Well after putting the new Ashcroft R380 in I can tell you that the defender is now noticeably quieter overall than its ever been (in my ownership) , I can talk on the handsfee now without pulling over, thats a new Defender experience for me.

So all along the gearbox has been somewhat noisy for the 60,000 km that Ive owned it. Not a gear or bearing noise per se, just the loud ambience Its just got to sounding like a cement mixer in the last 2000km.

perhaps a combination of new DMF and Gbox has quietened it down, its like a new car now .