The stock intake is pretty quiet. I actually love the sound I get from the SRI, but I have built a custom heat shield around it, and have experimented a lot with baffling. It's not nearly as loud as a plain 'ol SRI by itself. With no baffling it's pretty darn loud. Baffling is very touchy, as having too much restriction will choke down high rpm performance, while being too open will result in loss of low rpm torque. I think I have struck a good balance here. I like to tinker so it has been a fun project for me.

The SRI does give you better pull at higher rpm, at the expense of losing some torque under 3k. The upside is when you add a 4-2-1 header, the torque on the low end comes back just above where it was originally. So I'd have to say both bolt-ons together are preferrable to just an SRI alone.

Also with my set-up, hydrolocking is no risk (much less than with a CAI)

I remember seeing a thread where the MAF sensor is shown installed on the airbox itself on some models. Mine is not that way. There is a CAI for the MAF models, Fujita I think. Installation was very easy and straightforward on the AEM.

While we're talking about steel rims...they are not always heavier than alloys. It depends on the alloys you have.

You can make anything fast. It's how much headache you wanna put up with, and money you want to spend. There's a turbo kit for the I4 K24a4 now that lays down 300 h.p., so a fast Accord is possible if you're willing to do what it takes.

Integras or Preludes aren't race cars either, but with some work they can be made that way, just like anything else.