 1 filter installed (to eliminate the possibility that 2 filters were stuck together and someone put them both in by mistake).

If EPR is turned on, try turning it off and see if you still hear the noise.

Thanks, definitely not coming from the mask
I bought it online. Seems the same with EPR on or off or on 1,2 or 3 setting.
I checked the filter and only one was present.
Some benefit of the noise - my wife said that last night she heard "pssshh, phooohhhhh, psssh, phoohhhhh, psssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" followed my some very quick "psssh phhohhh"s - so she heard one of my apneas!!