Hmmm. I thought in front of the engines is quieter, or is that only for jet engines? It's been so long since I was in a prop, Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen was the pilot.
RNE, saying, "I always carry earplugs on a plane...but for babies crying, not Pratt & Whitneys whirring."
Gosh RNE, I thought you would have been around long enough to remember flying on prop planes
Actually, in the old days of pistons and large turboprops (think Electra), the first class cabin was in the back of the plane because piston and prop vibration was more noticeable in the front of the plane. But I digress off the thread's topic.
I think in regards to the Q-400, I find it to be no different than any other prop, which means you should have earplugs.