Which is the quietest Goto?

[Questions]

Skywatcher, meade, celestron?

I have a small garden, I don't want an ASBO!

Thanks in advance

[Astro_Baby]

Probably the Sywatcher EQ6 followed very closely by the HEQ5. Celestron CG5s are reputed to sound like a coffee grinder. I have only heard one and it didndt sound that bad but an EQ6 even at full slew speed is a pretty well queit apart from the odd rattle the gears make as it engages for high speed slewing. Evfen that can be toned down with a tune up.

[Llamanaut]

A deft touch with the skywatcher dobsonian and mark one eyeball is quietest ;-)

[steppenwolf]

I'm with Astro-baby on this but would add that if the CG5 sounds like a coffee grinder then the Meade LXD75 sounds like it's crushing rocks ...

Edited for several typos - anyone seen my brain today?

[JAO]

AWR on an Alter D6, after the initial ramp it is near silent

[Astro_Baby]

The Ioptron mounts are belt driven so I assume thay are going to be quiet.

[mark7331]

The EQ6 sounds almost musical - like it's singing (or is that just me) but I've considered fitting a muffler to the Celestron NexStar as it's loud enough to wake the neighbours - 2 doors away

[Steve 1962]

I've got an HEQ5 Pro which just emits a low whine while slewing and is virtually silent while tracking - the neighbours would have to be pretty unreasonable to have any issues with it.

I also turn my laptop speaker off (or the volume right down) so the only noises likely to upset my neighbours are my anglo-saxon expletives when, despite a weather forecast of the first clear night in weeks and after spending ages setting the mount up under perfect skies, the clouds roll in - like last night!

[Mr Spock]

I have an EQ-6 Pro and can't really hear it above the rustling from the hedgehogs... ;p

[thesatanbug]

I had some friends around a couple of weeks back and "had" to get the scope out to show how it all worked an' that. My mate said it reminded him of ED 209 (it's an EQ3) when slewing form one point to another.

I quite like the tracking mode, motor noise. It sounds like it's thinking about what it's doing.