Bear in mind there is no perfect tire that does it all well, just like there is no perfect bike that does it all well. It really boils down to what you plan to do. I have had an 02 1150 GS (heavy) and two R1200GSs (not quite as heavy). I also tend to have a heavy throttle hand... My current ride is an 07 1200 GS.
If you plan to ride pavement to get to NW Arkansas and back, and also ride a lot of pavement while you are there, then you want a street biased tire. This would be true even if you think you might do a bit of forest roads here and there, so long as they are DRY. My take is that you really only need a more aggressive tire if you plan to ride a lot of unpaved stuff that will include deep gravel and/or sand. Most gravel roads are hard packed and the big stuff has been knocked away by trucks and cars, leaving two relatively clean tracks. Unless you are really hauling down the roads, most any tire will do. Those long get there and back stretches of pavement will eat tires like the TKC 80s. However, in places like Arkansas and North Carolina where you spend more time leaning over, you can do many many miles and the TKCs will last quite well because you are using more of the tread on the sides instead of just the center.
I used the K60s for a long trip to Utah/Colorado and they did pretty well, but we never had any serious rain. We did ride on some slush covered roads in SW Colorado and I had a serious pucker moment when I crossed from one side of my lane to the other and hit a bit of ice...
Other than that, they did really well. I even ran through some deep gravel and some nasty sand/silt. For that last bit, I was REALLY wishing I'd had the TKC 80s on the bike at the time, but I got through it.
I did another long trip around Utah and Colorado riding two up with my daughter when she was eleven. I had all three hard bags mounted and FULL. I had the TKC 80 front and a Shinko E-805 Rear. We did a bit of fast highway blasting in places and a LOT of dirt, gravel, and sand in the mountains. Other than in one section that was really muddy from rain the night before, the tires did great. We rode for seven days. The tires were maybe half gone by the end.
I used to agonize over which tire would get the most miles per dollar. I quit doing that. I've never gotten the high miles out of ANY tire that other people claim. I have yet to find any rear that will last more than maybe 4500-5000 miles and maybe 6000-7000 out of a front. But then I don't run them until they are baby butt smooth. I change them when they hit the wear bar, or if I am about to head out for a major trip. I like to have fresh tires when heading out for a big trip. Having tires go away in the middle of a trip sucks. Don't be "that guy"
The 805 rear is cheap compared to the TKC 80, last just as long, and has about 80% the performance in the loose stuff. If I know I am going to be doing a lot of nastiness, I will still use the TKC 80 rear. As for the front, I pretty much only run the TKC 80. But, I live in East Texas and we have a LOT of sand here. It makes a BIG difference when you hit sand. Tires like the Anakees and Tourances are no fun in sand... My default right now is TKC 80 front and Shinko 805 rear.
For just a general purpose tire that can manage most stuff, I think the K60s are a good deal. You just have to be aware of their limitations. As for whine or noise, wear ear plugs
I've never understood the people that get all worked up about noisy tires