Higher quality hubs are generally 'louder' than cheap ones. 'Louder' because the pitch is greater. This is because they have a greater number of spring-loaded pawls engaging the main hub. More pawls, more engagement points - this means quicker engagement from coasting to pedalling.
Campagnolo are 'noisy' - certainly the Super Record, C-Record of yore I used to have.
My current Dura Ace hubs are my 'quietest' pitch-wise, Hunt ceramic my 'loudest' and Zipp's somewhere in-between.
Cheaper hubs are fine, just slower to engage and generally lesser quality but, yes, also quieter if well-maintained due to their fewer pawls. Commuter bikes typically have hubs with fewer pawls; less of a need for fast engagement under intense load. My 'fixie' had super-quiet hubs; rubbish though, performance-wise.
Naturally, any hub not maintained properly will make a genuinely loud noise but this is somewhat different to the noise produced by good quality hubs where it is a matter of pitch rather than grating noise.
