Whinning, whirring on acceleration or deceleration at 0-20 mph

Well, after addressing the backup beeping, proximity warning noise and the active headrests(sorta), I've been told by the technician at the dealership that the noise that I've mentioned above, is due to the hybrid inverter drive system. I mentioned that I didn't have this issue with my 2008 Prius hatchback. He stated that,if anything, it should have been louder. I disagree.
I'm wondering if others have noticed this rather loud and irritating whine also. I'm sort of thinking it's the Toyo Proxes A20 on 17" rims that's the culprit After all, they're rated M+S. Has anyone changed these tires and noticed immediate relief? Again, I'm noticing this noise at low speeds like 0-20mph.

 

UPDATE: Today I tried something to help isolate the potential noise from either the hybrid drive system versus the tires. As the car was rolling, I shifted into neutral and lightly applied the brakes and did not notice any whining noise. So I figured the hybrid drive system was the culprit.

Later in the day, I got a surprise visit from an acquaintance who,just by chance, had a 2012 Prius v. It was even silver colored like mine. I asked if I could test drive it to check for any noise. I'd also noticed that he had a level 3 model and Bridgestone tires on 16" rims. Drove his car around a bit and it whined just like mine!

When I returned the car, I asked my friend if he heard the noise and if it bothered him or not? He said "no, there's no noise". Well then whaddaya say huh? I also noticed he had the backup beeper still beeping away, the proximity warning buzzer grinding away and the active headrests still activated. He also said he loved the car and not ever noticed ANY problems.

Moral of the story: It is what it is.

 

Let's be clear about one thing. The problem is not due to the VPNS. It can't be. I think I'm just able to hear the frequency of noise put out by the hybrid drive system and, I guess, a lot of other people don't. For those of you that do hear the whine and find it disconcerting, how do you deal with it?