The noisiest part is the drain pumping out water and the high speed spin.

Let's be honest it's not going to be perfectly balanced when doing a spin and the programmers know this so there is some (no pun) wiggle room allowed for the machine to spin while not perfectly balanced.

That is what make the most noise, the fast up down or side to side motion and the springs and shocks keeping things from getting out of control.

It depends a lot on which make/model you are talking about.

I used to have (in the early 90's) a GE FilterFlo toploader that was noisier than my FLs. Particularly when filling or when the brake made a very loud "Ker-Plow!" when it stopped spinning. The other TLs were quieter but still louder than most FLs.

Some of the "compact" (24") Euro machines from the late 90's, Bosch, for example, which have a brush motor, sound like a very quiet sewing machine during tumble and have a relatively loud spin compared to newer FLs, still quieter than the GE above, more on a par with other TLs.

The newest FLs which have a brushless motor tend to be fairly quiet unless they are unbalanced. You probably don't want them in your TV room, but mostly you will hear the machine filling with water, and pumping out. The spin is louder than the tumbling, but not bad unless you put the machine in say, a fully tiled small bathroom.

The first thing I noticed when we got our FL washer is how amazingly quiet it is. It is in a small laundry room that is accessed thru our family room, so noise from washer/dryer is an issue. We also got the matching dryer, and it is just as quiet. In the old days, the laundry room door had to be closed so we could hear the TV. With the FL as well as the new dryer, the door stays open.

Loose change in the dryer is what I notice, lol.

Hi Cavimum...what brand a model of FL do you have? i am shopping for something right now. Thanks for the commentary.

We have a MieleW4842, now discontinued, that is five or six years old.