Maybe your hearing is getting more sensitive. There's 2 things you could do.
1. ear plugs.
2. You could wrap the baffles with
http://www.jcwhitney.com/MUFFLER-RE-PACK-MATERIAL/GP_2006469_N_111+10211+600014669_10111.jcw That's if they're in there and if you can get them out. You can fab a tool similar to a dent puller if they're fighting you.
If you wrap them don't over wrap them. It could cause them to bind while either reinserting the wrapped baffles or trying to get them out later. Wind some S.S. wire around the exhaust material lightly, just enough to keep it from getting sandwiched between the baffle doughnuts and the inside of the pipe. If that happens you may never be able to position or remove them.
I re-wrapped my Viking baffles and had a hell of a time getting the originals out of the cans due to pinching the wrap inside the cans. I was able to "pound" them out from the header end because they're slip-ons. I don't think that's possible with Cobra's.