Ace Man,
I've had the V&H Big Shots on my Heritage for 9 months now and have been
very pleased with them.

I think the sound is nice and low and not too loud. Obviously the sound is a personal preference, what may be loud to a goldwing rider may sound great to a H-D rider. Anyway, the Big Shots look great, and V&H offers a quieter baffle that can be installed if you think it is too loud. I was concerned about the sound when I was first shopping for pipes, I didn't want a loud cracker pipe, and once you get the pipes, they won't take 'em back if you don't like 'em. I suggest you go down to the dealer, or to a group gathering for a ride and look around for a bike with the Big Shots on and ask for a "listen". The pipes are quite popular and should be fairly easy to find a bike with them on.
Or you can give me your phone # and I'll call and rev the pipes for ya!
sisk