I really don't see any difference...
Your mega $ exhaust is 'near enough' to legal...near enough is not legal. So when it comes down to it, IF you get EPA'd, you have to modify it to pass. Now that may be a simple addition of an extra resonator etc, but it's still effort.
Now, your exhaust is quieter than most in its regular form, but so is a Varex when closed. So what's the difference? There isn't one. Both exhausts (a $400 muffler and your $1500-2k exhaust system) need to be modified to pass IF they are pulled up for testing.
If you have a Varex and drive around on the street with it closed for the most part, then chances are you won't get EPA'd, just as you'd not expect to with your system. But at the end of the day if you did get done, both require simple modification to pass, only one is a shit load cheaper.