Dude,
From what you've been describing so far as to what style of music you play, I'd recommend a Pearl Chad Smith signature snare. Reasonably priced, nice "crack", and loud for what you need to do. I heard one of these live and it's sweet. My personal snare drum is a Yamaha Steve Gadd brass model (black, of course). I chose it because it's versatile, responsive, has a great all around sound for R&B, Rock and Jazz. Brass has a nice tone that's about right up the middle between steel and copper. Wood snares, like maple, have a nice, warm sound. I have a PDP 5 pc maple set, too, and I love it. I don't use the PDP snare that much, because I use the Gadd, but it's a really nice drum all the same. Birch is another wood to check out: it has a tighter tone than maple. If you want a really LOUD wood snare then check out a Yamaha Musashi OAK snare: LOUD and PROUD!
Here's some advice: decide what is your primary music you are playing. If it's loud rock then go with a metal snare drum. You might want to check into a deep shell snare... something that's like 6-6.5" deep. Look at what the pro drummers who are playing your genre of music are using. Check out some of their signature snare drums. Usually you can find a signature model snare drum from a drummer already playing your genre. Don't allow "brands" to dictate what to get. Do your homework and learn the differences between sizes, materials, and head choices. Drum brands are all basically similar, other than finishes, hardware and craftsmanship. A PDP snare sounds just as good as one that's twice the price. If your drum shop allows, check out different snares just to see what's what.