How loud is a BiPAP machine?
A ResMed bilevel machine declares 25 to 27 dBA of sound pressure, each value with an uncertainty of 2 dBA. The AirCurve 10 prints 25 without a humidifier under the 2015 edition, and both generations read 27 dBA with their water tubs.
Here is each declaration as ResMed printed it, sound pressure first:
- AirCurve 10 VAuto and S: 25 dBA, 27 dBA with humidification (ISO 80601-2-70:2015, CPAP mode)
- AirCurve 11 VAuto and ASV: 26 dBA on the side cover, 27 dBA on the HumidAir 11 tub (ISO 80601-2-70:2020)
Sound power runs from 33 to 35 dBA across the same machines. It describes the energy the whole machine gives off, while sound pressure is the level measured at set points around it, so we list the two side by side and never rank one against the other. Our sound power vs sound pressure page explains the difference, and the decibel chart puts 25 dBA beside everyday sounds.
Why are the AirCurve 10 and AirCurve 11 ranked apart?
The AirCurve 10 and AirCurve 11 are ranked apart because ResMed measured them to different editions of ISO 80601-2-70, the standard for sleep apnea breathing therapy equipment that sets the noise test, with different tubing named in each table.
The AirCurve 10 guide cites the 2015 edition and adds "(CPAP mode)". The AirCurve 11 guide cites the 2020 edition together with ISO 80601-2-79:2018, a standard for ventilatory support equipment, and states no mode. Its figure is for standard air tubing, while the AirCurve 10 prints identical values for SlimLine and Standard tubing.
Each pair ties inside its own edition. We do not set the 25 against the 26, since the two were not produced by the same test.
Is the AirCurve 11 quieter than the AirCurve 10?
No, ResMed's guides do not show the AirCurve 11 as quieter. With no humidifier the AirCurve 10 prints 25 dBA and the AirCurve 11 prints 26, under different editions of the test, and both print 27 dBA with the tub.
A single decibel sits inside the 2 dBA uncertainty ResMed states for each figure, and the editions differ, so the gap cannot be read as a ranking either way. On paper, the newer generation left the tub figure exactly where it was, at 27 dBA.
ResMed's US page for the AirCurve 11 lists the VAuto and the ASV. Its US product guide for the pair carries no noise table, so the AirCurve 11 figures here come from ResMed's ANZ user guide, which names the same two models.
Is a BiPAP louder than a CPAP?
No, a ResMed bilevel declares no more noise than a ResMed CPAP under the same test. The AirCurve 10 and AirSense 11 both print 25 dBA with SlimLine tubing and 27 with humidification, in CPAP mode, 2015 edition.
That match comes from ResMed's AirCurve 10 guide and its Americas guide for the AirSense 11. Under the 2020 edition the tub figure also matches at 27 dBA, though ResMed's AirCurve 11 table names standard tubing and the AirSense 11 table names SlimLine.
The test itself is why the two read alike. A machine tested in CPAP mode holds one pressure, so the figure says nothing about the shift between inhale and exhale pressures that defines bilevel therapy.
For CPAP machines on their own, see our CPAP guide.
Does a humidifier make a BiPAP louder?
Yes, a water tub adds to the declared figure on every bilevel machine here that splits the two. ResMed's AirCurve 10 goes from 25 to 27 dBA with humidification, and the AirCurve 11 from 26 to 27 dBA.
Philips shows the same direction in its DreamStation BiPAP autoSV manual: 25.8 dB(A) for the device alone and 27.9 dB(A) with its humidifier, to ISO 80601-2-70:2015. Sound power climbs too, by 2 dBA on the AirCurve 10 and by 1 dBA on the AirCurve 11.
Whether the tub stays on is part of the therapy plan, so that call belongs to the prescriber and the equipment provider. If it comes off, read the side cover figure.
React Health's Luna G3 BPAP figures are ceilings: the LG3700 manual says the 25A's sound pressure and power "shall not exceed" 26 dB(A) and 34 dB(A) when it runs at 10 hPa, and puts 2 dB(A) of uncertainty on each.
The manual cites ISO 4871 for how the two numbers are laid out, and names no test standard. React Health's product page for the G3 Bilevel 25A gives the same pair as upper limits, and the manual for the Luna G3 BPAP 25VT and 30VT prints the same two limits at 10 cmH2O.
A not-to-exceed level is a limit the machine stays under, not the level it reached on the test bench. We quote it and leave the Luna G3 out of the ranked list, though it is the only bilevel here whose maker names the pressure used in the test.
Can you buy a new Philips DreamStation BiPAP?
No, Philips is restricted from selling new BiPAP machines in the US for now. The FDA says the April 2024 consent decree holds back new CPAP and BiPAP machines from several Philips Respironics facilities "until certain requirements are met".
The decree followed Philips's June 2021 recall of certain ventilators, CPAP and BiPAP machines. In the FDA's words, the foam at issue was "used in these devices to reduce sound and vibration". The recall and its remediation plan are set out on the FDA's page.
Philips did print figures before the decree. Its 2021 US manual for the DreamStation BiPAP autoSV declares 25.8 dB(A), or 27.9 with the humidifier, and the machine is listed under also considered.
Why is my BiPAP machine so loud?
ResMed's AirCurve 11 guide does not list noise as a fault. Its troubleshooting table starts with air leaking around the mask, and the machine's Mask Fit function checks the seal, reporting a good one when leak is under 24 L/min.
Air escaping past a cushion is the first problem in that table, and ResMed sends readers to the mask's own fitting instructions for it. After therapy stops, an AirCurve 11 keeps blowing a little air so that water does not condense in the tubing, and stops on its own after 30 minutes.
A machine that sounds wrong is a different case. React Health's Luna G3 manual says that if the device is "making unusual or harsh sounds", disconnect it and contact your healthcare provider. Philips's autoSV manual gives similar advice for unusual sounds.
Do you need a prescription for a BiPAP machine?
Yes, a BiPAP machine needs a US prescription. ResMed's AirCurve 10 guide says "In the US, Federal law restricts these devices to sale by or on the order of a physician", and React Health's Luna G3 manual agrees.
ResMed's US page for the AirCurve 11 states that "A bilevel PAP prescription is required". The prescription decides the model as well as the pressures: VAuto, S and ASV are different therapies, and ResMed lists a heart failure contraindication for ASV.
This page compares declared noise and nothing else. The manual for each machine, and the clinician who prescribed it, outrank anything written here.
