Calcutta, I have the Flowmaster 50 muffler on my V8, took the resonators off, and there was a gain in HP. I had the same noise concerns as you, and this will not wake up the neighbors. It has some rumble to it when you get into the throttle, which is nice with my V8. I don't think there is much of a difference between a catback system, or piecing it together, except that the catback system can usually be put on by you. Piecing it together usually requires going to a muffler shop and having them custom fit the necessary pipes in place to complete the system.
