I just got a Bosch Benchmark. There is an 800 series that is pretty similar that is more readily available (only certain stores can carry Benchmark and I had to hunt mine down). I needed a panel ready, so that turned out to be what I needed.

From what I have seen, I would suggest looking at Bosch starting with the 500 series and then moving up if necessary to get the features you need. You can gain a cycle or wash feature, but most of them seem to have plenty. It's the sound reduction with added insulation and the number or racking options -- folding tines, cup racks, adjustable or fixed third rack as you move up that may or may not matter to you. The 46 dBs at the mid level is nearly equal to the quietest models 8-10 years ago and should be quiet enough for all but the most picky. But you can get down to 38-39 dBs. A few of the upper line tubs are Euro tubs -- they are smaller and will fit in shallower cabinet spaces and hold slightly less (rated 14 pl settings vs 15 or 16 in the American size tubs). The racking is also different -- a sales person told me that if you have heavier or more shaped dishes (like Fiestaware) the Euro tub tines may be too narrowly spaced for you.

I ran the DW last night while we were watching the Olympics. I didn't open it until this morning. There was some condensation on the door interior, but all of my dishes were dry except for one bowl that was tilted and caught water and one plastic canning jar lid that was laid flat on the third rack. I think if I load those standing up better, they should dry fine. So far, we are using the third rack for utensils and small items and have one half of the silverware basket for flateware (ah -- whether you can split that is anothe feature that changes as you go up). I want to try loading the flatware in the thrid rack, but that may mean throwng DH out of the kitchen so I can see how that impacts the lower rack's space for plates and bowls.

The only other DW I have ever liked was a KA that would now be 16 years old or so -- in another house. It was quiet, but got louder. Cleaned well and had raccked that loaded easily and held a lot. KA changed the racks and got rid of everything I liked when it was time to buy a new one here, so I went Bosch. Since then, the Bosch and KA have both made changes to become more alike and the upper models add water softening like the Miele that was the only one to offer that back then. Those are your best DW lines as far as I am concerned, but I only looked at Bosch.

I have issues with KA customer service and would not go back to them still (stems largely but not exclusively from a laundry pair and A&E Service -- required by them, caused more harm than good, took two months and killed my machine instead of repairing it and then left me hanging -- bought LG and love them) and at the time buying a Miele meant spending as much as getting two Bosch. I have read a couple of articles that say Bosch makes the quietest DW and Miele makes the most durable. More recently, I have seen a number of issues and expensive repairs on Mieles -- a pattern of water line problems -- and I already had a panel to fit the Bosch (but DWs don't vary that much and I don't know if that truly limited me). I'm perectly happy with a quiet, water and energy efficient DW that uses about 1T of detergent (I use Oxyclean DW detergent granules -- in the bottle) and gets a full load nice and clean. I stuck to what works for me.

Our mugs are the ones that are usually wet. We have Pottery Barn dinnerware. Maybe I should look for new mugs that don't have a raised lip on the bottom that collects water instead of looking for a dishwasher that will dry them.

Most mugs have some degree of a recess. I try to load the item that have more of a recess on a slight angle. We have some really tall plastic glasses we use this time of year and they are the worst -- deepest recess and they aren't china to hold heat and assist the drying. I discovered that where I load them makes a big difference and can usually place them so they drain enough to dry. Look at the racks and see if you can do that. It doesn't take a lot of tilt to make a big difference.