In an open-plan home the dishwasher is not in another room. It runs a few meters from the dining table and the sofa, usually right after dinner, when people are still talking or have the TV on low. So the question is not only which machine has the lowest number. It is what you hear on the cycle you actually run, what it does when it finishes, and whether you can move the whole run to the middle of the night.
What runs when, and which of the kitchen's machines to quiet first, is on our page about planning a quiet open-plan kitchen.
For this guide we reread the manuals and spec sheets behind the quietest models in our main dishwasher guide, looking for the things that matter in a shared room: the cycle behind each figure, quiet and night cycles and how long they take, delay start, end chimes, floor lights, drying and panel-ready doors.
Our picks are listed above, with full specifications for each.
A dishwasher's rating is one number for a machine with six to fourteen cycles. Most makers do not say which cycle it came from, and in a room where people are eating, that matters.
- Miele is the clearest. Its operating instructions say the sound emission test uses "16 standard place settings and use the Normal program". Its 39 dB(A) is sound power, labeled "re 1 pW".
- Fisher & Paykel names both the cycle and the drawer: "Noise on standard cycle top drawer 42dBA".
- Thermador says "a signature cleaning cycle at 42 dBA, perfect for after-dinner conversation", but never names the cycle.
- Cove qualifies its 41 dBA as "Model and cycle/option dependent".
- ASKO labels its 39 dB(A) "Noise level (max)", a ceiling rather than a typical figure.
- Samsung and Bosch print a plain dBA with no cycle.
One trap: Bosch's Benchmark manual says "The Energy Guide label was based on the Normal soil sensing cycle." That sentence is about energy, not noise. It does not tell you which cycle the 39 dBA describes.
Rank dBA against dBA only
Because the figures are not the same kind, we group them before we compare them.
- Plain dBA, no condition: Samsung 38, Bosch Benchmark 39 (38 for the pocket handle SHP9PCM5N), Bosch 500 Series 44.
- Plain dBA with a stated or partial condition: Cove 41 (model and cycle dependent), Thermador 42 (signature cycle), Fisher & Paykel 42 (standard cycle, top drawer).
- Sound power: Miele 39 dB(A) re 1 pW, and 37 dB(A) on Extra Quiet.
- Declared maximum: ASKO 39 dB(A).
Within the plain dBA group, the Samsung is lowest. Across groups, we do not rank at all. Miele's 39 of sound power and Samsung's 38 dBA are different quantities, and ASKO's 39 maximum is a different declaration from both. Our sound power vs sound pressure explainer covers why.
Quiet and night cycles cost time
Three makers here offer a cycle built to be quieter, and every one of them says it takes longer.
- Miele Extra Quiet: "Extra quiet program for mixed dishware with standard, slightly dried-on residue with a longer program cycle time." Miele lists it at 37 dB(A). Its program table gives 4:16 with a cold water connection and 3:58 with hot, against 3:01 and 2:43 for Normal.
- Cove Extra Quiet: "For lightly soiled dishes. Reduces pump speeds." Cove lists 3:05 against 2:40 for Normal, both including dry time.
- ASKO Night mode: "Lower noise level. The program time is extended." ASKO's feature text lists 37dB(A) with Night mode against 39dB(A) for the machine, but gives no run time; the standard programme is listed at 125 minutes.
Bosch's Benchmark, Samsung's Bespoke and Thermador's Star Sapphire list no quiet cycle at all. Bosch's Normal cycle runs 2:10 to 2:35 by its manual.
The trade is simple. A quiet cycle started at 8 p.m. may still be running at midnight. If the kitchen empties by 10, that is fine. If someone reads on the sofa until late, a normal cycle on a delayed start may be the better plan.
Delay start: move the noise to the small hours
The quietest dishwasher in an open room is the one that runs when nobody is in it.
- Miele delays by up to 24 hours, and lets you set either a start time or a latest finish time. It also warns you not to fill the detergent dispenser until just before you set the timer, so children cannot reach it, and to make sure the dispenser is dry first.
- Samsung offers Delay Start from 1 to 24 hours, set after you choose the cycle.
- ASKO lists a delayed start of up to 24 hours.
- Cove delays by 1 to 12 hours, and its status light turns blue while a delayed start is waiting.
- Bosch's Benchmark and 500 Series set the time delay "via the Home Connect app", not on the door.
- Fisher & Paykel's DishDrawer lists a delay start option of up to 12 hours.
End-of-cycle chimes, and how to switch them off
In a quiet room, the loudest moment of the night can be the chime, not the wash. The manuals show how to silence it.
- Bosch Benchmark: in the basic settings, "Level 'SL:00' switches the signal tone off." The factory setting is SL:02. Button tones switch off at bL:00.
- Bosch 500 Series: the signal volume is a scale of four levels, set from the control panel; the factory setting is level 2.
- Miele: the end-of-program signal "can be set to one of 7 different settings. If no volume is selected, the audible signals are turned off." The keypad tone and the welcome melody can be turned off too. The fault alarm cannot.
- Samsung: Volume can be set to Mute, Minimum, Normal or Maximum.
- Cove: Notification can be set to off, low or high, but off "also disables the end-of-cycle light."
- ASKO: wash end is "Displayed with sound and light." The product sheet does not say whether the sound can be muted.
- Fisher & Paykel: the DishDrawer lists "End of cycle beeps".
Floor lights let you skip the chime
A fully integrated door has no display on the front, so makers put the status somewhere else, usually on the floor.
- Bosch TimeLight (Benchmark) shines the time remaining below the handle. Bosch's owner's guide says "Cycle status info is projected onto the floor during operation", switched on with S:01 or off with S:00.
- Bosch InfoLight (500 Series) projects a spot of light onto the floor below the door, and the cycle has ended when the spot disappears. Bosch adds that it "will not be visible if the appliance is installed at eye level with the cabinet front fitted flush." Check your layout before counting on it.
- Thermador's Time Remaining PowerBeam "shines the actual remaining time of the cycle on the floor".
- Miele's in-operation indicator light comes on while a program runs and flashes slowly at the end, going out 10 minutes after the program ends if the door stays closed. Miele places its reflector panel under the countertop.
- Cove's status light sits below the door: blue for a delayed start, red while running, green when done.
With a floor light, you can switch the chime off and still know when the dishes are done.
Drying: the fan and the door that opens itself
The wash is not the last sound. Several of these machines dry with a fan or open their own door.
- Miele says "The drying fan may continue to run for a few minutes at the end of the program," and its AutoOpen function opens the door slightly. It also warns that steam can damage delicate cabinet edges and countertops if you open the door after the fan has stopped. AutoOpen can be turned off, but Miele says drying suffers in most cases.
- Bosch's Benchmark uses zeolite: moisture is stored in the mineral and "The heat is blown out into the interior of the dishwasher with dry air."
- Bosch's 500 Series AutoAir opens the door during the drying phase; turning it off raises energy use.
- Samsung's Auto Release Dry opens the door at the end of the wash cycle.
- ASKO combines fan-assisted drying with auto door opening, which can be turned on or off.
- Cove uses a hot rinse and fan assist; Extended Dry adds 30 minutes.
None of the makers publish a figure for the drying phase. If you want nothing moving after the room goes quiet, a delayed start that finishes before breakfast solves that too.
Panel-ready models that disappear into the cabinets
In an open-plan room the dishwasher is part of the furniture. Among the models here, the Miele G 7766 is fully integrated, the Cove DW2451 is panel ready, Thermador sells a custom panel Star Sapphire (DWHD661EPR) at the same 42 dBA, and Bosch's custom panel Benchmark SHV9PCM3N lists the same 39 dBA as the bar handle pick. Samsung's Bespoke is not panel ready. Beko's panel-ready DIT39434C2, recorded in our catalog at 39 dBA, is another option we did not reopen for this guide.
Check the panel weight with your cabinetmaker. Miele's data sheet gives 4.0 to 12.0 kg. Bosch's SHV9PCM3N spec sheet says custom panels of 11 to 18 lbs, while the Benchmark installation instructions say the panel should weigh between 9 and 18 lbs, so confirm the figure for your exact model with Bosch.
Installation notes that affect noise
Our under $800 guide covers keeping the insulation blanket and loading so nothing rattles. The manuals for these models add a few more.
- Secure the cabinet. Samsung says: "Make sure the cabinet for the dishwasher is secured to the floor. If the cabinet is not secured, it may increase noise when the dishwasher is operating."
- Seat the side gaskets. Samsung says to insert both side gaskets 13/16 to 1 inch inward from the cabinet front, "as improper placement may increase noise during dishwasher operation."
- Level it and fix it. Bosch's Benchmark instructions level the machine side to side and front to back, keep the top of the door at least 1/4 inch below the counter, and secure it with top or side mounting brackets. Bosch warns of a tip over hazard until it is fully installed.
- Fit the strips. Miele's sound test setup pushes the supplied fleece strips under the base and sticks an insulating strip onto the toe-kick, depending on model. If those parts came in the box, make sure they are fitted.
- Knocking pipes. Miele and Bosch both trace knocking from the water supply to the home's own installation, not the machine.
The room's own noise floor at dinner
The US National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders puts normal conversation at 60 to 70 dBA, a humming refrigerator at 40 dB and whispering at 30 dB. It puts a running dishwasher at 45 to 65 dB. The models in this guide list 38 to 42 dBA, or 39 dB(A) of sound power for the Miele.
Makers do not say what distance their figures describe, so these cannot be matched to your room. But the reference points show where a quiet dishwasher is heard: not over a lively dinner, but in the pauses, during a quiet film, or after everyone has gone to the sofa. Roughly every 10 dBA sounds twice as loud, so the step from 38 to 42 is real but modest. The chime, the drain and a rattle are what cut through. For the range hood that shares the same room, see the quietest range hoods for an open-plan kitchen, and for targets room by room, how quiet is quiet enough.
What quiet costs here
Quiet cycles add 25 minutes to more than an hour. Panel-ready and fully integrated machines cost more: the Miele was $2,999 and the Thermador $2,499, against $999 on sale for the Samsung, which has no panel option. Floor lights depend on how the machine is fitted. And Bosch keeps delay start in an app.
How we chose
We started from the quietest models in our main dishwasher guide and reopened each maker's manual, spec sheet or product page, reading them for the cycle behind the figure, quiet and night cycles with their run times, delay start, end signals, status lights, drying and installation notes. The Samsung manuals we read are Samsung documents hosted by retailers. JennAir's site, ASKO's product page and Samsung's own site refused our requests during this research, so for ASKO we relied on its product sheet, and we left JennAir unranked. Prices are the makers' own, from our catalog, dated in each product's details. We compared figures only within the same kind of declaration.
We did not measure any of these dishwashers. Every figure is the maker's own, quoted with the cycle, quantity or condition the maker attaches to it, and every run time and setting comes from the maker's manual or spec sheet.
