# Are appliances LOUDER than in the 70s? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 3, 2002, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-appliances-louder-than-in-the-70s/107094 "2002-05-03T16:47:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![glilly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/48db29/32.png) [@glilly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glilly)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2002, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-appliances-louder-than-in-the-70s/107094/1 "2002-05-03T16:47:59Z")
I know this is riding the ragged edge of IMHO, but I thought it should be here because db levels can be measured. It seems to me that as I cast off the hand-me-down appliances from the 1970’s and replace them with new ones, the decibel level in the house jumps tremendously. For example: old Hoover vacuum cleaner: not too loud. New vacuum cleaner: FREAKING loud. Another: old Sears blender: loud. New Osterizer: ear-blending. So, are appliances ACTUALLY louder than they used to be (not just seem)? And if so, why? I have two guesses: 1) they are less insulated than they used to be. 2) The motors run at much higher RPMs, making them much louder. Whaddaya think? ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2002, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-appliances-louder-than-in-the-70s/107094/2 "2002-05-03T17:35:23Z")
WAG - There’s much less metal in current appliances and it’s replaced by light plastic, so there’s less mass to dampen the motor and reduce the noise. ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2002, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-appliances-louder-than-in-the-70s/107094/3 "2002-05-03T17:39:42Z")
Marketing may be a possibility, too. I heard many stories in college (quite possibly apocryphal) that manufacturers often made appliances like vacuums louder on purpose, because test groups liked them better–they felt like the vacuum was “more powerful.” Kinda the hotrod/motorcycle mentality-- “…oog…engine LOUD … engine must be STRONG!” ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2002, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-appliances-louder-than-in-the-70s/107094/4 "2002-05-03T17:41:10Z")
??? My new dishwasher is incredibly quieter than my old one and that’s specifically because it has much more insulation. Noisier machines probably are more powerful and thus work better. I can’t think of any appliance I have that works the same and is louder than the old ones used to be. ---
**Author:** ![Yarster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/7c8e57/32.png) [@Yarster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yarster)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2002, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-appliances-louder-than-in-the-70s/107094/5 "2002-05-03T17:42:48Z")
I have to go with Toadspittle on this one. I remember reading something about the electric cars needing to be made noisy because they are actually capable of being made completely silent, but people did not respond will to it. More noise = more power = better product is the logic ---
**Author:** ![The\_Griffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_Griffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Griffin)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2002, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-appliances-louder-than-in-the-70s/107094/6 "2002-05-03T22:17:15Z")
I think it’s because of cost cutting. To maximise profits, cheaper materials and components are used. A good example is TVs. Many cheap TVs these days make a lot of audible high pitched noise. This is because of cheap parts. ---
**Author:** ![Arken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@Arken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arken)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2002, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-appliances-louder-than-in-the-70s/107094/7 "2002-05-03T23:04:27Z")
I remembered hearing a similar story about electric cars being virtually noiseless, but the reason I read that they added sound to them was that people didn’t notice they were coming and got hit. ---
**Author:** ![sward](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/51bf81/32.png) [@sward](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sward)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2002, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-appliances-louder-than-in-the-70s/107094/8 "2002-05-04T01:57:06Z")
Bought a new refrigerater recently. It is much noisier than my 25yr old one. I was told the new compressors that they use now are noisier and don’t last as long. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Griffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_Griffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Griffin)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2002, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-appliances-louder-than-in-the-70s/107094/9 "2002-05-04T02:05:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by sward \* > \*\*Bought a new refrigerater recently. It is much noisier than my 25yr old one. I was told the new compressors that they use now are noisier and don’t last as long. \*\* Yep, nothing’s built to last these days. Pathetic really. Everyone’s going on about recycling but companies deliberately make things break after a couple years so you buy a new one. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2002, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-appliances-louder-than-in-the-70s/107094/10 "2002-05-04T02:37:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by sward \* > \*\*I was told the new compressors that they use now are noisier and don’t last as long. \*\* I’ve heard some people complain that the modern enrivonmentally safe replacement for freon is less effective than the old stuff. If that’s true, perhaps that’s why compressors have to be more powerful? I think the main reason appliances are louder is that they use less metal and more plastic. When it comes to damping sound, there’s no substitute for mass. I don’t think the “make it noisy so it seems more powerful” theory works for appliances that are on all the time - refrigerator, A/C, etc. ---
**Author:** ![glilly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/48db29/32.png) [@glilly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glilly)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2002, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-appliances-louder-than-in-the-70s/107094/11 "2002-05-04T04:41:03Z")
What about the idea that motors spin much more quickly now than then? Higher RPMs would make them louder. Does anyone do appliance repair here? If so, are the motors higher speed (in general)? ---
**Author:** ![hammerbach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/73ab20/32.png) [@hammerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hammerbach)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2002, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-appliances-louder-than-in-the-70s/107094/12 "2002-05-04T06:14:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by glilly \* > \*\*What about the idea that motors spin much more quickly now than then? Higher RPMs would make them louder. > > Does anyone do appliance repair here? If so, are the motors higher speed (in general)? \*\* I don’t think it’s from being faster… I build machinery in my workshop using second (or third) hand motors, some of which are much older than I am, and they seem to be in the same general ranges of speed today as they were 40 years ago, depending upon application. I’m with those who think it’s because of less mass. Having moved my share of appliances, I must say that the old ones are almost invariably heavier and quieter.