DADoES,
No I have had experience with direct drives. I just find them loud in the fact that the agitation sound of the transmission is nearly the same loudness during the neutral drain as it is when the machine is agitating, minus the water splashing sounds. Compared to an older belt drive Whirlpool, where you can still hear the agitation sound when neutral draining, and sometimes even see the agitator moving slightly, but it is quieter than when the machine is actually agitating, and much quieter than the direct drive transmission. I'm guessing the shorter, quicker strokes of the direct drive probably are what cause it to be louder.