With just CAI and exhaust you're not going to notice much different other than the sweet sweet sound. I agree with you that Skunk2 sounds the best. I have the 70mm :) And yes, it is freaking loud without the silencer. I do 80 miles of highway commuting daily so I keep it in. When I go turbo, out it comes though.
If you want functional power gains, you really gotta go for the reflash + i/h/e combo. The header alone probably makes the most noticable gain, followed by the reflash, then exhaust, then intake. With that combo the car pulls alot better than stock and the 8600rpm redline is very nice for staying in the VTEC range from gear to gear. I really can't remember how the car was without the reflash and wish Honda would have tuned it this way from the get go
Hope that info helps!