I have owned two carbon bikes, an early Specialized Epic mountain bike that was screwed and glued and a Trek 2300 that was also screwed and glued. They did nothing better than an aluminum or steel frame. Working in a bike shop I have the opportunity to ride a whole lot of modern carbon frames and I will say they are superior to the ones I owned back in the day.
One thing they don't do is make me any faster than I am on a metal frame. They are quicker to sprint, but overall I am still slow as always. Carbon does have a muted presence, road noise does not seem to be as up front as a metal frame, however changing tires to a wider tire can do the same thing. Do it with a really good high count tpi tire and it is amplified as that much better.

Carbon is great, metal is great. Just ride the thing!