Eh, I dunno, I've heard a lot of moaning about them on the internet, but my low-end Bosch one is way better than any condenser I've ever had. Only complaint is that, while it's not _louder_ than my old condenser, the noise it makes is certainly more annoying, particularly for the first five minutes. Oh, also, it has a particularly bad touch interface. I miss proper buttons on appliances.

I do think maybe the worst heat pump driers are worse than the worst condensers and vented dryers. General rule seems to be, Miele best (but you'll pay for it), Bosch/Siemens/Neff are good (these are all the same company, and nothing much to do with the Siemens that makes turbines and medical equipment these days), Zanussi/Electrolux/AEG (same company) and LG and Samsung are fine, Hotpoint/Whirlpool/Indesit (also all the same company; appliance companies love doing this) are bloody awful.