I believe it is a Kitchen Aid Mixer.

Yes - sorry - I see the KA abbreviation used here a lot and assumed it would translate to any of their appliances. It's the large mixer, 575 watts.

It should sound like a jet but not with the high-pitched whine. Mine whines, but it didn't until I abused it with huge batches of whole wheat dough (don't do that).

I think something is wrong. Hope KA helps you out with it!

Oh, I knew it was KA, I just didn't know what KA appliance. Maybe you can try one at a store, like Williams-Sonoma or Macy's?

I have both the 6qt pro and the 4.5 qt Artisan. They sound the same.

I have an old Hobart made KA 4.5 which I like and has held up well but I would like to get a bigger mixer and am looking at one of these.

http://pleasanthillgrain.com/appliances/mixers?brand=352

I like the Bosch Universal. I like that it is open on top to add ingredients much more easily. I think these will take on bread dough without being considered to be abused.

http://youtu.be/egovXiDUMRU

Some of this noise dissipates with time. You can either wait for it to go away with us or "break in" the mixer by running the motor on high for 15-20 minutes. It's a big motor so it will never be quiet but they definitely do become less severe with use.

I went online to view video of the mixer in action and to read deeper into reviews - didn't think I needed to be specific in my review searches BEFORE buying! - but I would never have thought to google for noise reviews anyway. Seems this mixer is supposed to have a different sound and is considerably louder than the the smaller motors - that part makes sense. There's also a break in period (thanks Alex Chicago) that I'm reading about. I'll use it again today with a different batter and see how it goes.

wekick that Bosch may be a terrific mixer but seems to be more machine than I need and is way our of my budget anyway - enjoy it if you get it!

I just suggested it if you were taking yours back. My BIL is so noise sensative, when they bought a vacuum, they took back several before they found one he could tolerate. This one would be good if you bake bread or use it a lot and the cost spread over 20-27 yrs you would use it is pretty reasonable. I haven't pulled the trigger yet because I don't use it as much. I still like the idea of it being open on top though.

wekick I'm more of a dilettante than a serious baker ;-) only make bread once in while so even amortized I can't justify the Bosch but I do appreciate the suggestion.

Called KitchenAid today while I was making cookies and had 2 people listen to it over the phone at varying speeds. Both said it's normal and when asked if it would get better with time and use after breaking in said no. They claim it's because the gears are metal and in a metal housing. All other models have nylon gears and are quieter - and of course have smaller motors so are quieter for that reason as well. It's returnable for a full refund or exchangeable for 30 days so I'll think about it for a day or two. My son won't be happy if I ask for my old one back! Just kidding - I still want a new one.

You can consider the KA mixers with digital motor, such as the 7 Qt model. They should be quieter.

@DLM2000: for bread making, even the KA is not justified. For the small batches a home baker does, manual kneading works and has certain advantages with respect to advancing one's baking craft (i.e. learning to "feel the dough"). I'll now step down my soap box.

Edit: I realize that baking means more than bread, cookie dough can be whipped in a smaller mixer, one with quieter nylon gears...

eshmh I never heard of the digital motor but for sure the 7 qt would be overkill for me.

gigelus my grandmother is applauding your soapbox - she's the one who taught me to bake and to adjust bread dough based on feel, humidity etc.

A second call to KA and a totally different response, not returnable to them must go through place of purchase and they won't take it back so back to KA tomorrow to see if I can convince someone that this is not right, one should be able to be in the same room while they are mixing and this unit is defective. Oy.

The 7q Pro Line 1 1/3 hp DC motor is an amazing matching BTW - I've been using it for going on two years. It's the same exact mixer as the 8qt commercial save for the power cord color, the bowl size (the 8qt bowl also fits on the 7 - its the same machine) and the residential has the 3yr warranty instead of the 1 year for the commercial.

The 7 and 8qt machine also has a 5qt bowl, which I picked up for smaller batch mixing. The motor is incredibly smooth and quiet but the power/torque is amazing. I had the KA 4.5 for 15 plus years, still works and have it in the attic, but it would labor through a single (3-cup flour) batch of pizza dough. This new one has a much more effective dough hook design (IMHO) and with the DC (direct current) motor, it smoothly powers through triple batches (9-10 cups of flour) of pizza dough with ease. It's crazy for a residential machine - we love this thing.

I bought the machine from Sonoma when it first came out, but some of the extra accessories, like the 5qt bowl from the webstaurantstore because that's more of a commercial thing and wasn't available. I researched the heck out of both the residential 7qt and the commercial 8qt and even contacted KA directly and they are fundamentally identical except for the cord, the stop behind the speed switch, the bowl size, and the commercial has a shorter warranty. So the warranty won the day for me.

If you're not happy with the 6qt, and when I was researching I did read some reliability complaints with the 6qt motor, then at least consider the 7 Pro.

Good luck

I think that there is a clue in this thread. DC motors can be run at very low speeds and retain their torque capability; this is ideal for a mixer and could allow (depending on motor size) operation with no gears at all. The usual alternative is the universal motor. These are also typically used in power saws and other tools and usually operate at high rotational rates (relative to a mixer's beater rates). These motors along with their typical gear trains are extremely noisy. Both my radial arm saw and cut-off saw are of this type and ear protection is a necessity.

I'm glad to hear that DC motors are now being used for mixers, in case I ever need an upgrade.

kas

The downside of the DC motor version, please correct me if wrong, is that when something is wrong with components between the motor and the beater connector, the whole assembly is replaced. KA offers individual mechanical parts for the traditional version, so the repair is much cheaper.

KA may have decided to do that for some reason such as assembly cost, but it is not a requirement of using a DC motor, which has a physical configuration roughly similar to the universal motor it replaces, except that I would expect fewer stages of gearing if it is actually a multi-phase "dc" torque motor. (The latter is actually a multi-phase induction motor where torque is proportional to dc current, and electronics takes care of sending appropriate waveforms to the several windings. Rotors would normally carry magnets, preferably exotic material type. No physical commutation is needed because no current is sent to the rotor.)

In the latter case, where complexity must be added is in the motor drive electronics, which have to synthesize multiple phases of drive currents based on rotor position (typically measured by magnetic sensors buried in the motor housing). Please note that I have no information about the details of the motor design, but my comment above finding use of DC motors encouraging was meant to apply only in the case of torque motor type designs, if they are actually affordable for this purpose.

kas

kas, you were talking about the everyday brushed DC vs the brushless DC motors. I wish it was the latter too in the DC-based KA. I noticed the differences in how the parts are supplied in DC and AC-based KA mixers when I was trying to buy a replacement worm follower gear in the same model DLM2000 bought.

One thing about mine was that the mixer was having some clicking noise occasionally when it was under load since I bought it. During the replacement, I removed the old grease and replaced it with synthetic type. The repaired mixer now runs quieter and cooler than when it is new. The clicking noise is gone for good. I guess that replaced gear was kinda defective all the way along.

Constant contact hypoid gears like cars use for final drive ratios would be quieter than the simpler gears that are likely used for these products.

There is always Hobart, who are still producing commercial units. A tad pricey, but I'll bet that they conform to OSHA sound pressure limits. Last I looked a few years ago, the one in the link was listed at only $1800-ish, but the present higher (albeit listed) price is due for yet another jump in a month or so. Here you see the real inflation rate at work (see shadowstats.com) rather than the CPI that is redefined as necessary to keep the COLA near zero and affordable to the Government.

This model is UL approved for residential use.

http://www.webstaurantstore.com/hobart-n50-5-qt-mixer-with-accessories-120v-1-6-hp/425N50%20%20%20%20%20%20GY.html?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=GoogleShopping&gclid=CMTK1sKH6MkCFcsXHwodyGEKuw

Actual product details:

https://my.hobartcorp.com/resourcecenter/ProductDocumentation/F7533.pdf

My guess, noting the fixed rpm levels, is that the motor is induction type.

Another option is to find an ancient KA that was built by Hobart.

kas

I have a very old KA built by Hobart. I've had it since the 70s. It's very noisy and the motor gets very hot under any type of load. These mixers have never been quiet.

But are you forced to use ear protection?

I too have a 6 qt. Pro KA for 2+ years. It's noisy, but so powerful, I've just learned to live with it.