Product review (2 stars): "Quiet by design."  Really?
<div id="video-block-R2U24LHOHOQEI5" class="a-section a-spacing-small a-spacing-top-mini video-block"></div><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/B10SoaDI%2BZS.mp4" class="video-url"><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61uaNVtkjwS.png" class="video-slate-img-url">&nbsp;&nbsp;The troubleshooting section of the manual states that if the problem is 'Washer seems too quiet', then the possible cause is 'Quiet by design'.  Clearly, these are not technical writers, but comedians.

The sounds generated by this machine are perturbing and loud. How loud? At 1 meter in a tiled hallway, the sound pressure levels I measured were:: wash: 77 dBA, spin: 72 dBA. That's as loud as my cyclone vacuum cleaner at full power. The difference is that the GE sounds like power lawn equipment.  My prior 4 washers were much quieter. My LG spins at a much higher speed than this GE, and it stays relatively steady. During spin, the GE, even with no load, shakes excessively and rattles. The machine is leveled along 2 axes, and all 4 feet are in contact with a hard floor. I attached a short video of the GE washer during wash and spin cycles.

This washer has a tendancy to go off balance with small loads. There is no sensor to stop the motor when this happens. The basket continues to spin, and bangs against the side panels. The GE technician told me this was not a defect, just the design. It is inconvenient being on standby when doing laundry. Other washers I've used hardly ever have this problem, and in addition they have a sensor to detect the off balance condition.

This machine does have some features that many new HE machines do not, such as deep fill and warm rinse. But I consider them non-features since they negate the energy efficiency of an HE machine, and other top rated machines clean clothes just fine without them.

Based on professional reviews, the top scoring washers were from Samsung and LG.  However, actual consumers, having long-term experiences, reported issues with those brands, ranging from machines getting stuck trying to balance the load, to machines that exploded.  I settled on this GE as a compromise, since it has pretty good reviews from professionals and pretty good reviews from consumers.

Thus far, this GE looks like a loser. It's not as good as my LG washer, and not as good as my retired "real" Maytags made in Newton, Iowa. In summary, the various symptoms of this machine point to larger design flaws, and I don't expect it will be as durable as my previous machines.