So maybe some gurus can chime in on this on, because my post is largely word vomit.
From what i've read in 2t tuning books, a sidebleed pipe at the largest belly section will be considerably quieter because the pulse is at it's widest point in the chamber. For any mass produced pipe, it will not perform better than the converging section to a stinger.
But, depending on where your peak RPM is, you can tune the belly section to resonate at that RPM. That way, you are maximizing the pipe while keeping the noise level to it's minimum.
Even with a side bleed pipe, you have the option to play with the stinger length and I.D., which does play a role in low end/high end power/sound.
This post is from 2004 so is dated. Since then, there has been some improvement in exhaust tech. https://www.prestwich.ndirect.co.uk/tunedpipetheory.htm
take it with a grain of salt i guess (edited)