How loud is a Rheem air conditioner?
A Rheem air conditioner rates between 54 and 76 dBA sound power, depending on model, tonnage and, for the RA19AY, which of its two rows you read. The lists below give each current R-454B model, grouped so that only like is set beside like.
Variable speed
- RA19AY Prestige: 59 and 68 dBA at 2 tons, 57 and 72 at 3, 54 and 72 at 4, 70 and 76 at 5 (Form No. A11-349 Rev. 1).
Two stage
- RA16AY Classic Plus: 74.1 dBA at 2 tons, 71.9 at 3, 73.2 at 4, 74.0 at 5 (Form No. A11-348 Rev. 1).
Single stage
- RA13NY Classic and WA13NY Select: 70 dBA at 1.5 and 2 tons, 71 at 2.5 and 3, 68 at 3.5, 71 at 4, 76 at 5.
- RA14AY Classic: 70 dBA at 1.5 tons, 71 at 2, 2.5 and 3, 73 at 3.5, 74 at 4, 76 at 5.
- WA14AY Select: the RA14AY's seven numbers again, shown in dB in Rheem's product database only.
- RA15AY Classic and WA15AY Select: 71 at 1.5 tons, 69 at 2, 71 at 2.5, 72 at 3, 73 at 3.5, 74 at 4, 76 at 5.
- WSA14AY Select: 76.0 dB at 1.5 and 2 tons and 74.0 at 2.5, from the product database.
Spec sheets head these tables "Weighted Sound Power Level" with a "Standard Rating" column in dBA. Rheem's product database at bim.rheem.com calls the same numbers "Sound Level" and writes dB. Wherever both sources exist they agree, with two exceptions: every RA16AY size, and four three phase RA15AY rows covered in the FAQ.
Which Rheem air conditioner is the quietest?
The Prestige RA19AY is Rheem's quietest rated air conditioner, with a lower row of 54 dBA at 4 tons and no lower row above 59 from 2 to 4 tons. No other Rheem air conditioner prints a figure below 68.
That ranking leans on a row Rheem leaves unlabelled. The R-410A RA18AZ that the RA19AY replaced carried an almost identical table, headed "LOW SPEED/ HIGH SPEED", so the lower figure very likely describes the compressor near its 40 percent floor. Read that way, the RA19AY's upper rows of 68 to 76 sit inside the single stage range at 3 and 4 tons, not under it.
For models with one figure per size, tonnage decides. The RA13NY and RA14AY share 70 at 1.5 tons, the RA15AY and WA15AY lead at 2 tons with 69, and the RA13NY family wins at 3.5 tons with 68 and at 4 tons with 71. At 5 tons, every single stage Rheem lists 76.
Do larger Rheem sizes rate louder?
Yes, mostly. Rheem's single stage tables climb from 70 or 71 dBA at 1.5 tons to 76 at 5, and the RA19AY's upper row rises from 68 to 76. Two tables break that pattern: the RA13NY family and the RA16AY.
The RA13NY and WA13NY dip to 68 at 3.5 tons before returning to 71 at 4. The dip looks deliberate rather than a typing slip, because the octave bands shift with it: the 3.5 ton row peaks at 59.9 dBA in the 1000 Hz band, where the 3 ton row peaks at 63.9 in the 500 Hz band.
The RA16AY is loudest at its smallest size, 74.1 dBA at 2 tons, and quietest at 3 tons, 71.9. And the RA19AY's lower row falls from 59 at 2 tons to 54 at 4 before jumping to 70 at 5, the steepest single step anywhere in Rheem's tables.
What does Rheem's "as low as" sound rating mean?
Rheem's "as low as" sound rating is one best case per model, footnoted "Based on Internal R&D Testing", rather than a size by size rating. It usually matches the lowest number in that model's table, though Rheem's documents do not always agree on it.
The Endeavor comparison guide, Form No. M11-1100 Rev. 8, prints a "Sound Rating (as low as)" row credited to testing in 2024: 54 dBA for the RA19AY, 72 for the RA16AY, 69 for the RA15AY and WA15AY, 70 for the RA14AY and WA14AY, 68 for the RA13NY and WA13NY, and 74 for the WSA14AY.
Other Rheem documents move the headline. The RA19AY consumer flyer says "As low as 57 dB", which is the 3 ton lower row rather than the 4 ton's 54. The WSA14AY's database page says "As low as 70 dB", while its own size rows read 74.0 and 76.0. Treat any headline as a pointer to the table, then read the row for your tonnage.
Why do Rheem's two sources disagree on the RA16AY?
Rheem's RA16AY spec sheet and its product database give different figures at all four sizes, and Rheem offers no explanation. The sheet reads 74.1, 71.9, 73.2 and 74.0 dBA; the database lists 69, 72, 74 and 76 dB.
We follow the spec sheet. It names AHRI Standard 270-08 and prints the octave bands behind each number, while the database names no standard at all. The RA16AY's own database page also advertises "As low as 71.9 dBA", which matches the sheet's 3 ton figure and contradicts the 69 the same database lists for the 2 ton unit.
Neither source covers the low stage. Rheem describes a compressor with "two speeds (high and low)" and then prints one row per size, so how an RA16AY sounds on its low stage, where a two stage unit spends mild days, goes unpublished.
What separates Rheem's Prestige, Classic Plus, Classic and Select lines?
Rheem's Endeavor Line steps from Prestige, variable speed, through Classic Plus, two stage, down to Classic and Select, both single stage. Classic models use Rheem's iM cabinet and Select models its iC cabinet.
Efficiency follows the tiers. The RA19AY reaches 20 SEER2, the RA16AY 17, the RA15AY 16, the RA14AY, WA15AY, WA14AY and WSA14AY 15.2, and the RA13NY and WA13NY 13.4. Only the RA19AY has EcoNet control and Bluetooth diagnostics.
Sound does not follow the tiers. Each Select model copies a Classic table exactly: WA13NY matches RA13NY, WA14AY matches RA14AY, and WA15AY matches RA15AY. Warranty is where they part: Classic models carry "Conditional Parts: 10 Years", Select models "Parts: 5 Years" plus a 10 year conditional compressor term. The WSA14AY, in a legacy cabinet, stops at 2.5 tons.
Does Rheem sell a compressor sound cover?
Yes. Rheem lists a compressor sound cover as an accessory on its condenser spec sheets: part 686020 for every RA19AY size, and 68-23427-26 or 68-23427-25, by size, for the RA16AY, RA14AY, RA13NY and WA13NY.
On the RA19AY this matters more than it looks. Its predecessor's sheet marked the cover "STD" and noted "Sound Blankets - Standard" beside standard ratings that match the RA19AY's at every size bar one rounding, 58.9 against 59. Rheem does not say whether the RA19AY was rated with a cover fitted.
Rheem also credits its Swept Wing fan with "quieter operation and improved unit acoustics" on the RA19AY, RA16AY and most RA14AY sizes, without publishing a figure for the difference it makes.
