There is a known audio out bug, so the sounds can wake the device... The cache clearing was just good house keeping after a new os install. You don't have to love it, go buy the S3 like I'm doing later today, or revert back to GB. Either way, you sound pretty god damned spoiled considering the device worked great for you already yet you feel you deserve more. If you loved it more before the upgrade, then roll it back and keep loving your device. Samsung doesn't owe you ICS, be happy you were offered it.
Besides lately these android updates don't feel like they add much and feel more like they are just trying to keep interest in the OS rather than each new device. GB felt great to me also, not much need for more than that.... Yet they keep chugging along changing things... Anyway, I love the phone, hopefully the wife likes it when I pass it off to her tonight and I get my S3. I was going to wait for something better but I'm too impatient, I'll just take the S3 now and buy whatever is next when I sell the S3....