Terrific purchase, I love this fireplace so much. My  unusable wood burning fireplace is now lovely. I love it for ambiance or, like right now, for a little warmth on this chilly morning.
The color and intensity choices are lovely and look very very good. Some reviews have said they do not look like a “true” fireplace . Well, duh BUT it is absolutely lovely for what it is.
If you do choose to turn the heating element on, expect a low hum as the blower does its job. It is not that bad or disruptive at all. If you have an essential oil diffuser in the house, it is slightly louder in the same monotone way, no big deal.
The heat output on the low setting is perfectly fine. For a small living room. The higher setting will heat up a large room in a jiffy.
Oh and make sure, before you buy, that you have an outlet on the right hand side of wherever you are installing your fireplace.
Buy it!