I'm a Remo expert and Emperor-X's are very nice for certain situations. It depends, EmpX's are great for hard rock and heavy metal. However, if you are playing something lighter or are doing studio work, I'd go with something a bit thinner. The Coated or Clear Controlled Sound heads are the same exact thing as the EmpX but are a bit thinner. Good luck...and remember one thing, don't switch to evans or aquarian, Remo is simply the BEST!