The routers I've used are all loud enough that you'll want to wear hearing protection, but I've never owned one that was signicantly louder than others. I've also never been bothered by the noise when wearing protection. The cutter on the wood makes a fair amount of noise no matter what, and that's a variable. Craftsman, Freud FT2000/FT1700, Bosch 1617/1619, Makita 3612?, Milwaukees 5615/5625.