This fountain is VERY loud.  The water does not make a trickling or tinkling sound - it is just a solid downpour stream, there is no variety of water sound. Covering some of the holes with duct tape made it a little quieter, but if you cover too many, it will flood out from the top.  I have also placed rocks in the bottom to try & vary the sound, but it doesn't change much. Only positive is that because the water just streams straight down, it doesn't splash out.