Longer barrels will quieten them down a bit too. I have a 10" barrel on one and a 12" barrel on another and they are not too loud. I am in the middle of town so I don't shoot them outdoors, I shoot in my shed with no problems. Also, I have CCS muzzle breaks on them both but I don't think they quieten them down much, if any.
I haven't actually compared them to a .22 short but they are considerably quieter than regular .22's in a rifle and a lot quieter than a .22 pistol.
However, I have never shot a stock 7.5" 2240 either so I might not know exactly what I am comparing, so... "Your Mileage May Vary".
Cheers,