I don't own a new machine. My used one from the 1980's is quite noisy, but then again, it was made in the era of heavy metal parts. It gets quieter right after I clean all the link out, but it only stays that way for about 10 minutes, and it's never as quiet as the newer machines. I have a second machine- it's a very lightweight one meant for a child, I think- very basic functions, only runs at a slow speed, and that baby is definitely very quiet. But then again, I am used to my noisy clunker that runs no matter what, so I'm not sure what a "normal" machine should sound like.