The noise is normal. It is less evident with heavier pots.

I'm going to take back the pot and the pan I bought, and get others, with more steel.

The noise is very strong irritating and high pitched when I put the "burner" on high, like for wok type cooking.

This didn't work. I get a strong hum and grating singing noise when it's on high. Five different pots and pans. Except with cast iron.

That is odd. My stove makes more of a buzzing noise on the higher settings. It doesn't bother me though but I do have pots with pretty heavy bottoms. Have you tried Le creuset types of pots? They might be heavy enough so you don't get the noise. There are other pots out there that are like Le creuset but are not as expensive.

Monday morning I'll start talking to the technical support people of the manufacturer.

Mine is a buzzing and vibrating. I'm using heavy pans and it still happens. Cost of doing business I think. The buzzing didn't happen until they replaced all of the top electrics in my induction slide-in. Silly Kenmore! Silly Electrolux! They are paying more to repair than if they had made it well in the first place. Oh well.

This is normal with induction! I'm surprised you didn't see it in your search. I have seen this issue in many posts.
Turn on the overhead fan and you won't notice it.

I found a key word in terms of induction cooktop noise:

pulsing.

There was NO noise to be heard when the working demonstrator model heated water in a pot, at the retailer. The noise I hear is not necessarily "normal" !!!

I'm still investigating this.

Here is a link that might be useful: user review: Fagor induction cooktop

Hi davidrol,
Don't know whether this is still an active post, but in case others are concerned about noise, I came across this at theinducttionsite.com:

"Noise

Induction itself is a noiseless process: the energy fields are generated by electronic equipment, which is silent. But even efficient electronics generates some heat. Whether the amount of heat generated can be dissipated "passively" (just by radiation and natural air flow, still silent) or requires a small fan to augment the air flow depends in good part on how tightly a given maker has packed how much power into how much space--some units have fans, some don't. But even on those with fans, one, the fan does not necessarily run all the time--usually just when the unit is running multiple elements at high settings--and two, such fans are normally pretty soft-sounding. There can also an occasional very soft "tick" sound, as the power controller cycles the elements on or off to keep the element power steady and stable.

What can sometimes produce sound with induction cooking is not the induction equipment but the cookware itself. Some of the possible causes include:

*

Encapsulated slugs in the base of the cookware: "clad" cookware (which is what any stainless-steel-finish cookware that works on induction is) has as its base a sort of "sandwich" of layers of several different metals (typically steel outside, aluminum or sometimes copper in the middle, and more steel inside); if the middle layer is merely encapsulated in the steel, as opposed to being actually welded within it, it can move about, however microscopically; but any such microscopic play can give rise to a sort of "buzzing" noise. On some other cooking surface, that buzzing won't happen, but the high-frequency oscillations of induction's magnetic field can cause it in lower-quality clad cookware (but even then, only on higher-power settings). When it occurs it's not typically loud, but it can annoy some people. Again: it's not the induction equipment, it's the less than ideal cookware, but it is an induction-related phenomenon.
*

Loose-fitting handles on cookware, typically when riveted on, can vibrate slightly.
*

Pans with irregular bottoms can vibrate audibly on the glass surface, though again typically only at high-power settings.
*

At high-power settings, lighter-weight lids may occasionally vibrate a bit.

Cookware of solid cast iron, including enamelware, is not subject to such issues; and clad cookware of the top lines should not be."

Here is a link that might be useful: induction pros and cons

It all makes sense, when reading it. But something isn't convincing me. I'll have to ask around more, to see if people with induction cooktops have found that cheap cookware makes a noise.

seems to me so far :

1. ) minor noise called cycling. The motor cycles on and off. It's acceptable. It can be a slight click and buzz.

2. A.) when pots are empty, or cold, or full with cold stuff, there is an induction buzz, and this is either minor or huge.

2. B.) warm or hot: this noise is less audible.

This is what I have.
(Another induction cooktop will be different.)

So far, I've found that Ikea 365+, Tramontina and All-Clad buzz the least.

In 2008, the same cooktop (same model) performed in a showroom without making ANY noise whatsoever.
It was a stainless pot.

((Was it pure-stainless??)).
This Fall I'll have more news.

You're... not convinced? When I first heard high pitched screeching noises from my All-Clad cookware, I thought I had damaged my cooktop by putting tin foil on it (bursts into flames, BTW) But soon I realized it was onloy the All-clad cookware. I figured out myself (having a science background) that the noise must be from the "laminations" within the cookware. And sure enough my web search confirms my theory. The same model cooktop wouldn;t be expectied to exhibit this in the showroom, as I'm =sure they are carefull not to use laminated/sandwhich/layered cookware. I don;t think it's fair to generalize about the quality of the cookware or the cooktop under these conditions: getting a true metal-to-metal bond over a surface area this large is difficult, much more so because the materials in question expand and contract with temperature at different rates.

My Vollrath Mirage Pro is nearly silent. No whine. It is even hard to tell when it is cycling controlling temperature or power.
It's 4G SCR bridge variable frequency engine controls the induction cooker at up to twice the frequency of the generic units. It has better looks, easier control, and better knob feel than my generic commercial twice the height Chinese induction cooker. My Vollrath also remembers its prior settings
fromt the previous when turned on again. And remembers the prior settings when lifting a pot and putting it back on. A compelling time savings convenience feature!

In contrast, my generic Chinese cooker whines and has induction buzz above a power setting of 12 (12 out of 15 power steps) with my laminated pans which are silent on my Vollrath Mirage Pro at up to full power.

As previously mentioned, a cast iron skillet, pot or grill, has no laminations and makes no pan noise and can be used. With a cast iron skillet on the cooker, the only noise should be from the induction cooker.

Both commercial units I have caution not to use an empty pan. When empty the pans hit about 615 degrees
F for a couple of minutes when turned on from a cold start, cool induction cooker top. This heat, although good for wok cooking, may burn a teflon coated pan, warp or delaminate a pan.

Again, I like my Vollrath Mirage Pro, its nearly silent.

Wow. Read the reviews of that Vollrath unit on Amazon--expensive for a counter top version and poor quality control, apparently.