Quote Originally Posted by alexsommers
I was just not used to how much louder it sounds

Yeah. With some of the older/larger lenses, Bryan describes the IS operation as a 'low growl'. But the 17-55mm is pretty quiet, except for the quick little start/stop buzz. If you shoot on a tripod a lot and are in the habit of turning IS off when you do (not strictly necessary with newer IS systems like the one in the 17-55mm, which are tripod-sensing), that little buzz is actually nice - you learn to listen for it to confirm that you turned IS back after you take the camera off the tripod. The buzz/click when it turns off is also helpful - it's not a good idea to remove the lens or power off the camera with the IS active, so either wait for the telltale sound of the elements parking and locking in place, or just get in the habit of waiting a couple of seconds before changing lenses or powering off the camera.