That 'bong' chime is called a 'post' and it's actually important for the system. (OK, the Power On Self Test isn't actually a sound, but passing the test activates the chime). The exact sound it makes can give you information about the status of the system as it boots up. You can certainly mute the speakers before shutting down, but turning it off altogether is neither possible nor desirable.
If you hold down the mute button (f3) on the keyboard at startup, it will mute the chime. However, your normal system speaker settings won't be affected.