There are a few ”Pros” on this forum who ALWAYS knee-jerk say that Ventahood is the hood to get. I think most of them have never had one themselves, it’s just that they’ve been convinced by the VAH marketing and high price. I will say that the Ventahood hoods are very good-looking. But if you ask a salesperson to show you how they are cleaned - which is more difficult than a baffle-filter hood - you will not find them as attractive.

Having said that, a hood’s noise level is most often a function of its ductwork being too small for the hood’s cfms. If you put a different hood in the place of the noisy hood, but you don’t change the ductwork, the new hood will also be loud.

Difficult is an understatement! It is truly painful! And I like to keep it clean which has become a near impossibility. I'm not even being hyperbolic. My husband said today, get rid of this thing. Now I have to find someone to replace it and hope it fits perfectly and doesn't end up costing me $10,000!

Generally, the lowest noise results from using a remote (exterior or in-line) blower and a silencer between hood and blower. Duct size should be such that air velocity at the realized (not claimed) flow rate is in the 1000 to 2000 ft/min range for best trade between grease collection by impingement and grease collection by condensation. The lower end of the velocity range should be quietest. Damping materials on the external surfaces of the ducting may also help.

Also, it seems the OP missed the "truth about VaH" commentary led by @clinresga about 13 years ago. One thread I just searched out is: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/2324336/vent-hoods-and-noise-the-real-scoop-on-vah

I sure did miss that! Not sure how but it slipped under the radar!

I have a Vent-A-Hood and it is far quieter then the Wolf hood I had that sounded like a freight train.

How is the Vent-A-Hood impossible to clean? You take out the trays and clean them. Then every so often you take the whole thing apart. The squirrel cages go in the dishwasher. The boxes that go over the cages are not hard to clean. The hardest part for me when cleaning is getting up in the hood to clean anything that collects up there but that would be no different then any other hood.

My hood is a little over 4 years old. I can stand near it and still be able to hold a conversation with someone else in the kitchen. The Wolf hood I had was so loud that you couldn't even talk to someone when it was on.

Too many nooks and crannies. It has to be scrubbed with a degreaser and a ton of elbow grease. Simply "wiping" down doesn't do an effective job at removing the grease that collects. I have grease collecting and then spilling and I clean it frequently--way more frequently than Ventahood even suggests. The squirrel cages are impossible to remove without having specialized tools, therefore I have to ask my husband to help and he's a busy man so pinning him down for longer than an hour is difficult. Maybe I'm doing something wrong. Maybe mine is a lemon.

The squirrel cages need an extended allen wrench to loosen one screw. I guess I don't consider that a specialized tool. I am female and only 5ft tall and I am able to remove the squirrel cages without a problem. I throw the trays in my sink with some dawn and they clean up easily. Same with the boxes that cover the squirrel cages. For me the hardest part is getting up in the hood. It is awkward and my range has a high shelf making it a little more awkward.

I think that there have been some changes made over the past decade or so that may make a newer VaH quieter than an older Wolf. @opaone's attempt to get measurements of contemporary installed examples has achieved limited success. I suppose this is due to lack of interest or lack of suitable measurement equipment, although iPhones with some specified app were preferred, as I recall.

I installed one in a prior home that had no vent, so we were able to install the appropriate duct work recommended by the mfg. We did not find it noticibly loud. Like you, we found a lot of grease collected a the drip pan/tray, but we took that as proof of how well the hood was working, and how much we really needed it. I want the grease in the tray, and not landing on everything else in the house as it had been before the install. I loved that thing and still miss it (sold the house a few years ago). Link to cleaning how to: vent-a-hood cleaning video

VAH are going to be loud just based on how they function. I don't know that there's a way around that. As @kaseki said above, the best option is a remote blower + silencer. More: https://bamasotan.us/range-exhaust-hood-faq/

I've had a Vent-A-Hood since 2008 and while it does make noise, I can still carry on a conversation with others in the Kitchen. Mine has 3 speeds and other than when I'm browning meat or sautéing, I only need to use the lowest speed. But, even at the highest (and loudest) speed, I can still carry on a conversation. Granted, people have to speak a little louder, but they don't have to shout.

As to cleaning, as others have mentioned it doesn't take much to remove the squirrel cage and clean it. For cleaning the hood itself, I just have to dust the top as no grease gets on the outside. The inside just takes a "soapy" dish cloth to wipe down. Sometimes I have to go over it twice, but once is usually enough.

I wonder - how wide is your duct? Is it the minimum required width (10", I think, but I don't remember for certain). Is your hood 6" wider than your cooking surface and at least 24" deep (27" if it's on an island or peninsula)?

My experience with Vent A Hood is much like @vinmarks. Installed in 2016, the hood is very quite. Even on high, we can carry on a normal conversation at the kitchen table, just a few feet away. When sitting in the den, next door to the kitchen, (semi open to the kitchen), I can’t even tell that it’s on.

As for cleaning, as @vinmarks said, it’s no biggie. Sure, it takes a bit more effort than a baffle system, but it’s not so taxing that I would sacrifice the quietness of our very efficient Vent A Hood, for a much louder but easier to clean Wolf.

Like many products, over time, Vent A Hood has made improvements to it’s products. Obviously, their newer hoods are much quieter than those from the past. Relying on data from 13 years ago, is well, foolish, and self serving.