[plastrd]

Is there an appreciable difference in volume between 2.5" and 3" exhausts?

It seems choices in exhaust come into two main categories:
Raspy (Corsa, Stainless Works, etc)
Deep (Borla, Flowmaster, etc)

The raspy systems seem to have a reputation for being drone-free probably due to the higher sound frequency while the deeper sounding ones are more likely to resonate in the trunk/cabin and cause drone.

I'm kind of torn between the sounds I like best but currently my number one concern is total volume. I live in a condo complex where my garage is directly underneath my upstairs neighbor's unit and faces another identical condo so I'm a little concerned about the bark at startup. I also have to drive slowly through pretty much the whole complex to reach the exit.

I'm leaning towards either the Corsa or Stainless Works systems right now, but these also seem to be the loudest and I don't want to wake the dead when I take off for work every morning. Almost none of the sound clips point out if they're 2.5 or 3" systems so I'm wondering if the smaller exhaust will have the same tone but be less loud?

Long story short, has anyone else been through the stock-is-too-damn-quiet-but-I-don't-want-to-piss-off-the-neighbors ordeal and reached a satisfying conclusion?