Always found the Puresounds to be very dark, and not very sensitive. Prefer any regular steel wires (Gibraltar, Gretsch) -- even though they're probably made from low-quality imported steel.
More wires will give you more snare-ey sound, so stick with 20 strands on this drum. On a snare with a wider bed, you can do 30 strands (good for slugging back beats!). 40 strands sounds a bit ridiculous, and with that many wires the sympathetic buzz is made noticeably worse.
An acrolite, great drum though it may be, is not what would be considered a "sensitive" drum by today's standards, since the bearing edge is quite rounded. A drum with a sharper edge should respond well to soft playing. Also, the crappy P85 strainer isn't doing you any favors. It will lose its position, if and when you ever do get the snare wires to that "just right" tension. You'll be forever readjusting.