44 dB is extremely quiet. I have the Classic (bottom of the line model) that I think is closer to 50 dB and I find it extremely quiet. I can definitely tell when it's on if the room is otherwise silent, but it doesn't bother me at all. As a point of reference, older dishwashers that most people are used to were often well over 60 dB.

We have the Miele Dimension and it is extremely quiet. We decided on that vs. the Diamond because we felt the extra cost wasn't getting us much. I love the Dimension! We've had it about 2 months now. It takes about 2 1/2 hrs to clean a load of dishes but I just start it sometime in the evening and come down to clean dishes in the morning. I never even notice it running after I've started it.

One other thing I love about the Dimension is that it automatically opens the door just a couple of inches after it is finished. This allows plasticware to get almost completely dry by morning.

hvtech42, thanks for the information.

geekgirl512, appreciate your sharing experience of Miele Dimension. It's very helpful.

The Dimension is definitely quiet enough. I have friends who have it. We ended up with the Diamond but only because I wanted the interior lighting and the soft-close. The extra cycles are a who cares--the Dimension has plenty of cycles. I would go with that one unless you want the lights and soft close.

Nycbluedevil, thank you very much for the information. By the way, is interior lighting of Diamond model very helpful, it looks very nice though? I've never used a dishwasher with interior lights. Thanks.

We have the Dimension, too, and it's very quiet. Our downstairs is very open w/kitchen opening onto family room and dining room. We rarely know it's on. Something to be aware of, though, is if you have pottery-type dishes rather than fine china-type dishes, it can be hard to load. We have the pottery-type and find it difficult to get more than two days' worth of dishes in it, and there are only two of us, so we're not using that many dishes each day. On the other hand, we love the top rack for silverware and other utensils.

It's too quiet, I find myself trying to open it up when it's running

Yes, the lighting is actually very helpful.

functionfirst, thank you very much for your detailed information.
saeyedoc and nycbluedevil, really appreciate your help.

We have the Dimension Plus which is very quiet, we love it. I had wanted the Diamond for the vase attachment and couldn't justify the extra cost. Our appliance salesman gifted us with the vase attachment so it was win win.
MJ