I'm guessing you have a Sedra pump. The nice thing about the mesh mod is you can get replacement needlewheel impellers for those pumps should you ever want to revert back.
It is a destructive modification though. When I ran an ASM (like a Euroreef only a bit more cheaply made - same pumps though), I did the mesh mod. It did make a significant improvement in performance (huge difference). Other than it didn't like to start after being turned off (I had to blow air into the airtube to get it going), I never looked back.
The Sedra pumps or rather their impellers however, are prone to swelling over time and eventually become unusable. So if it helps ease the mind process a little, odds are pretty good you'll have to replace that impeller sooner or later anyhow.
But .. IS your pump a Sedra? What pump is it now? (I'm just curious as it will help determine what other pumps we can look at, since you said noise is a consideration).
What about the pumps the Hydor uses? Can you get replacements of those? Because if so why not look at those (since you'll know what to expect from them..)
Whenever I look into pumps, the Eheim line of pumps comes up time and again as being one of the better ones in terms of quietness, reliability and performance.. at least people seem to think highly of them (I've never had one myself so can only parrot what I've read). Tend to be pricey though. Although AndyL (here in Cowtown) was selling I think a 1262 (bigger model) for a pretty good price a couple weeks ago (you'd be on your own for finding a needlewheel impeller though).