Yep, look up what a Siamese merge is, it's just a small slit between the two pipes, barely affects flow, but causes each pulse to create vac in the other pipe. Take some inspiration from the merge collectors on Burns Stainless site, they are some of the best I have seen.
Don't use Hooker mufflers, they have restrictors in them to quieten the exhaust volume. I gained 30kw changing to a Varex, both running 3.5 inch. Any straight through absorption muffler should be fine, the quality decides how long it lasts.