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Devices with constant hum getting quieter can actually make noise annoyance worse! The brain is good at filtering out constant noises, so they are usually less bothersome. But their sounds can actually help masking out more annoying sounds (variable/unpredictable in loudness and/or pitch). This can be used as (part of) a mitigation strategy for noise annoyance.

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My point with the hum was that even lights have lost the sounds they used to make. My gut is our future is far quieter than the current world.

Again, there will still be loud things. But a lot of the noise of the modern world will go away. It is kind of startling how much of the modern world is gas motors running.

Agreed for consumer products. We are generally much better at noise in product engineering than before, solutions are lower cost, the know-how more widespread. Electric motors with electronic control can be very quiet. Engineering plastics with complex geometry accommodates advanced acoustical designs at very low cost. And many consumer products are in rather late stages of refinement, where manufacturers are looking for added qualities to try to keep prices up.

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