Which nugget ice maker is the quietest?
None can be named quietest overall, because the six values carry no meter distance or test standard. Within Silonn, the SLIM42T at 40 dB beats the SLIM17B at 47; within NewAir, the NIM044BSN2 at 46 beats the Luma at 48.
| Maker | Machine | Printed value |
|---|
| Silonn | SLIM42T | 40 dB |
| Silonn | SLIM17B | 47 dB |
| Kismile | IM5815NB | 43 DB |
| NewAir | NIM044BSN2 | 46 dB |
| NewAir | Luma LIM044BSN0 | 48 dB |
| Whynter | IBX-388WS | 48 dBA |
Reading down that table as one ranking would be a mistake. ecozy's page shows how far the setting moves a number, below 43 dB in a silent lab and 50 to 60 in a normal room, and not one of these six makers says which setting it used. Within a brand the comparison holds better, because one company used one method for both machines, or at least one page template. Silonn's two 33 lb machines sit 7 dB apart, and NewAir's two 44 lb machines 2 dB apart.
No two brands share a test
Every maker here leaves out the distance, the standard and the moment in the cycle its value describes. Only Whynter states a weighting.
Kismile comes closest to describing a test. The IM5815NB, it says, was "rigorously tested in a noise-controlled environment", which tells you the room was quiet but not where the meter sat.
Whynter writes dBA for its 48, while Silonn, NewAir and Kismile print bare dB and leave the weighting unsaid. Our guide to reading decibel claims side by side walks through why those gaps outweigh the digits.
How loud is a nugget ice maker in an ordinary kitchen?
Around 50 dB or more, going by the fine print: ecozy says 50 to 60, NewAir 55 to 57 with peaks to 65, and Silonn 50 to 55 at a metre.
Each of those lines sits well away from the headline number. ecozy writes that its IM-NS280C was below 43 dB at a metre "in an absolutely silent laboratory", then adds that "in a normal environment, the noise level can increase to 50-60dB". The noise article on NewAir's help desk reads "Nugget style icemaker noise range is 55db - 57db and can have a peak of up to 65db". On the SLIM32T page, Silonn gives "about 50-55 dB from a distance of 1 meter" for what it calls "a non-silent environment".
Three makers, three separate pages, and the room figures land within a few decibels of each other.
That agreement is the most useful noise information in this category. It suggests the 40s on product pages describe quiet rooms, not kitchens.
Silonn's two 33 lb machines sit 7 dB apart
The SLIM42T is "quiet at just 40dB" and the SLIM17B "only creates 47 dB", and both make 33 lbs of nugget ice a day. Neither value comes with a condition, so the gap rests on trusting that one maker measured its two machines alike. The SLIM42T is also the cheaper of the pair on Silonn's store, $189.99 against $208.99.
The SLIM17B showed sold out on silonn.com on November 7, 2026, while Amazon still listed it. Silonn's other current nugget pages print ranges or upper limits rather than single values, which is why only these two make the Silonn group.
NewAir's Luma lists 2 dB more than the NIM044BSN2
The Luma LIM044BSN0 lists "Noise Level: 48 dB" and the NIM044BSN2 lists "Decibel Rating: 46 dB", and both make 44 lbs a day. They come from the same company and the same store, since Luma is a NewAir brand. Neither row names a distance.
A 2 dB gap is small enough to come from rounding or a different test day.
Everything else separates them more clearly. The Luma has a delay start timer of up to 24 hours and a 3.3 lb bucket, lists at $419.99, and was sold out on NewAir's store on November 7, 2026. The NIM044BSN2 lists at $369.99.
Not on its Opal overview page, for any GE Profile Opal model. The support page names the machine's normal sounds instead of measuring them, and ties each one to a part: WHIR to the condenser fan, BUZZ to a dry water pump, HUM to the compressor, CHUGGING to the gear motor at start up, and SQUEAK to ice building up before a defrost. It also warns that hard surfaces "can amplify these sounds".
Without a value, the Opal cannot join any group here. Our page on why ice makers click, hum and gurgle goes through those sounds for the Opal and for refrigerator ice makers.
Euhomy, ecozy and NewAir's 30 lb model print ceilings
A "less than" or "≦" figure says how loud the machine may get, never how loud it is.
| Machine | Ceiling as printed |
|---|
| Euhomy Pearl L1 Max | "less than 45 dB" |
| ecozy IM-NS280C | "below 43dB (at a distance of 1m)" |
| NewAir NIM030SSNC | "≦55 dB(A)" |
Two machines under the same ceiling could be several decibels apart, so these stay out of the ranking. The ecozy line is the most informative of the three, with a distance and a test room, and it comes with that 50 to 60 dB warning for a normal room.
For bullet ice machines, which have no auger, see our countertop ice maker guide.
