Daikin publishes a noise figure for nearly every current US ductless system in its engineering data books: an indoor sound pressure level for four fan speeds, in cooling and in heating, and an outdoor figure for each mode. It names the speed next to each figure and draws where the microphone stood, so its line can be ranked fairly as long as like is kept with like.
Below is every current R-32 system on Daikin's August 2026 line card with a published figure, wall, floor, cassette and ducted, plus the outdoor units, grouped so that only like is compared with like. To see how Daikin sits against other brands, see our quietest mini-splits guide; we do not rank other brands here.
Our picks are listed above, with full specifications for each.
How Daikin rates noise
Each data book has a "Sound Pressure Level (H / M / L / SL)" row in dB(A) for the indoor unit, with separate columns for cooling and heating, and a single "Sound Pressure Level" row for the outdoor unit in each mode. The footnote defines the last speed: "SL: The quiet fan level of the airflow rate setting." Daikin's reference guide makes the same point about its headline claim, "Operating sound levels as low as 19** dB(A)", with the footnote "**On SL fan speed in cooling mode".
The "Sound Level" chapter says: "Operation sound is measured in an anechoic chamber." Its drawing puts the microphone 3.3 ft (1 m) in front of a wall unit and 2.6 ft (0.8 m) below it, and 3.3 ft (1 m) from the outdoor unit. The Atmosphera book adds: "The operation sound measuring method is based on JIS standard." Cooling figures are taken at 80°F indoors and 95°F outdoors, heating at 70°F indoors and 47°F outdoors, with 25 ft of piping.
H, M, L and SL appear on every wall and floor unit, so those are the labels we rank on. The Vista cassette and the FDMA ducted unit are listed separately. For why figures from different brands line up even less well, see comparing decibel ratings.
Which models are current
Daikin's US ductless line moved to R-32 refrigerant through 2025 and 2026. Its August 2026 line card lists ENTRA, OTERRA, OTERRA 115V, AURORA wall and floor, ATMOSPHERA and POLARA wall units, the VISTA ceiling cassette, the FDMA ducted unit, and the AURORA and MXM multi-zone outdoor units. The older names buyers still search for, the LV Series, 19 Series and 17 Series, and the R-410A Emura and Aurora, are not on it. The Daikin Fit is a ducted central heat pump, not a mini-split; it appears in our central air conditioner guide.
Two catches. Daikin's Oterra product page still names the R-410A FTX BXVJU models next to the R-32 ones, and the current Oterra is the FTXF BVJU9 with built-in Wi-Fi, not the earlier FTXF AXVJU. Both Oterra R-32 versions list 19 dB(A) on SL at 9,000 and 12,000 BTU, but their other indoor and outdoor figures differ by up to four dB(A), so check which version a quote names. We use the BVJU9 data book throughout.
Every wall unit on SL, in cooling, quietest first
Figures are from each system's engineering data book.
- 9,000 BTU: Oterra (FTXF09BVJU9, and cooling-only FTKF09BVJU9) and Aurora (FTXV09AVJU9) 19; Oterra 115V (FTXQ09ASBU9) 21; Atmosphera (FTXM09WVJU9) 22.
- 12,000 BTU: Oterra and Aurora 19; Oterra 115V 21; Atmosphera 23.
- 15,000 BTU: Aurora 33.
- 18,000 BTU: Atmosphera, Oterra and Aurora 33.
- 24,000 BTU: Atmosphera, Oterra and Aurora 34.
- 30,000 and 36,000 BTU: Polara (FTXV30AVJU9, FTXV36AVJU9) 37.
The jump from 19 to 33 between 12,000 and 18,000 BTU happens in every series, so a smaller head is the biggest single noise decision. Our bedroom mini-split guide explains why the lowest speed matters most at night.
Every wall unit on Low, in cooling
On Low the order flips. The Atmosphera, which trails on SL at the small sizes, leads at every size it comes in.
- 9,000 BTU: Atmosphera 25; Oterra and Oterra 115V 30; Aurora 31.
- 12,000 BTU: Atmosphera 29; Oterra, Oterra 115V and Aurora 31.
- 15,000 BTU: Aurora 36.
- 18,000 BTU: Atmosphera 36; Oterra 37; Aurora 38.
- 24,000 BTU: Atmosphera 37; Oterra 38; Aurora 39.
- 30,000 and 36,000 BTU: Polara 40.
Every wall unit on H, in cooling
This is what you hear while the unit pulls a hot room down.
- 9,000 BTU: Atmosphera, Aurora and Oterra 115V 43; Oterra 44.
- 12,000 BTU: Atmosphera and Aurora 45; Oterra and Oterra 115V 46.
- 15,000 BTU: Aurora 45.
- 18,000 BTU: Oterra and Aurora 48; Atmosphera 49.
- 24,000 BTU: Atmosphera 51; Oterra and Aurora 52.
- 30,000 BTU: Polara 53. 36,000 BTU: Polara 54.
For a living room, where the head runs between Low and H with people talking, our living room mini-split guide reads the larger heads at those speeds.
The ENTRA is Daikin's entry wall series. Its July 2026 brochure prints only a "Lowest Sound Level" per system, marked "When quiet operation is engaged", without a mode: 21 dB(A) indoors for the FTXC09BVJU9, FTXC12BVJU9 and FTXC18BVJU9, and 35 for the FTXC24BVJU9; outdoors 49, 50, 54 and 54. We found no engineering data for the BVJU9 version, so we leave it out of the rankings above.
Floor, cassette and ducted units
These are ranked only within their own type, in cooling.
Aurora floor unit (FVXV), H / M / L / SL: 9,000 BTU "39 / 36 / 30 / 26"; 12,000 "41 / 36 / 30 / 26"; 15,000 "46 / 40 / 36 / 30"; 18,000 "49 / 42 / 38 / 34". The same figures apply on a multi-zone system.
Vista ceiling cassette (FFA), H / M / L: 9,000 BTU "38 / 35 / 29"; 12,000 "39 / 36 / 30"; 15,000 "40 / 37 / 31"; 18,000 "44 / 40 / 32". Daikin measures the cassette 4.9 ft (1.5 m) below the panel, so these are not directly comparable with the wall units.
FDMA ducted unit: the brochure lists a lowest indoor sound level of 32, 33, 34, 35 and 40 dB(A) for the 9,000 to 24,000 BTU sizes. What reaches the room depends on the ductwork, so we keep it apart from the ductless heads.
Every outdoor unit, cooling, quietest first
These are the figures your neighbors hear. Compare them only with each other.
- 9,000 BTU: RXM09WVJU9 (Atmosphera) 47; RXQ09ASBU9 (Oterra 115V) 48; RXF09BVJU9 and RKF09BVJU9 (Oterra), RXT09AVJU9 (Aurora) and RXV09AVJU9 (Vista) 49.
- 12,000 BTU: RXM12WVJU9, RXF12BVJU9 and RKF12BVJU9 49; RXT12AVJU9, RXQ12ASBU9 and RXV12AVJU9 50.
- 15,000 BTU: RXT15AVJU9 52.
- 18,000 BTU: RXM18WVJU9, RXF18BVJU9 and RKF18BVJU9 54; RXT18AVJU9 55.
- 24,000 BTU: RXF24BVJU9 and RKF24BVJU9 54; RXM24WVJU9 and RXT24AVJU9 55.
- 30,000 BTU: RXV30AVJU9 and RKV30AVJU9 57. 36,000 BTU: RXV36AVJU9 and RKV36AVJU9 60.
In heating every heat pump lists more, from one dB(A) more on the RXQ09ASBU9, RXM18WVJU9, RXM24WVJU9 and RXV36AVJU9 to five more on the RXT15AVJU9. The Aurora RXTH versions with a factory drain pan heater list the same as the RXT units in the 2026 brochure.
Multi-zone outdoor units, cooling: 2MXM18AVJU9, 3MXM24AVJU9, 2MXT18AVJU9 and 2MXTH18AVJU9 52; 3MXT24AVJU9, 4MXT36AVJU9, 5MXT40AVJU9, their MXTH versions and 5MXM48AVJU9 55; 4MXM36AVJU9 56.
What changes the noise between models
Size, above all. On SL every wall series goes from 19 to 23 dB(A) at 9,000 and 12,000 BTU to 33 or more at 18,000. On H, the Atmosphera goes from 43 at 9,000 BTU to 51 at 24,000. If a 12,000 BTU head will do the room, it will be quieter.
Which speed you use. The Oterra and Aurora reach lower on SL; the Atmosphera is lower on Low and, at 24,000 BTU, on H. Pick by the speed the head will actually run at.
Single or multi-zone. On a multi-zone system the 9,000 and 12,000 BTU Aurora wall units list 24 dB(A) on SL instead of 19, and the 7,000 BTU CTXV07AVJU9 lists "40 / 35 / 31 / 24".
Daikin's quiet claims, in its words
The line card lists "Indoor Unit Quiet Operation" on most series and "Outdoor Unit Quiet Operation" on some. The Vista and MXM brochures say: "Outdoor unit sound levels can be reduced by 3 dB(A) for times when quieter operation is needed." The Entra brochure says its outdoor unit "is quiet enough to hold a conversation next to the unit." The brochures describe the units as "whisper quiet" and Daikin's Oterra page says the wall units "operate very quietly." Daikin prints no separate figure for its outdoor quiet mode.
Daikin's own documents do not always agree. The Oterra product page says "Indoor Sound Pressure as low as 25 dB(A)" and "Outdoor Sound Pressure as Low as 46 dB(A)"; the data book lists 19 indoors on SL and 49 outdoors in cooling for the 9,000 BTU system, and the April 2026 brochure lists 19 and 46. We rank on the data books.
What 19 to 60 dB(A) means at home
Every 10 dB(A) sounds roughly twice as loud, so an Oterra 09 on SL at 19 should sound about half as loud as the same unit on Low at 30, if the conditions match. Our decibel chart puts the figures next to everyday sounds, and how quiet is quiet enough gives targets by room. For how two other makers report the same kind of figure, see our Mitsubishi mini-split decibels and Fujitsu mini-split decibels pages.
Price and installation
Daikin shows no prices on daikincomfort.com; its systems are sold through distributors and installed by contractors. The Oterra and Atmosphera pages offer a "12-Year Parts Limited Warranty", which needs online registration "within 60 days of installation"; the line card lists a 10-year parts warranty for the Entra and Polara.
We did not measure any of these units. Every figure is Daikin's own, quoted from its US engineering data and brochures with the fan speed and mode it gives, and real rooms with echoes will read higher than an anechoic chamber.
