I had a 500 for a couple of months. Opened up the muffler a bit and made a big difference without much more noise. It is a really great handling saw and runs at lower rpms, more like the old 028s putting out really nice torque. If I remember right 12,800 was where she was happiest. Pulls really strong.
My dear friend and Master German Anything Mechanic is a Scout Master and was in need of a nice trail saw. Gave it to him and he likes it a lot and some of the Husky Stihl guys enjoy using it too.
Great price from Nate a good guy.