For us, however, we now hear two AC units starting and stopping independently, causing twice as often fan start noise.
A few years ago I replaced my old HVAC system. the new one has a soft start on the compressor, the compressor fan and the blower inside. You barely hear it. The old one sounded like someone kicked the compressor housing every time it fired up. Not even sure they sell that style anymore, unless you are buying a super cheap one. The new one wasn't cheap but my electricity bill dropped by about 2/3's in the summer compared to having the old one.
