i think with Herrods and Di FIliipo's theres no doubting their quality, much like places such as D&T however you can recieve resonable gains and sufficient or equal gains with lower priced products. Your probably paying a bit more for the name and refinement thats gone into the development to be model specific. If you cant resist buying up the brand names thats your choice, but alot of people have also seen that you can get good products ie pacey's, Hm headers,Lukey stuff and so on with good 2.5" and 3" systems using lower priced muffs. All showing noticeable sound and HP figures on the dyno. Much of muchness really.
Buy a cheper system, get it chrome coated, stick a herrod sticker on, only Mr Herrod himself and die hard Ford nuts will know!!