Can't help with the fan shroud issue beyond suggesting that, if you have not already done so, maybe you try a complete manual defrost. Might have some hidden ice build up back by the fan that increases a bit, causes the noise, and chips away "just enough" when you bang the shroud. Taking everything out of fridge and freezer and shutting down for day might be needed to get rid of all of it. Going back a couple of posts, if you see the word "digital" anywhere in the specs or list of features for the fridge, it is a good bet that it has electronic controls. What we're talking about is touchpads (up and down arrows next to internal LED displays) for selecting either an arbitrary chill setting or, in the fancier models, directly setting the temperature. A mechanical control will be either a rotary knob or a mechanical slider lever. That said, a mechanical control is probably linked to some simple digital electronics that run the compressor and automatically operate the "frost-free" functions on every refrigerator you can buy these days. The only exception I can recall would be the fridges made by Sunfrost which I stumbled across when I was fridge shopping. (You can check out www.sunfrost.com for some interesting reading -- but 'twill be merely entertaining for you since, IIRC, Sunfrosts have 35-inch wide cabinets and need an addtional 3 or 4 inches to the side for door swing clearance, so completely out of consideration for your kitchen even if they weren't $3k to $4k in price.) Personally, I'm okay with the simple digital fridge controls. I've found them to be reasonably durable, easier to clean, and no more likely to fail than the mechanical ones. Also, even the simple ones have little dinging-bell alarms for fridge doors not fully closed (very handy if you have teenagers and/or lots of guests.) The digital stuff that gives me concern is unlikely to be found on top freezer fridges --- they're too "downmarket" for "smart" electronics with wireless internet connections that you can "manage" via a smart phone or computer, or that have electronically controlled and metered through-the door ice and water dispensers, etc. You've probably already figured this out, but for those who do not know, there is a website called appliance411.com that has a page explaining how to use the 3-digit presfix to Kenmore model numbers to identify the contractor who made the appliance. Unfortunately, last time I looked, Sears "sales" web site listed model numbers without the three-digit prefix that is the manufacturer code. You pretty much need to see the plate on the actual appliance in order to get the full product number. Maybe it is different now? I think the current Kenmore top-freezers are made by LG which, if correct, means the larger capacity ones will be 32.75" wide. Other non-digital features to consider for a new fridge are humidty controls for the crisper drawers and a vent/temp control for the deli-meat-cheese drawer. These are simple mechanical sliders. Had them on my previous fridge, a vintage 1998 Maytag top freezer. I found that they worked well for things like prolonging the shelf-life of greens and such. The folks who received that fridge from me likewise find them useful. I agree with what Hvtech said about CR's appliance ratings being much less helpful than they used to be. I've posted several lengthy rants about how uniformative the graphic "button" charts are. Suffice it to say that I've also noted that CR sometimes buries nuggets of useful information in the pages for individual models. "Useful information" meaning things like statements about their tests of crisper performance. When you delve into the page for a model you may see statements like "very good crisper performance" for a fridge to which CR otherwise gave middling ("good") ratings while some of their higher rated models reportedly have "poor crisper performance." Plus, there is no way to know how significant or insignificant the differences are between the performances that they give a button designating "excellent," "very good," "good," "below average" and "poor." About the only other clearly helpful set of details that CR regularly puts in its testing reports are the measurements of actual usable interior capacity of specific models. I find the membership surveys somewhat helpful in finding things to avoid -- for instance, you want to avoid GE and LG top-freezer fridges with ice-makers. One in five will have a major failure during the first five years of ownership. That's almost double the defect rate for non-icemaker models. No use for that advice here since mabookreader has already decided to avoid icemakers. Also, CR's surveys can be helpful to let you know -- as in this instance -- there is not much difference between the repair rates for the various brands. That's helpful because it tells you that reliability does not seem to be a big factor in choosing a top-freezer model. When I was fridge shopping three years ago, I did find one site which used tests similar to CR's for evaluating fridges AND which published the test data in the report. (No reducing everything to four or five dumb graphic buttons.) The site is www.refrigeratorinfo.com. Unlike its sibling reviewed.com sites, which frequently seem to be little more than inflight-magazine gush, there is actual performance testing with reported details. Want to know how much temperature variance there is between top and bottom shelves? Refrigerator.info actually tells you what temps were measured and where so you can see if the variances are significant or unimportant. Be warned, though: the number of tested models is very limited (you find lots of models listed but for most of them, they only give specs and advertising without any testing). There is constant, intrusive pop-up advertising. If memory serves, their favorite tested top-freezer was a 20.5 cut. ft. Frigidaire with an internal icemaker. An additional thought on icemakers: if you choose a fridge that comes with an icemaker, they (usually) can be removed easily. Note the qualification for "usually." Good idea to download a pdf of the owner's manual and check that out before buying one. Taking them out can free up as much as a cubic foot of space in the freezer and substantially diminshes reliability worries. One final thought: when you've narrowed your choices, there is real benefit to going to a few stores with floor models to check out. See what you think of the door bins. How sturdy or flimsy are the crisper drawers and how well do they slide (or roll) in and out. Have look at how large or small they are. I say this because, three years ago, I saw more than one fridge that sounded good on paper but, in person, turned out to have flimsy components with inconvenient bins and shelves.

If they're panelled, or if even one is, there's no reason at all not to have two kinds of fridges. You've been talking high end. There will often be several kinds of refrigeration in a high end kitchen. I have Marvel drawers in my prep area besides the Miele all fridge and all freezer. All panelled. The only way to know that the drawers aren't cabinet drawers is that the handles are longer--which I did on purpose so that people might know! It would be a little funky to have a big stainless high end fridge with a big glory badge next to a Kenmore white plastic, but I bet it could be made to work. It's better, of course, if they have similar fronts. If you're doing two different types, it's better if they're not adjacent. Maybe have a pantry cabinet between, or a coffee/MW/snack bar. As to the Miele drawer temperature controls, I just tried on mine (older), and was able to push all the buttons, but I don't know what the control module does with that. I'm not even sure how it handles two, but I think it averages. I don't have the drawer divider (30" or because it's older, I don't know which), and have always set the upper drawer to both fruit and veg. I keep berries, tomatoes, apples, herbs, peppers, scallions, etc. in there together and they all seem to do well. For space, and because they do as well or better on the shelves, I put bags and boxes of greens in the middle, often on top of the tall bottles. Roots and things I'm about to prep go in the drawer fridge. Recently, I had to move the roots for awhile and some of them have been hanging out in the fruit/veg drawer and seem quite happy there. If you want to know more about the temperature combinations, you could call the Miele technical help 800 number. You should be able to look up the number online, or look up the manual and you'll see it on the back cover, I think. Those guys really seem to know the product's innards. Perhaps to get the exact dimensions you want, the two fridge/freezers would make sense, but remember, at least with the high end units, that means you're actually buying four units in two boxes.

Our 42" GE Monogram is holding up fine. New in 2001. It was noisy for about the first six months, then 'something' changed, and it's been quiet ever since. This has water/ice in the door. I have never had a problem with a GE icemaker in 40 years of owning them.

It sounds to me like you want the SubZero but are having trouble justifying it. It's by far the best fridge of the ones you've named. You seem to have very realistic expectations and a good understanding of the context and variables. If you have plenty of cash and the SZ is a luxury you're thinking you will enjoy even though it's above the grade of the rest of the appliances and neighborhood, go for it! If you're financing the remodel, and will be paying interest on many thousands of dollars more for a luxury that's above the grade of the rest of your appliances and neighborhood, take a really good look and make darned sure it's worth the debt. I adore high end fridges with their high end performance, but the marginal difference per dollar is quite low. For most people, it's just not worth it. Are you confident in your choice of cooking appliance(s)? That's the one that usually has the biggest impact on pleasure in cooking and the kitchen, and that's usually where people will put their extra luxury money. One thing about the SZ is that with some maintenance and perhaps occasional repairs as parts wear out, it should last you for as long as you're in the house.