I have a 2004 tahoe Z71, and I think I am going to put a AEM intake on it, but I have a few questions.

1.) My exhaust setup is... after the flange, I cut it, installed a y pipe and had two 2 1/4 inch pipes straight to the back. I know I lost some low end grunt and some horsepower with this setup, due to the muffler being gone. Will the CAI take care of the power that I lost, and will it make my exhaust sound different?

2.) Loudness.. I really want to get the loudest intake available, and some say that AEM is the loudest? Is this truly the loudest setup, that I can buy? I want to hear that thinng suck.
Thanks
Chamberlain