Noises aren't usually a good indicator of a issue for wheel bearings. IMO. Even for bicycles I had without sealed bearings and even no dust seal at all, they'd get a little bit of grit or sand in them and I'd hear some crunching noise for a little bit. However the bearings still lasted a very long time. I only remember replacing the bearings on those bikes during the few times I dropped a bearing and lost it.

Wheel bearings and races are pretty hard material. They'll pulverize most stuff that gets into them and not be any immediate concern. At worst you get a slight reduction in useful life. But not usually anytime soon.

My current bike has sealed cartridge bearings. And is over 12K Km (8000 miles) I won't think about replacing them until the axle and hub show a lot of movement radially (perpendicular) to each other. A small amount is normal, IMO. So don't fret about that. And only look at the movement between the axle and hub center. If you are gauging it by the movement of your rim or tire, then that is on a arm almost 311 mm (12.2 inches) away making a tiny bit look like a lot.

If you happen to ride in competitions a lot, then perhaps I might change my answer.