Rubber coated plates would certainly reduce the sound from clanging weights. For me, holding the weights in place with a collar also helps with that. It seems the majority of the noise is coming from the lever it's self, due to some loose parts. Powertec seems to be a very solid company, so I would expect higher quality from them than my current bench made by Weider.
This decision on my next piece of equipment for legs has been killing me!