I find that double standard interesting too Mr Wizard. One poster tested a pair of Honda 2000i running the Air vs a Champ. The twins were actually louder at 70 Db than the Champ at 68 Db. (put a supergen ten on the Champ and it's 65 Db)
So why is louder and red so much more acceptable? Why aren't the people using the twin reds not being jumped on for not using the quieter EU3000is? I guess expensive noise is just more acceptable. Maybe having your nose in the air changes the angle of the ears and that makes it quieter. lol
All I know is you can spend a small fortune to be as quiet as a mouse, in our case silent with solar. That just means you get to listen to someone else run their generator.