marcknight I'm in a similar position to you which is I have a '15 series 1 SSV with a stock exhaust. Mine actually does have a bit of a note in my opinion, particularly under load (ie giving it some up through the gears or driving up hills), but I've been researching for a while now to get it sounding with just a fraction more noise but with a deeper note and without breaking the bank. I am not after extra performance.
I've spoken to a couple of the reputable exhaust places here in Sydney (Sureflo and Castle Hill Performance) whether to bolt on a diff back sports muffler or go cat back. Both recommended cat backs for what I want, Sureflo's own cat back, and Castle Hill recommended the X-Force bolt on. That was putting things in the $1000-$2000 bracket, and I was worried I'd get too much noise (even though Sureflo measures their cat back at under 90db). I want more of a deep note without pissing off the neighbors/family and without attracting the attention of the authorities.
So I've been scanning the net and came across Chris at Best Mufflers, again here in Sydney. I had a pretty lengthy chat with him, who is a guy who has been in the business for years and knows his stuff. His recommendation was to throw a pair of Berklee sports mufflers on it, see the link below. He gets a lot of VE's and VF's with guys like me who want the same thing so has tried various sports mufflers over the years and thinks these are the best sounding. He's also happy for me to go and get them fitted and to take it for a quick spin to see if it's what I am after rather than just bolt them on and send me on my way. Additionally he has a professional noise meter and will check the before and after db reading to see where it will sit with the idiotic 90 db limit we have here in NSW.
I am looking at doing this within the next few weeks if you are keen to wait and I can let you know my thoughts. I read a lot of articles saying that diff back upgrades are no good, but have read a lot of ones where guys are happy. Like others have mentioned, personal preference. After speaking to Chris about the pros and cons it helped make my decision, so phone around up there in Brisvegas, even give Chris a call down here as he has online ordering.
lordsnipe recommended the marriage savers. My brother has those on his VE SSV (manual) and loves them, so there is a +1 for those (rest of his is stock).
Is your car a manual or auto though, as droning may or may not be a problem with just the diff back upgrade like this one.
https://bestmufflers.com/bshop/inde...ts-rear-mufflers-bs9530pd-&controller=product