Product review (5 stars): So Quiet You'll Never Know It's Running! REALLY!
I bought dishwashers that tout their silent operation and found that, while they were more quiet than the unit I'd replaced, they didn't run as quietly as I'd hoped.  That is just not the case with the KitchenAid KUDE70FXSS.  This is the first dishwasher that I ever felt lived up to the claim of quiet operation.  When the installer came into the living room to tell me he was finished with the installation of the KitchenAid he said "I bet you never even heard me turn it on".  I was amazed as he walked into the kitchen, opened the door and showed me the stainless steel washing tub dripping with water.  He'd tested the operation as part of the installation.  I was literally 40 feet away in the living room and I never even heard the unit turn on!

First and foremost, the dishwasher is refined in it's simplistic elegance. The controls are mounted on the top of the door so they are hidden under the countertop when the dishwasher is closed.  The only thing that breaks the stainless steel monolith on the front face is a very small light near the upper right hand corner of the door.  At first, I questioned what it was and wondered why it was there when I learned it was a light.  I wasn't sure why KitchenAid would interrupt that stainless facade with it.  Now I know.  It's there so you will know when the dishwasher is actually running.  I'm not even kidding!  When the machine is running, that light glows blue.  When the unit is in the drying cycle, the light is red. Finally, when the dishes are clean and the washing/drying cycles are complete, the light is green.

To test the dishwasher, I had some dishes that I'd let wait in the sink all day.  I had a pan with dried on egg and cheese from an omelet.  There was a bowl with dried grits and other assorted plates, utensils, cookware, and so on.  It really went against the grain to not pre-wash any of these items before loading them into the dishwasher.  I'm so used to not only removing food, but also, in effect, basically cleaning the dishes before loading them into the dishwasher.  However, I wanted to really test the ProScrub option on this unit.

I've read a few reviews with people that complained that the dishwasher didn't clean effectively.  I have to admit, those reviews made me somewhat hesitant seeing that this dishwasher comes at a premium price.  However, all those fears were quickly dispelled with this one wash.  As a caveat, I will say that I read the instruction manual (an online PDF) and there were directions about how to properly load the dishwasher.  If you plan to allow the dishwasher to scrub dried on food on plates and cookware, there is a specific way to load the unit to increase the efficacy of the cleaning.  I can imagine that if these directions aren't followed, the results may not be as expected.  That being said, I loaded the pan with the dried omelet and grit-encrusted bowl, and all the other items facing towards the back of the unit.  The ProScrub jets are mounted on the back of the dishwasher and truly dirty dishes and pans need to be loaded at the back facing those jets.  There are also instructions on the optimal way to load plates, bowls, etc. and I pretty much followed the suggestions with the rest of this load.  I even had some cooking utensils loaded into the third tray above.  I ran the unit on the Heavy Duty cycle with the ProScrub option and selected ProDry.  Once I pressed start and closed the door, I waited.  The blue light came on and I eventually heard the slightest noise indicating the unit was actually in operation.  Given that I had selected the most aggressive cleaning cycle and option, I was completely floored that the dishwasher was actually running.  The blue light is obviously a smart idea that is there to prevent somebody from opening the dishwasher door while the unit is in operation.  Suffice it to say that the entire time the dishwasher ran, nobody in the house really knew it was running.  Upon completion of the cycle, every single dish emerged spotless and without food particles.  Another important tip I gleaned from reading the manual is that the use of rinse aid is highly recommended with this dishwasher.  Again, it increases the efficiency of the unit especially with regards to drying.  It provides a sheeting action that will help the KitchenAid not only with the drying cycle, but also with leaving glasses and flatware completely without spots.  We had some glasses that had become rather white in appearance from years of use in the old dishwasher (which I foolishly didn't use rinse agent with).  The KitchenAid did not remove that white deposited material by itself.  For glasses and items that have become laden with mineral deposits over time, I ran them in the dishwasher with two Affresh dishwasher cleaner tablets.  I put one in the main dispenser and one table in the bottom of the tub itself.  That not only cleaned the dishwasher (not that it needed it), but also cleaned the glasses and they came out crystal clear.

So the bottom line for me with this dishwasher is this: KitchenAId has produced a VERY sleek, elegant dishwasher that will operate so silently you'll need to see an indicator light to really even know it's running.  It absolutely will not intrude on your TV watching or entertaining while it's running.  With operation this silent, you can run your dishwasher at any time of the day or night and never once disturb anybody in the house.  As expected, this KitchenAid cleans dishes completely and effectively.  I don't know that I'll be loading dirty dishes like I did with my trial.  It goes against years of ingrained pre-cleaning for me.  However, suffice it to say, it's nice to know that for those evenings when I just don't feel like pre-washing, I can load this dishwasher full of the dirtiest dishes and they will emerge spotless and dry.  With dishes that I've already rinsed off before loading, they will emerge even more clean than I ever could have achieved by hot water and Dawn alone.  If I had it to do all over again, I'd purchase this dishwasher without hesitation.  I highly recommend this KitchenAid!