mstmint,
I have been through 3 washing machines in the past month,first I bought the bosch nexxt 500 from lowes,took it back a week later,this thing shook my whole house,and my laundry room is on the first floor,second I bought the Samsung VRT,this machine is definatly better but after a few weeks of use the machine had some terrible noise.I cold hear it all throughout my house,I called for service and come to find out no one in my area,Raleigh NC,could service the machine.Took this machine back to lowes and bought the Whirlpool Cabrio set,this machine is awesome,although its a top loader its still energy efficent,the machine is very quite even in the spin cycle,this is also the biggest washer avaliable,sometimes I have to check the machine because its so quiet.If I were you I would definately take a look at this machine,especially if on the second floor, you sure dont want to wake a sleeping baby.

I initially bought the LG Tromm Steamwasher for my 2nd floor laundry room. It shook my house from end to end despite my having anti-vibration pads under the machine and taking hours to fine tune the leveling. I now have the GE Harmony TL w/o agitator and the machine does not shake the house at all. It seems to clean better than the LG as well. I kept the LG Dryer and I would say the dry times are the same or at most 5 - 10 minutes longer with the Harmony washing machine spinning at a slower speed. Had the Samsung with VRT been able to fit into my laundry closet - I might have been tempted to buy that one. Ideally I would like a washer with the "Steamfresh" cycle and VRT Technology and the cleaning ability of the Harmony.

I had a Bosch 500 for a couple weeks. It shook my house so bad I could not stand it. It was also noisy when shifting to high speed spin. I had it leveled by two people other than myself (I leveled it several times myself). One of the people was a pro. I finally traded it for the Cabrio without agi. Great machine. There are no vibration problems, and it is quieter than my old Kenmore TLer. Sometimes I go to the laundry room (first floor next to kitchen) to switch loads because I think it stopped, but it is still spinning. It is so quiet that I can't hear it from the next room except when it is filling or draining, then I hear the water. The signal to let you know it is finished is very loud, I can hear it on the second floor, but it can be shut off. It cleans great. I think it cleans better than the Bosch did. It definitely rinses better than any other machine I have used (I have skin problems) which is a good thing for a baby!

jcrowley99,
appears you went through the same trouble that I did,I totally agree with you I got the same cabrio set,and have been very happy with my results.No noise and no vibration, this machine is great so far.

I should have mentioned that I got my washer at Lowes. I have always purchased appliances from Sears in the past, but their service seems to keep getting worse every year. Lowes was a great choice. They did everything they could to make sure I was happy with my purchase, even though it cost them $500.00 in the end. The Cabrio without agi was about $500.00 less than the Bosch Nexxt 500 and stand. If you do opt for a FLer, don't get a stand. They make the vibrations worse. I guess that makes sense since the stand raises the machines center of gravity.

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and your time to answer my questions.

I was hoping you would all pipe in and say, "oh- buy the xyz!" ;)

I want to buy from Lowe's because I find them to have much better customer service than Sears.

When you said "I was hoping you would all pipe in and say, "oh- buy the xyz!" ;)" did you mean that you actually thought most people here would agree on one machine?!
I can't even imagine that! Everyone here has their own favorite, and some people get quite upset if you disparage their machine. But you can definitely get good advice, and you can learn a lot here! In the end, after you sort through all the advice you get here, from friends, and from sales people, you are going to have to make the final decision yourself. Just go with what you think will fit your lifestyle best, then cross your fingers! As you can plainly see just by searching on a few machines here, some people love and some people hate the exact same machines. I guess it really is a very personal thing. But as a former sales person (diamond consultant) I can tell you that the most important thing is to go to a store that you know will stand behind their merchandise, and find a good salesperson who will do anything they need to in order to make you happy. If you get a machine you end up not liking, you need to be able to exchange it for a different machine, and they should not place any restrictions on the exchange. My Lowes is great. Make sure yours will treat you the same. I got free delivery and removal of the old machine (three times!), no restocking charge for the return, and no rule or monetary limit on the exchange. You should have one month from the time of delivery, although a week will probably be long enough. Unless you have never done laundry, even if you get a front loader you should be able to figure it out in a week. And make sure they level the machine properly, or do it yourself after they leave. My Lowes guys were really just delivery men, not installers. And if you get any type of HE machine, or one with a lot of computerized components, get the warranty. At about $100.00 for five years coverage at Lowes, the piece of mind is worth it! Especially if you do have a problem. Some parts are very expensive.

Good Luck with your purchase! I hope you will let us know what you decide on and how it works out for you.

You have not posted what your joists are -- "new construction" doesn't mean a thing. Nor why on earth, if you have "very basic laundry needs, you would want a front loader on a second floor.

You have said you want it quiet. In this case you should know that on a second floor 99% of front loaders are going to be noisier than 99% of top loaders in terms of noises that are likely to wake a baby. the slow chug of an agitator is probably more soothing than anything. it is the spin on a front loader that can be like an airport runway on many 2nd floor installs.

Kenmore/GE/Frigidaire 3.1 cubic foot frontload washers and matching 5.7 cubic foot dryers.

DD has the Samsung Front Loaders, just bought them at Lowe's. She has two kids under the age of 3 and the washer/dryer are on the second floor as well. She loves her machines and they are super quiet. I'm not sure of the models, I'll ask tonight.

If you are thinking about purchasing from Lowes, they have a sale (rebate specials)now. I just got an e-mail about it. The info is on their web site, just go to appliances and look at the right hand side of the page.