My Porter Cable impact drill sounded like a regular drill when it was new. Shrill, loud, and I thought it was the sound of a working instrument. This Makita changes everything, at least for a slow one catching up to me. This drill sounds like a jet, or rather the jet sound of the coolest machine you've ever seen in a movie, quiet and manageable. I used a 1/2" drill bit on 6x6 wet compression bars. This Makita changed my expectations for performance and noise.