If you're looking at one of these Miele dishwashers, they're ridiculously overpriced. None of the Miele dishwashers that Consumer Reports tested washed particularly well or were among the quietest tested, despite the claims. You can buy the well-rated Bosch SHPM78W55N which had Washing and Noise ratings of "Excellent" for less than half the price.

We’re very happy with our Miele DW. It’s our second one. I think it has the Extra Quiet option, but we’ve never used it. Normal cycle is pretty damn quiet. The only really noticeable noises occur when the motor is first starting up and when the DW is draining towards the end of the cycle.

I have a Miele that is a step down from the quietest-rated models they sell and I don't think it's quiet enough. I can hear it running from other rooms. In an open concept floor plan, it's annoying.

Filling and drying are pretty silent, but that's about it. It's obviously quieter than low end dishwashers, but I'm still very disappointed with the noise.

Maybe if the dishwasher was on the far end of the kitchen on another wall, the noise wouldn't be noticed, but it's installed under the counter tops directly across from the living room.

I also found it annoying to not be able to see how much time is left in the cycle. I won't buy another dishwasher where you can't see the remaining time without opening the door.

I'll either replace it with a model that has an exposed display or one that projects the remaining time on the floor instead of that dumb red light.

The beeping at the end of the cycle telling you to come open the door to let the moisture out is yet another annoyance. If you set a delay cycle so you don't have to hear the dishwasher running while in the next room, you now have the dishwasher beeping in the middle of the night.

I'd like a dishwasher that doesn't need to be opened to dry or else has the auto open feature.

People have different thresholds of what they consider quiet and some walls and floor plans are better at masking/blocking noise traveling out of the immediate area.

We have a large great room/kitchen/dining space - about 1000 sq ft. My Miele DW is extremely quiet. I have the Lumen model with LED lighting and auto open. I believe it is rated at 44 dB - I think all but the very top are rated at 44 dB. My husband constantly opens the door when it is running.

Jaxo- do you have any gaps between your Dw and cabinetS? I had a small gap at first due to my cabinets set to allow for a curved island so my Dw space is trapezoid shape, and I heard more noise than I expected. Miele suggested stuffing some insulation to fill the gap - I used some weather stripping That did the trick. As far as the end of cycle signal - it think that can be disabled. You might want to contact miele support if you can’t find it in your manual.

As far as extra quiet cycle - I have not used that yet. It does a run a long time - about twice as long as normal on my machine if I select that cycle. I don’t find a need for it to be quieter and I often run a load during the day. I read in another thread that it alternates which spray arms are running which leads to a quieter cycle. You might call MIele and ask them.

Consumer reports isn't worth much on their current evaluations, imo. Miele has excellent cleaning models with the dependability CR no longer knows how to properly evaluate. They fail to consider the impact of the one year warranty the industry has scammed consumers with. Their ratings worked back when appliance manufacturers made products that actually lasted. They don't have the number of people responding anymore because of the yearly fee to join. Their reliability ratings aren't something I believe because of this. Our Miele unit and my friends identical dw have been completely problem free for years. And that has a big value for us. But Bosch may have a less costly quiet model that also washes well and has a rep for dependability. I go for the med level Miele model which isn't 38db.

I'll check to see if there are any gaps where insulation can be stuffed, but I doubt it will be quiet enough to not hear the water spray rattling plates and other dishware around from 20 feet away unless I get a sub 40 dB model.

Jaxo - have you run a cycle with the Dw empty? If so did you hear the same noise level? If not I would try it. Rule out whether something with the Dw or not.

J: you make me wonder it the sound insulation blankets were installed around, above and below.

"They (CR) fail to consider the impact of the one year warranty the industry has scammed consumers with." --dan1888

One (1) Year or Two (2) Year Limited Warranty - Any warranty claims for residential Miele Products must be received by Miele within one (1) year from the date of purchase. If the Miele Product was properly installed and registered by an Authorized Miele Installer, this Limited Warranty will be extended for an additional (1) year. -- Miele warranty webpage

So if you install it yourself or have anyone other than an "authorized" installer do it, the Miele warranty is one year, just like the warranty on a $258 dishwasher at Home Depot. Impressive.

CR says they measure each dishwasher they test with a sound meter plus have a panel of people listen to them and give their opinions of the sound level.

I see that the quietest Bosch models were rated as Excellent for noise and the Mieles were rated as "Very Good."

I can't remember exactly what the dishwasher looked like before it was installed, but I don't remember there being any thick insulating blanket around it.

Is it possible they the installer forgot or skipped installing a sound blanker or is that already built onto the dishwasher at the factory and in the shipping box?

I found unboxing videos of a Miele and Bosh dishwashers and I think the Bosch looks like it has more exterior insulation, but the Miele guy never moved the camera back far enough to get a good look. Mostly close ups of the Miele dishwasher.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=im4a4GWjSfM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKW4P-6fWIk

Can extra insulation be installed around the Miele?

If you're worried about warranty Miele allows you to purchase 5 years extended service any time within the first year. As part of that-

No Lemon Guarantee
Should three service repairs be completed on an individual product for the same reason, and your product requires a fourth repair, the product can be eligible for replacement.*

See if you can get Samsung to do that.

If you want to add insulation I'd use a Rockwool product like Safe and Sound.

It's my understanding that one of the ways Miele achieves their extra quiet is by slowing the water pump down but close to doubling the amount of wash time. When they do their sound measurements it not what was the loudest sound it made, but the sound averaged over the length of the cycle. Part of the sound average is when the dishwasher is in a really long dry cycle and including the time when nothing is running at all except the countdown timer.

So, the extra quietness in the 38 dB versions of the Miele dishwashers is achieved entirely by adding the additional Extra Quiet cycle program with slower washing? They don't have quieter motors or any additional sound deadening vs the next lower tier models?

This is why Consumer Reports uses perceived sound as part of their testing.

Rating noise level of dishwashers based on an "average" that includes the silent drying cycle would be incredibly stupid. It would actually be beyond "stupid" and more like sleazy and dishonest. So much so, that I'm not sure I believe that's true.

The sound of filling, washing and draining is all that matters. The majority of the use time that makes noise is during the wash cycles. That's where it's most important to be as quiet as possible.

Nobody cares about the sound level of drying cycles.

Per CR, the tested Miele dishwashers had cycle times of 140 to 170 minutes. By comparison, the shortest cycle time among all DWs tested was 90 minutes.

It really seems unlikely that Miele averages in the dry time during which the machine is silent. That would be like a guy jack hammering the street saying that it isn't noisy because he turns the tool off at lunchtime.

Bad info going on here.

I had a Miele Diamante from 4/2010 to 2/2018. It was rated around 44-46db I believe. Yes, I could hear some water swashing around, but was it lound and noisy? No.

When the motor died on it earlier this year, I was not happy, and look at other brands (Asko, Bosh, and the newer Miele units). Since my dealer had a new in box Miele G6625SCU for $400 off MSRP, I ended up buying that.

All Miele units have insulation in the front door, top and sides. The entire sides and also enclosed in a metal cabinet. This is why you don't see the insulation, since it's inside of the metal cabinet.

The newer Miele units, like my G6625, use an Alternating Circulation Water Pump. This meas for 1 minute it's sprays water from the bottom and top arm, then changes and does 1 minute from only the center spray arm. Having it alternate like this makes it quieter than srpaying from all 3 arms at the same time.

Also, different modes uses different water pressure. If I do the Normal or Crystal cycle, those two are the quietest. The Pots/Pans cycle uses more water pressure, so it makes a bit more water spray noise. The Quick Intensive Wash is only a 60 total wash/rinse/dry, and it usues the most water pressure and is the most noticable with water noise.

Other more expensive Miele units have an Extra Quiet Wash, which reduces the water pressure to make less spray noise, but due to the lower water pressure it takes longer to wash.

But I like my newer Miele Crystal G6625 more than the older Diamante I had been using.

So, is the Bosch 800 or Benchmark series quieter running on “normal” cycles than a Miele fo less money?

I didn't read all of the comment above, but I'm with jaxo. I am not happy with my 2nd from the top of the line Miele. It's noisy. I have a "closed" kitchen, and can hear my dishwasher from my bedroom which is on the 2nd floor, at the opposite end of the house. I didn't have that issue with the entry level Miele that was its predecessor. As to insulation, Miele has even added additional insulation to my machine without effect.

I have a townhouse, the bottom floor (and top floor) are both L shaped. Downstairs is an open kitchen that leads into the Dining room, then at the other part of the L is the Living room. Above that is the two bedrooms.

Neither the older Diamante or my current Crystal G6625 I can hear when I'm in the Living room, nor hear them when upstairs. I can hear it some when I'm in the Kitchen or Dining room, but like I said in my above post, it really depends on which cycle I am running as Pots/Pans or Quick Intensive uses more water pressure.

If you have a "2nd from the top of the line" which is the Lumen, and it's louder than your older entry level Miele, than it it sounds to me like maybe it wasn't installed properly, or there might be something wrong with the unit.

fauguy, I agree, but at this point I have had virtually everything in the dishwasher replaced, up to and including the electronic control panel. I'm told that the noise is "within acceptable range", whatever that means (sarcasm). Was it installed incorrectly? Probably not..... it's been installed and reinstalled a few times because of all the issues that I've had with it.

about the only place that motor noise will escape is the lower plinth panel and sides. If those arent completely covered then noise will filter out. That means filler strips and the insulation placed behind the black plastic plinth

I have a Miele 6745 and I really can't hear it run at all

Regarding quietness here a quote from Reviewed.com.

"Furthermore, dishwasher manufacturers measure sound levels in averages. That means they can lower their overall dBA scores by limiting the duration of certain loud or high-decibel activities. This makes for a quieter dBA rating, but it may increase wash times. That's one way Miele's "Extra Quiet" mode, for example, is able to achieve a rating of just 37 dBA."

For the complete article go here. https://www.reviewed.com/dishwashers/features/is-your-dishwasher-quiet-enough

It's a pretty in depth article and an interesting read. Ok maybe only interesting to appliance geeks like me.....

I'm surprised that a Lumina would be louder then my old Optima (which just died for the 3rd time due to that lovely solenoid on the intake water line).

The Miele rep told me that most do not use the "extra quiet" mode for it is not necessary, people find the 44db quiet enough. My kitchen/family room is about28' x 20 open floor plan, and our master is on the same floor. I do have a CR membership, and I find the user reviews on CR's tested appliances do not reflect real world experiences; their take on vehicles are vastly more accurate.

When, I took out the Optima, there was blown insulation with an insulating mat covering the top (very well insulated). ,

Check with Miele to see if insulation under the unit is possible.

I researched this a few years ago before deciding on brands and models, so a few insights.

- Miele lists in the regular operating/owners manuals the conditions under which they conduct sound tests, a few other but not all manufacturers do this. Insights from the manuals I've seen are: they say use the normal program and load with 16 standard place settings. Implication is an ultra quite program will be quieter, and fewer items in the compartment means slightly more noise. Both these points are true based on my experience.

- There are very useful, no cost 'noise level' apps for smart phones, search for noise level or sound meter, here's one. Me and a buddy have been using these to investigate his outdoor heat pump, it's been louder than usual lately. I've used these apps to measure the noise level in and around the house, the Miele DW I have is quieter than spec'ed even on a pots & pans program, which I thought would be the loudest. Lots of other factors involved of course, sound deadening layout (whether by design or unintentional) of the room, the cabinets, the hard surfaces in the room, the openness of the room, etc., etc. etc.

As some people recommend when buying an oven to take your cookware / bakeware to a showroom to see the fit, you can also use a sound meter in a showroom to judge the relative sound levels before you buy.

To the person who mentioned a beeping at the end of a cycle, that is configurable on all the models I've seen. Look in the manual for Buzzer at the end of a program, or near a volume setting. Also, to the same person, if you have a model that "is a step down from the quietest-rated models they sell" then you almost certainly have an 'auto door open at the end of a cycle' feature, this is a feature that is in Miele's mid range models all the way up to the most expensive models.

It is more than 1 step down form the top of the line model since it doesn't have auto open. However, it is 1 step down from the quietest Miele models available. It is a low 40's rating instead of 38/39.

I am looking for quietest model (most well insulated and quietest motors) under normal use.

How does the quietest Bosch models compare to the quietest Mieles? Does Bosch also rely on a special, rarely ever used cycle for their ratings or does it achieve the sound rating with a commonly-used cycle such as Automatic or Normal?

Will this Bosch or other's they sell with the same noise rating be noticeably quieter in normal use than the quietest Miele dishwasher on the market?

Some of the Bosch dishwashers have the "EcoSilence" motor.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=jINqkCOUpqk

https://www.bosch-home.com/us/productslist/dishwashers/top-controls/SHE89PW75N

On the Miele, I think I actually hear more noise from water spraying against the inside of the door and the tub as well as plate clatter than actual motor noise (though I do hear "some" motor noise). I think this is lack of adequate sound insulation.

Jaxo, I think you will find a Bosch 39db and a Miele 38db imperceptible in sound to your ear. Both use water switches to run the spay arms individually so they also have that in common.

I know in my Bosch training classes they said they have all their sound levels verified by 3rd party test labs, I think it was the 3M labs. They then print the DB level right on the control panel for each model . I believe they are the only ones who do this.

I said this in another thread, but I'm on my 2nd Miele.

The water pump alternates the spray arms (top+bottom, then middle) and also chances the pressure depending on which Wash Cycle you select.

On mine (G6625SCU) the quietest (lowest water pressure) is on the Normal Wash and China/Crystal Wash. The next level of water pressure is the Pots/Pans Wash (just a bit more water sound). Then the highest pressure is the Quick Intensive Wash since it washes in under 1hr. This is really the only wash mode that I can hear outside of the kitchen.