Just to close this out, I now have 16-core w/ ProVega II and sound level is identical to the 24-core. Maybe I just have really good ears (???), but, to me, the 7.1 MacPro is not silent. No complaints. Love the system! Just sayin', that's all.
There's actually another thread on this topic that I didn't discover until after I started this post:
The new Mac Pro is not that quiet?
We call it "selective hearing" in our house.forums.macrumors.com
One of the posters uses an iPhone app to measure sound level. I downloaded the same app, and my system measured 25db (+2 over ambient late at night in a 'quiet' room), which is right around where Apple says it should be (I came across reference while researching, but didn't save link). Fully recognize iPhone app is not calibrated to reference, but the delta (+2) can be more trusted.
I previously had it sitting under my desk, alongside my right leg with the front of the computer sticking out just a little past the front of the desk. Now I have it on top of my desk oriented sideways behind the display. In terms of sound level (what I can hear), it makes no difference -- I hear a 'low whrrr' -- just as @Azrael9 said, which I think best describes the sound. Frankly, if the room is quiet (e.g., middle of the night, no music playing, no A/C running, etc.) I can hear it from over 10 - 12 feet (3 - 4 m) away once my ears are adjusted to the 'quiet'.Can you tell us where does your Mac Pro sits?
If referring to the iPhone app (called Decibel X:dB Sound Level Meter), I hold my phone right up to the front and back of the computer, similar to person in the link shared in my previous post (three posts above). I orient the phone so that the bottom is closest to the computer (since this is where mic is located)....and what distance from it did you measure the noise?