My Cooktek Apogee countertop unit has a fan on it that's LOUDER than my microwave.

That's loud!!

I used a BergHOFF single burner counter-top induction hob in my temp kitchen when we were renovating. It buzzed and whirred with constant fan noise, and beeped most annoyingly when one's pot/pan lost contact, like when the pan was shaken or tipped. It was fine to use under the above circumstances, but would drive me nuts if I'd paid big bucks for one permanently installed in my beautiful new kitchen.

However, I'd hope that a plug-in counter-top model has about as much in common with a REAL induction cooktop as a Coleman campstove has with a pro-style gas range.

I have a Fagor that I bought to try induction. I don't find it particularly noisy--it beeps quietly if you lift the pan, and the fan continues for a couple minutes after its turned off, but its not objectionable. I guess its because I'm used to my ovens, both of which have fans.

I have a Viking portable that has a fan that you can hear, but is not at all intrusive. When I was in the Miele showroom and tried the big 'un, you didn't hear anything at all when it was running.

Cj

Is there noise? Typically only a low humming when my LARGEST pan is boiling water. Like I posted before, overall less noise in kitchen as I am not cussing as frequently about having to clean the radiant smoothtop like before. Benefit of induction > noise

hahaha rjr - great answer!

mine's relatively quiet - a low hum. Most times the sound of the water boiling is louder than the induction sound. I just made the same comment a day or two ago on another thread but before I answered I had to go try it out to double check because I don't even think about it having a noise.

gnarlsbarkley's comment made me wonder about the noise issue. Last year the "mosquito" ringtone was popular and only people that were around 25 yrs old or younger were able to hear it. My daughter hated it because she said it hurt her ears, but I wasn't able to hear it. Some teenagers use it as their ringtone in school so the teachers don't know their cell phone is ringing. Could the induction be the same way for SOME cooktops or SOME pans?

My 36-inch Kenmore cooktop is barely audible. The Demeyere 2L tea pot inconsistently makes a slight ringing noise, but I haven't determined an exact cause. I don't normally hear Emeril pans making noise. Note that the induction electronics produce magnetic fields at some high frequency, so if the pan is made of layers of metal, some vibration between layers is possible.

The built-in Cooktek wok unit has a fan whine that is likely audible over full exhaust fan noise due to being closer to a single tone than the quasi-white noise of the fan, but it is 8F outside right now so I'm not going to test it. I don't think it will be louder than the sizzle of wok cooking. Where it could be annoying is a circumstance where the wok were being used for some gentle heating over a longer period of time. Cooktek likely didn't bother to regulate the fan by the temperature of the electronics like the Kenmore does.

kas

Yup, well if the Mosquito buzz is designed to keep teenagers away from convenience stores, then surely the same idea is what's keeping me away from induction. It's easy to ignore if you can't actually hear it.

Our built-in Gaggenau single hob induction cooktop is audible, and the frequency increases as the power setting increases. Gagg uses the word "audible" in its documentation, but it's louder than I expected. However, having an overhead fan on masks the sound. There's also a fan in the unit that runs occasionally, but I don't find it loud or annoying.

My 30 inch Kenmore creates a low buzzing sound on powerboost, otherwise you can't hear it. Nothing that bothers the dogs or the cats and I have one dog that is especially sensitive to sound.

My 15 inch Wolf doesn't make any noise. You can hear the fan ( not bad) but I don't have the drawers finished yet so I may not hear anything.

I replied to the induction range thread about the whining:

It's from clad pans. Because the iron in the steel gets all excited by the magnets and the copper and aluminum don't.

Cast iron doesn't whine, and the enamelled non-clad steel I have doesn't either.

We have a CookTek 3500 watt Apogee counter top model. Some noise from the cooling fan, but other than that I haven't heard much from it. Some light buzzing from some pots, but I have to be standing right there to hear it.
When that thing is cranked up to full power, you don't want to walk very far away or you will wind up burning your food. Cooks very fast, so any noise is usually very brief in my experience. Might be different if you had a very large pot of liquid that you were simmering for a long period, but I've not done that. I've heated large pots of water to boiling for pasta, but haven't noticed any noise issues, and that also tends to go fast. Cast iron is very effective on this cooktop -- and no noise whatsoever other than the cooling fan.

We have a 30" Electrolux ICON induction. If absolutely no other noise in the kitchen you can barely hear a "hum" when a burner is first turned on. If there is any ambiant noise in the kitchen, which there usually is, you can't hear anything. We love the cooktop.

Thanks for "Chimin in" here Wizard. Some of the folks probably thought I was deaf, as I had mentioned, mine makes no noise. ----well cept for the rather quiet beep when ya pokes the buttons on it.

Gary

I stand corrected. I was making dinner while my 14 y/o DS (AKA the human eating machine) set the table and put dishes from the DW. "There's one thing I don't like about the new range", said he, "and that is that high pitched whine when there is a pan on it". I looked at him with a whack look, and he said "You don't hear it?" I assured him that I did not, and then he assured me that it was because I was OLD.

So, my quiet Range is only quiet to me. And my OLD DH

Yes the portable induction is noisy versus the built in Bosche is super quiet.
It does make a difference on your pot/pan material. The thinner pans are more audible.

gnarlsbarkley, I realize this is an old thread, but I googled this issue and got to this page. My 18 year old son cannot be near my plug in induction burner due to a high-pitched noise that hurts his ears. I cannot hear it, or it is not loud enough to bother me, nor my husband, nor the cat. I have not tried cooking with cast iron, yet.

The plug-in burner is temporary during our kitchen remodel, but I have ordered an Electrolux Range with Induction burners. I wonder if he will still have the same issue...

It is hard to say.
I have the Wolf and as Pillog says - the more layers - the more noise. Also, once the pans warm up, there is less noise.
I do have some noise with all pans but more with the clad pans.
But with the ventilation fan running, I don't usually hear much of anything.

I have a Wolf - so Datura - is your Wolf quieter than mine or do I have better hearing? LOL

mominator- I would see if you could test the elux. There are some newer threads on this topic and at least one brand - users claim no noise.

I have the Electrolux Slide in range, and I can definitely hear it. It doesn't bother me, it's not loud, and the exhaust fan covers up the noise. It's slightly high pitched, but doesn't hurt my ears (and they are pretty sensitive to loud or awful noises). It's no louder than a gas burner, IMO.

Same experience as a2gemini, clad pans are the noisiest, cast iron a bit quieter.

if you can find one thats hooked up, a fairly high quality video camera would pick up the noise, (if any) assuming you can somehow get rid of other surrounding noises, (Salesman), something else close to it running, (PA System), whatever.

My video camera has a very good frequency response with its built in Mic, and it shows on a built in display, the "relative strength of the sound", If I get a chance tomorrow, I will measure my Elux with it and an Emeril All Clad pan.

I'm one of the ones that claims my elux is "Silent" but I'm 70 so maybe the camera will be a better test, however I can hear the water in the pan when it starts to boil.

I did put up on Utube my Elux boiling water and the frequency response of UTube is pretty good (Listen for high notes On better music there, brush on a symbol, etc), so my video there should pretty well "Mimic real life conditions".

Gary

I have a Bosch. When I posted in the past, I always said there was no noise. I was wrong. There have been times when I have heard a hum. I cannot distinguish whether it is when a clad or iron pan is used.

I didn't,t mean to mislead anyone and I did not lie, as at the time I posted,I had not heard anything. I am past 70, thus considered old, but I was old then! It is a teeny hum and I have to really concentrate, but have heard my
Bosch. Does not make sense.

Thanks to whoever bumped this thread. I'm going with induction, and will now make sure I get noiseless pans!

Suzi

>>>"My video camera has a very good frequency response with its built in Mic, and it shows on a built in display, the "relative strength of the sound", If I get a chance tomorrow, I will measure my Elux with it and an Emeril All Clad pan."Gary -- I'd feed the video to the video editing software, extract the audio and check out the waveforms in spectrum display in an audio editing program like Pro Tools, Sound Forge, Audition or whatever. If you find sharp peaks above 14 kHz, that could explain why some younger folks (with full range hearing) are picking up sounds that are not heard by us old folks who are losing the upper ranges.

I would try this experiment myself, but right now I only have a Max Burton portable unit. I don't need a video to know that it is very noisy. The MB's internal cooling fan is loud and most every pan will produce a ringing sound when coming to heat on a high (8 to 10) heat setting. OTOH, my experience with a Cooktek countertop unit was the same as Red2 described (about 3 years ago): noticeable internal cooling fan noise, occasional slight buzzing from some pans on some settings, noticable only when standing right next to the unit and not audible at all if a range hood was on.

My experience with ranges goes back to a Kenmore induction range in the late 1970s, and that was back when I still could hear up near the 20 kHz range. With the ranges, I rarely noticed any humming or ringing from pans except for when there was moisture on the bottom of a pan.

A couple of years ago, I attended a demo of the GE free-standing unit (PHB925). I did not notice any humming or buzzing from the pans used in the session (All-Clad Stainless and DeBuyer "Mineral B" carbon steel pans). I really noticed buzzing from the fluorescent lighting in the store and that is a noise that to which I am sensitive. So any noise from the stove may have been masked.

This post was edited by JWVideo on Wed, Mar 20, 13 at 13:04

With the rise of electronics for controls on even gas stoves, cooling fans have become pretty common.

Some are 'always on' while others are thermostat controlled.

I did just about what you said, JW. I have a program called Magix that I use to make videos and slide shows.

I ran "An Induction breakfast", a video I had put up on UTube, several years ago.

Magix has a built graphic display that shows the frequency response of the video audio. I particularly looked at the frequency around 16khz, and really did not see much except when I talked on the video, I can even kick the sensitivity of the 16Khz way up using the Magix software.

I will try the experiment again, with the camera very close to the pan and put the hob on boost, and see if I pick up anything, (alto a bit "academic"), as my Elux model has been replaced by a newer model---but still could be useful as to what a video camera and good software will show as far as "Induction Noise".

It's funny how great minds think alike! Thanks JW

Gary

I think Brickeye makes a good point. The point on fan noise from portable induction units is that their fans are considerably noisier than is typical for ranges and cooktops. The cooling fan noise on the induction ranges I have heard has been no worse than that for cooling electronics on the gas and dual fuel stoves I have heard.

A follow-up to using video cameras. Consumer video cams use automatic gain controls (AGC) for the audio. AGC basically adjusts audio input volumes based on the overall average sound level. If the room gets really loud -- say, if a lot of people are talking or somebody s shouting --- the AGC quickly reduces the volume to prevent distortion. When the room gets quiet, the camera boosts the input volume and a whisper can seem very loud.

If you have a quiet kitchen with only the stove running, the AGC will kick up the volume and that will really bring out any noise from the induction stove.

Even though that AGC volume boost may grossly exaggerate the apparent noise level for those watching the video (a common problem for You Tube videos), it still will be a very good thing for detecting the noise and analyzing it.

I'm not sure I'm a great mind on Gary's level, but I thank Gary for the apparent compliment.

This post was edited by JWVideo on Wed, Mar 20, 13 at 14:28

@JWvideo said "back when I still could hear up near the 20 kHz range".

As my DW's father once remarked "I HATE getting old!".

I can still hear quite well - so maybe I notice it more.
Quite a few posts on the Thermador being very quiet. I guess I will have to You Tube my Wolf and let you decide - but not until the weekend at least.
Yes, I am supposed to be retired, but was recalled.

" I can even kick the sensitivity of the 16Khz way up using the Magix software. "

But you cannot "kick up" frequencies that did not get recorded.

That's true brickeye. I believe my camera mic response is
20hz -20hkz (Human hearing range is 60-20Khz) alto only when we are young.

my magix software display only goes to 16Khz but there are Graphic displays on the net that go to the full 20khz but I seriously doubt that, if is there is no "Noise" at 16khz then there is not likely any at 20khz and if so, I'm afraid VERY FEW of us would hear it.

If somebody really needs that info (above 16khz) I can check it.

Gary

This is a great question! I've always wondered what people's experiences were with the noise level of various induction units, both portable and built-in. I think induction cooking is terrific, but I'm reluctant to change out my gas cooktop because I find wok stir-frying so much more satisfying on gas flame.

I have several portable units. By far, the quietest unit is the Viking. There are no beeps, just a small led light that turns on when the unit is on, blinks when an incompatible pot is on, or blinks after shut off but the surface is still warm. The internal fan turns on when the heat level is turned up, and is one of the quietest fans I've heard. I also bought the Max Burton as a 2nd unit, but unfortunately, it is so loud and noisy to operate, it affects my enjoyment of cooking. There is a very loud beep when you turn it on, and beeps when you change any setting, and the internal fan is very noisy as soon as you turn on the unit. So then I bought the All-Clad. It is better, the beeps are quieter, and the internal fan is less noticeable than the Max Burton, but somewhat louder than the Viking. The Viking is my most used portable induction cooktop.

In a recent thread on Houzz, someone commented that All Clad buzzes but Demeyere (I think it was) doesn't. My Tramontina TriPly Clad, being built like All Clad, does buzz. So maybe it is as much the pans as the unit. The only way to tell would be to take the same pans to various units and different pans on the same unit and listen to them all. I don't know anyone else around here with an induction top or Demeyere pans, or I'd try this. In the mean time, I run the hood and play the stereo.

The pans make a difference. My DeMeyere does buzz but my Staub is the quietest.

Ok, I am all set on an induction cooktop, but I pulled out my Max Burton unit tonight, and both my husband and I could hear a distinct high-pitched hum that is painful. I have never heard this before, and I am using the exact same set-up as I have the half dozen or so times I've used the unit (enamelled cast iron boiling water). Part of the issue may be that we went to a concert two nights ago that was really loud and hard on our ears, but I am finding this concerning. An exhaust fan would not mask it for us.

Do people generally find the built-in cooktops less noisy than the portable cooktops?

I certainly do, and I also think that the MB is a different kind of product. BUT ---- there are variables that can affect different people differently. One of them will be your own sensitivity to the noises.

I can tell you that the MB units --- I have a MB Model # 6200 -- are far noisier than any built-in induction cooktop or range that I have used over the last three decades.

As discussed above, there are two noise components and they can play out differently for different folks. One noise component is the electronics' cooling fans which are usually pretty quiet on most induction ranges and cooktops. Not so with the portable units. I'd say that the cooling fan in my MB 6200 is a lot like the middle setting on my range hood or like being right next to the multiple-fans in the tower of my video-editing workstation. Now, some models of cooktops and range cooling fans will be louder than other models, but even the loudest I've heard has been about like the cooling fans in a laptop computer on the other side of the desk. There are you-tube videos where something has gone seriously wrong with an induction cooker and the noise level is as high as with the MB and sometimes worse. Those are products in need of warranty service or replacement.

Noise component two is a combination buzzing, whistling and ringing (what I call "BWR" noise). This is noise that I rarely hear when I've used my pans on an induction range or built-in cooktop but which I find distinct and annoying when some of those same pans are used on my MB unit. With disk-based pans -- a Sitram Profissiere (disk-base) 3 qt. sauce pan and a Kuhn-Rikon pressure cooker -- the BWR noise persists for as long as the MB is heating. After about three or four minutes, the BWR does falls to about the threshold of the sounds of the cooling fan and the sound of the water boiling. If I pay attention, though, I notice the BWR for as long as either disk based pan pan is in use on the MB. With All-Clad pans and Circulon Premier Pro (anodized aluminum with magnetic steel disks inset into the bases), the BWR noise persists for about a minute and then falls below the noise threshold of the cooling fan and water boiling. With cast-iron, I don't notice BWR noise at all with the MB.

A couple of years ago, I had the chance to run these same pans on a GE PHB925 range (which has been supplanted in GE's line-up by the PHB920). No perceptible noise for me except with the disk base pans and that noise quickly faded as the pans came to heat. It would have been completely masked by a hood-fan if one had been running. With the other pans -- zip, nada, etc.

Again, however, it is your ears that matter, not mine. Note the diversity of comments above. Best to seek out a demo of a countertop or range in to test it for yourself, if that is at all possible.

This post was edited by JWVideo on Thu, Jun 19, 14 at 21:55

Waring plug-in portable. The fan makes noise, but it does not bother me. My refrigerator and stove hoods are far noisier. I do not notice pan noise, either from the enameled cast iron or from clad stainless steel. I have used Staub, Le Creuset, Demeyere Atlantis, and an All-Clad Copper Core double boiler with a heavy ceramic insert. Our hearing is not that acute, however, the noise of security systems in jewelry stores drives me crazy, as do loud stereo systems, so some sounds are troublesome.

I thought I had responded, but I apparently didn't submit the message.

Thank you for the added feedback. I was surprised, since I hadn't heard it before and was using cast iron.

I also saw a Jenn-Air demo, and I didn't hear anything, but the ventilation was on, and they were using enamelled cast iron. Definitely will check it out again based on this experience, though.

I have a Bosch 36". I have Calphalon stainless steel pans. When I first put a pan full of water on it makes a small hum but then it goes away. As was stated before, the benefits of induction outweigh any small noise it sometimes makes!!

We went to the appliance store and tested a Jenn-air with good results, so we concluded it's the fan on the portable burner.

It sounds like you have your answer but I'll put my nickel's worth in anyway.

I just got a GE PHB920 a few weeks ago. I expected to hear some pan noise, since I had heard it in a store on an Electrolux range. So far I have not heard any pan noise at all. I have used All-Clad tri ply, various wafer-bottom pans and cast iron(not enameled yet).

I routinely turn my exhaust fan on Low whenever I am cooking. The fan is a Zephyr Typhoon, which is very quiet on Low. So there may be some pan noise, but if there is it is not enough to be heard above the exhaust fan.

I got a Fagor pressure cooker for Father's Day. My first test with it was just with water so I did not bother with the exhaust fan. While I was heating the water I heard the cooktop cooling fan turning on and off. The fan is quiet enough that I can only hear it when the exhaust is off.

Gas makes noise.
Induction makes noise
The noises are different.

With induction, pan types make a difference - I have an eclectic set of vessels including staub, LeCr, all clad, Demeyere and a few more. (And no repeat sizes except for a fry pan)

Cold layered pans make the most noise.

Now, I did notice buzzing and it took me 2 years to figure out the LED can lights increase buzzing.

A2gemini, did you ever find a solution to your lights increasing the buzz of your induction?

I have heard that people using certain hearing aids have quite an interference issue. Another vote for test driving before you buy.
(Love the mosquito ringtone story!)

I have recently purchased a very high-end single burner Spring USA induction burner (I used this brand at a course at the French Pastry School in Chicago and was very impressed) as well as a Duxtop double burner induction. The fans make noise of course but my husband and I detected no high pitched sound. My son (age 26), however, found both excruciatingly painful. He said it was like a dentist drill way into his ears. These units were purchased to place in a condo he lives in. We will need to return.