First of all, stay with Toto. They are the best toilets available. Now, you need to realize that all low flow toilets function somewhat differently that the old 3.5 gpf things they are replacing. The water empties much faster so that a small volume of water will still evacuate the waste. This does mean there will be a certain amount of flushing noise, but this noise does not last long and it is not excessively loud in my opinion. Definitely avoid a pressure assisted toilet. These are very loud and are just an attempt to overcome the poor design of the toilet. Toto does not make a pressure assisted toilet. I have 2 Toto toilets in my home. The master bath has a Dartmouth, and the basement has a Drake. The Dartmouth flushing noise lasts about 3 to 4 seconds, and the Drake is slight longer. Neither has what I would call an explosive sound. Closing the lid prior to flushing would probably muffle the sound if it appeared to be really bothersome. I suspect that the reason flushing noise is not discussed too much it that using a toilet and flushing is a normal part of life. Most of us get accustomed to the occasional sound and think nothing of it. Back in the day when outhouses were the norm, flushing noise wasn't a concern. Just the walk through the snow and wind and freezing our butts off over the hole was a problem. Dam glad those are days gone by!