Thanks to a hint from Rob posted on the MacCentral web site, I now have a much quieter startup sound.
Be sure to check out the StartupSound prefPane, which will allow you to control the volume of the startup sound. I have a nice set of speakers and a subwoofer and that startup chime sounds more like a "boom" with a fair amount of base. This is great until its 3 AM and I want to restart my computer.
Sure you can use the mute button, but I am too lazy to remember to do that all the time. This prefPane is a gem.
