[Steven Smith]

Same as you, when the chopsaw whirs, I stop mid-sentence to let it finish. I can now talk over the gantry mill.

For ours, with a 3kW water cooled spindle...The spindle on at cutting speed is just a hum, very quiet. We have a 2HP blower in the room that is a bit louder.

You do get some noise when cutting, especially if you have a poor cut or any chatter/vibrating, but that should be addressed for other reasons than just noise.

When we had a commercial router (air cooled), you had to yell to talk over the gantry. While i wouldn't characterize the new spindle it as "quiet" at least it is fairly consistent so you just adjust your voice over it. Additionally, normal routers force air down towards the bit for cooling, which blows dust everywhere. A water cooled spindle is a lot better for that natively, but you may still want air assist and a vacuum for chip management.

tl:dr;, Our setup isn't quiet by any means, but it isn't deafening, and we can work in the area while the mill is running without difficulty communicating.