See, you've got the same perspective that I had at first too. I didn't want to drop 400-600 on a catback exhaust and not see enough gain from it.

What you have to realize though, is that the intake/header/exhaust combo (referred to as I/H/E commonly) alone won't make tons of power. What it does do is let the engine breathe properly and it allows for you to raise compression, change cams, do headwork & see real gains from it.

If you're concerned about price then check out the Apexi World Sport, I've found it for as low as $412 shipped to my door. It's a chambered oval muffler, and is pretty quiet, but deeper than stock.

I think I'm leaning towards the Comptech catback as of right now, it's a straight through design & a bit louder, but not by much from what I've heard. Mainly, it flows better, but costs a bit more. I think it's around $600, though I could be wrong.