Dreamstation GO

[SleepyGamer]

I just received the Humidifier and can confirm it fits with the Go in the medium case. Will post a complete review later today.

THANKS! My Go is on it's way and I've been trying to figure out what I'm going to put it in for travel, so it's very nice to have this option on the table. Also thinking about a pelican style hard case just big enough to fit mask and hose too though.

[JBW@SJC]

Go and Humidifier Update:

I thought I’d give a brief review of noise and the Dreamstation Go system for those who are wondering, as well as a review of the new Dreamstation Go Humdifier (using a Swift nasal mask).

The most concerning attribute of the Dreamstation Go system for me was noise.

First, there are two kinds of noise to consider. The first is the noise the Go itself makes, and the second is the noise you might hear through the hose.

The Go itself operating makes very little noise, although there is a vent on the side of the unit that makes moderate noise during exhalation. When I place it on my nightstand, I always face that vent away from me and it is much more tolerable.

There is noise within the hose during the exhalation phase of breathing, and the noise is proportional to the pressure. The noise is not whining like the Z1 and not Darth Vadar like the Transcend, but you do hear the sound of wind rushing through a hose. In my opinion, changing to a larger hose size (I’ve tried them all) makes little if any difference. The best way for me to compare the noise is to my S9 without the humidifier connected. I would say the Go is about three times louder. Ramping the pressure while going to sleep helps significantly. But if you are looking for silence, you won’t get it.

That said, let’s talk about the addition of the new Humidifier.

I just received mine, updated the firmware in the Go, and used the humidifier last night.

The good news is that the Humidifier when full of water dramatically reduces the hose noise. Only the lightest sleeper will struggle with hose noise after the Humidifier is connected.

However, there is truly bad news.

With the Humidifier connected the noise from the vent on the side of the Go is dramatically increased. There is NO WAY I could sleep with this unit next to me on the nightstand. I placed it next to my bed on the floor.

The floor is not at all bad placement, as you are instructed to place the Go below your mask height. This is necessary as the hose is not heated and condensation will likely be formed. Care must be taken, however, as the heater for the humidifier is on the bottom of the unit and the unit cannot be placed on carpet (or other combustibles). With the unit on the floor (actually on a book on the floor), I could not hear the Go and the hose noise is significantly improved. Overall in this configuration the system is much quieter.

Setting the humidification level is not completely straightforward as the brief instructions would have you believe.

After upgrading the Go’s firmware, the unit’s humidification setting defaults to the “Adaptive” (fixed is the other choice). Any humidity number you choose (0-5) only provides humidity if the units surrounding humidity falls below what might be necessary for a numbered choice. Additionally, “Adaptive” interacts with a programable feature called “Target Time”. You program “Target Time” to assure yourself you won’t run out of water from the relatively small reservoir. “Target Time” helps manage water usage, so you have enough water for your entire sleep interval.

You can also program humidity for “Fixed” water usage, which is a bit more intuitive. It consumes water based on the program setting selected (0-5) and if you run out it’s by your choice.

All in all, the Go system with humidifier fits nicely into the “Medium” hard-shell case and works well if you are acquainted with a few subtleties. I would definitely recommend for those who value humidification.

[tapau]

Thank you and great review/information.

[dakuda]

There's also a heated humidifier which should help with noise as well. My setup arrived late last week and will report back.

I didn't realize that this finally arrived. Order placed. Thank you

[SleepyGamer]

I've only had a CPAP since about the first of December (Dreamstation Auto). I'm still learning to not fight with it, but have zero plans to give it up because I feel much better. I haven't traveled with it, but have several trips coming up and didn't want to risk breaking my primary, so I ordered a DS Go and received it Friday. I've been using it the past 3 nights and would concur with just about everything JBW@SJC said in his review. Sleeping wise, I haven't noticed any differences from my Auto. The unit is pretty quiet, but there is definitely a little more noise out that side vent on the Go. I have an 8' hose on the way to hopefully be able to move it to the floor like JBW@SJC did.

I ordered mine with the humidifier and got a little better deal that I would buying the humidifier later, but was actually hoping not to need it when traveling for just a couple nights. So, I also ordered some HME's to try. However, I could not get them to work quietly with my F20. Every breath had the loud popping or clap noise from the flaps in the mask elbow with the HME - I can make this happen without the HME as well by suddenly taking a quick deep breath, but never hear it in the night or after I've settled down a couple mins after starting the machine. I could not take a single breath without it happening when the HME was attached. Anyone have any experience with these exchangers?

So far, I really like the Go, it's not a ton smaller than the DS Auto, but is a little smaller footprint and quite a bit smaller for height and not having to haul a power brick on top of a bigger machine will be nice. I also like that it blends right into the Dream Mapper app so I can see my data quickly for either machine.

[JBW@SJC]

Just a quick note on the new Humidifier for the Dreamstation Go.

I’ve noticed in some of the advertising the implication that you can use any water, that is, not only distilled water. However if you read the manual, they strongly recommend using distilled water.

They do have instructions on how to use other than distilled water, but those instructions describe a somewhat involved cleaning process following the use of other than distilled water.

Not trying to discourage usage of the Humidifier. I’ve had it for a few weeks and have used it successfully a number of times. In addition to adding humidity, it significantly reduces mask noise.

[palerider]

Just a quick note on the new Humidifier for the Dreamstation Go.

I’ve noticed in some of the advertising the implication that you can use any water, that is, not only distilled water. However if you read the manual, they strongly recommend using distilled water.

As do all cpap manuals in the united states... though not in all parts of the world.