Quick answer: Of every pool heater brand this site covers, AquaCal’s HeatWave SuperQuiet (SQ) line is the only one with a specific published decibel number — 55 dB at 10 feet, per AquaCal’s own current documentation. Pentair, Hayward, and Jandy all market their heat pumps as quiet, but none of them attach a measured dB figure to that claim for the models sold here; owner forums describe the Pentair UltraTemp as comparably quiet to AquaCal’s SQ line in real-world side-by-side use, but that’s anecdotal, not a spec-sheet number. Raypak does publish dBA ranges (34.9-49.3 dBA) — but only for its smaller Crosswind 50-I/65-I inverter models, not the larger Crosswind V units this site reviews.
If noise near a patio, bedroom window, or shared property line is the deciding factor, that gap in published data — not marketing language — is the thing to know before you shop.
Noise claims at a glance
| Brand / line | Published dB figure? | What's actually claimed |
|---|---|---|
| AquaCal HeatWave SuperQuiet (SQ) | Yes — 55 dB at 10 ft | Scroll compressor, marketed as virtually silent from 10 feet |
| AquaCal HeatWave (HW, standard) | No | Standard compressor, built for heating performance over quiet operation |
| Pentair UltraTemp 120Q | No | "Quietest heat pump we've made" — thicker panels, raised top, sound-insulating compressor boot |
| Hayward HeatPro (HP21405T) | No | Described as "incredibly quiet," no measured figure in manuals or sell sheets checked |
| Jandy JE-series | No | Scroll compressor described as noise-reducing, no figure published |
| Raypak Crosswind V (EHT, this site's coverage) | No | Marketed "whisper quiet" via 4-blade fan, no dB figure found |
| Raypak Crosswind 50-I / 65-I (smaller, inverter) | Yes — ~35-49 dBA | Different, smaller product line — not a stand-in for the Crosswind V's rating |
1. AquaCal — the only brand with a real number, from AquaCal itself
AquaCal HeatWave SuperQuiet (SQ140R / SQ160R / SQ200R)
- AquaCal is, as far as every spec sheet and brochure checked for this guide shows, the only pool heat pump brand this site covers that attaches an actual decibel number to a current model — 55 dB at 10 feet for the SQ-prefixed SuperQuiet scroll-compressor line, confirmed in our AquaCal HeatWave review.
- That number is worth a grain of salt precisely because AquaCal is the one publishing it: there's no independent third-party test behind the figure, and a brand has every incentive to measure its own quietest-sounding number favorably. It's still more concrete than every competitor's unmeasured "quiet" claim, which is the more useful comparison point here.
- Buyer reports on pool-owner forums add a real-world data point AquaCal's own materials don't: side-by-side comparisons describe the Pentair UltraTemp 140 and AquaCal's SQ200R as similarly quiet in actual backyard use — anecdotal, not a measured dB-for-dB match, but a useful signal that the gap between the two brands' real-world noise isn't as wide as AquaCal's standalone number might suggest.
- Don't confuse this SQ line with AquaCal's standard HW-prefixed HeatWave — our AquaCal review found at least one retailer listing the standard HW160 under a title that borrows the "SuperQuiet" name, which doesn't apply to that compressor.
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2. Pentair — no number, but the most specific engineering claims
Pentair UltraTemp 120Q
- Pentair's own materials call the 120Q the quietest heat pump the company has made, and back that claim with named design changes rather than a generic "quiet" label: thicker cabinet panels to cut vibration, a raised top to reduce wind noise, a redesigned fan blade, and a sound-insulating boot around the compressor.
- No spec sheet, brochure, or AHRI 1160 listing checked for this guide attaches an actual dB(A) number to the 120Q or the larger 140/140 H-C — the "quietest we've made" claim is comparative within Pentair's own lineup, not a measured figure you can line up against AquaCal's 55 dB or Raypak's 35-49 dBA range.
- See our full Pentair UltraTemp review for how the 120Q compares to the 140 and 140 H/C on price and capacity, not just noise.
3. Hayward and Jandy — “quiet” marketing, zero published figures
Hayward HeatPro (HP21405T) & Jandy JE-series
- Hayward's own HeatPro documentation describes the unit as incredibly quiet and cites a multi-speed fan as part of why, but no manual, sell sheet, or retailer spec table checked for this guide gives an actual decibel number for the HP21405T or its predecessor the HP21404T.
- Jandy's JE-series materials describe the scroll compressor as reducing noise for quiet operation, with the same gap — no published figure for the JE1500T, JE2500T, or JE3000T covered in our Jandy brand guide.
- Both brands' claims are plausible — scroll compressors are a genuinely quieter compressor design than fixed-speed reciprocating types — but "plausible and unmeasured" is a different thing than AquaCal's published 55 dB figure, and buyers comparing noise across brands should treat the two claims differently rather than as equivalent.
4. Raypak — publishes real numbers, but for the wrong product line
Raypak Crosswind 50-I / 65-I (not the Crosswind V this site reviews)
- Raypak's own product pages publish decibel ranges for its smaller inverter-driven Crosswind 50-I and 65-I — roughly 34.9-45.0 dBA and 38.2-49.3 dBA, the widest spread of any figure in this guide because inverter-driven compressors vary output (and therefore noise) with load, unlike a fixed-speed unit's single running noise.
- That's genuinely useful data — but it's for a different, smaller product line than the Crosswind V EHT-series (4550/5550/6550/8550, 85,000-138,000 BTU) covered in our Raypak Crosswind V review. No dB figure was found in any Crosswind V brochure, manual, or parts listing checked for this guide — the brand's "whisper quiet" language for that line is backed by a described four-blade fan design, not a number.
- Don't assume the smaller inverter line's published range applies to the bigger EHT units most homeowner pools actually need — same don't-assume-the-SKU-carries-over pattern as this site's own Hayward vs. Pentair price research found with Hayward's two differently-priced H250FD/H400FDN models.
Why almost nobody publishes a real number
Decibel testing for an outdoor-rated compressor unit isn’t standardized the way, say, AHRI 1160’s heating-capacity and COP testing is — there’s no single required distance, load condition, or background-noise floor every manufacturer has to test and disclose against, the way there is for BTU output. That leaves most brands free to use comparative marketing language (“quietest we’ve made,” “scroll compressor reduces noise”) instead of a number a buyer could actually compare across brands. AquaCal publishing a specific 55 dB-at-10-feet figure for its SQ line is the exception, not the rule — and even that number only tells you something once you know it’s self-reported, with no independent test behind it.
The bottom line
If a measured number matters more to you than marketing language, AquaCal’s HeatWave SuperQuiet (SQ) line is the only pool heat pump on this site with a published decibel rating — 55 dB at 10 feet, though self-reported. Every other major brand’s quiet-running heat pump — Pentair’s UltraTemp 120Q, Hayward’s HeatPro, Jandy’s JE-series — makes a real engineering case for reduced noise without backing it with a number, and real-world owner reports suggest the practical gap between AquaCal and Pentair specifically is smaller than a spec-sheet comparison alone would suggest. Raypak publishes solid dBA ranges, but only for its smaller Crosswind 50-I/65-I line, not the larger Crosswind V units most homeowner pools actually buy. If noise near a shared fence line or bedroom window is a real concern, ask the installer or dealer for a demo unit running nearby before buying on marketing language alone.
Published October 2026.
Sources: AquaCal HeatWave SuperQuiet Brochure, Pentair UltraTemp Product Page, Raypak Crosswind Product Page, Raypak Crosswind V Brochure, Hayward HeatPro Sell Sheet