I've used a variety of the puresound custom wires (different diameters and wire counts) and they're all nice and bright without being too loud or obnoxious.
I find they can make a previously dull snare seem a bit more sensitive, and they last a long time too. This effect is pronounced enough that I replaced a stock 42-strand on another snare with a puresound 12-strand and it didn't seem to lose much brightness or sensitivity! Using the custom wires there doesn't seem any reason to have more than about 20, which is why I went for 16 this time. Less bass buzz is a good thing in my book!
I would prefer fabric straps to string, but I guess either will work for most throwoffs and I'm just being picky.