Well, just to tie up a couple loose ends:

Despite what some have said, Dr. Yan will not replace the hanger: "Bent hangers are not defective. They are easily bent into place. You may want a tech to it if you are not comfortable"

Anyway, I took both bikes out for a couple mile ride around the neighborhood, and comparing the two, yeah.. the orange one is pretty much silent on all gears, while the white one makes the noises in the two gears mentioned, but does seem to work fine (didn't get any skipping or anything.. just mildly annoying).

I'll ride them for awhile and see how much it bothers me and take it from there. Thanks for all the adjustment suggestions everyone. Looking on the bright side, I have learned quite a bit about derailleurs and derailleur-related components from this... (although apparently, not enough to get rid of a clicking sound on my white nova )